Parallels to 9/11: Week of April 13th, 2020

All,

I’ve heard many people say that the current crisis we’re all living through is this generation’s 9/11. Well, I’d like to share what my 9/11 experience was like, which might help folks gain some perspective on today’s emergency. 

My family and I moved to Okinawa, Japan in August, 2000 where I assumed command of the Navy’s largest overseas hospital. Okinawa is home to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, our quick response force in the event something happens on the Korean peninsula, Taiwan or China. It’s also home to Kadena Airforce Base, considered the hub of airpower in the Pacific. There’s also a small Army garrison on the island to help with communications and other important support missions. Our hospital was the centerpiece of the community health network on the island as well as in the Western Pacific, where our primary mission was to ensure the readiness of the entire force in addition to caring for all the family members and retired military living on Okinawa and throughout the Western Pacific. All told, we were responsible for the care of about 47,000 people on Okinawa and over 185,000 Americans living or working in the Western Pacific region.

On September 11, 2001, I was at a meeting in Tokyo along with all the other senior medical personnel assigned to the Pacific theater to get updates on TRICARE, the military’s primary insurance program and to discuss ways of improving our operational medicine missions. After a late dinner I remember heading back to my room at about 10 p.m. on that evening. My cell phone rang and it was my Director for Administration asking me if I was watching TV. Not having the TV on, I immediately hit the remote just in time to see the second plane hit the south Tower of the World Trade Center.  At that point, I think everyone immediately realized that this wasn’t an accident but rather an attack on our homeland.  I immediately called back to my command and put them in what we called Condition Delta, the highest state of operational security, calling back essential personnel and increasing security around our facilities. I also called my wife back on Okinawa to let her know what was happening. We all watched in horror as the events unfolded that horrible morning in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. To make matters more stressful for those of us who needed to get back to Okinawa, Typhoon Nari was ravaging the island.  We were actually able to get on a flight the next day, only to turn around and head back to Tokyo after attempting 2 landings in typhoon-force winds. Three days after the attacks, we finally got back to Okinawa to find life had changed. When I got back to my quarters, which was located on the same compound as the hospital, there was a Marine Corps Humvee equipped with a 50-caliber machine gun at the base of my driveway, just in case. All of the bases become armed camps because we simply didn’t know what might be coming at us next. In a short 24-hours we went from a peacetime posture to a wartime posture, resulting in people sheltering in place and essential services such as our commissary and childcare suspended for a short while. The next several weeks were consumed with security meetings, discussing operational plans and ensuring that everyone under our Area of Responsibility (AOR) remained safe. As you might imagine, it was an extremely stressful time for everyone, especially family members who didn’t know if their loved ones were going to be sent into harms way. I spent a good bit of time meeting with staff and family members to ensure that they had the most up-to-date information and to help keep everyone both informed and calm. We maintained this tempo of operations for a number of months. It seemed like it would never end, but eventually things started to loosen up and gradually, things got back to a new normal with increased security, additional travel restrictions and a much greater sense of purpose on the part of all of us in uniform. 

I see several parallels with what we’re living through today and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. We don’t know as much as we’d like to about the coronavirus, similar to our situation back in 2001.  Our lives certainly have been disrupted for our own protection. The more accurate and consistent information we’re able to get, the more comfortable we feel about the situation. We’re also waiting for a return to normal but now most of us understand that normal won’t be the same as it was about 2 months ago. The same was true back then. 

It wasn’t more than a couple of weeks ago where people were talking about the importance of wearing masks outside.  Now that we’ve seen some evidence that this might help to slow the spread of the virus, many of us adapted pretty quickly. I actually went on a long bike ride yesterday morning wearing a face mask. I’ll admit, it wasn’t very comfortable (and even a little gross) but I felt like it was protecting others and maybe even myself. 

Like our situation in Okinawa and around the world following the attacks on 9/11, the COVID-19 pandemic will have a significant impact on all of our lives, more in the short-term, but nonetheless, it will change the way we do and see things. Meeting in large groups will happen again, but not for a long while and we might be wearing our masks more often than we’d like. We’ll adapt our behavior to these changes much like we’ve adapted to increased security at airports. We’ve already begun to adapt to virtual meetings, on-line classes and other changes in our normal routines. At times it will be inconvenient, uncomfortable and often feel like a real pain. It’s our new reality - we need to adjust and move forward. 

I think we’re all very lucky to be in healthcare – whether you're teaching, learning, or in some support role – you all play a key role to ensure your patients, clients and loved ones remain safe, healthy and informed. We’re also very accustomed to adapting to new things, whether it be changes in clinical protocols or learning how apply new technologies to our practices. 

Until we have a vaccine for COVID-19 we’ll need to keep our guard up and make some sacrifices. That could take between a year and eighteen months. No large-scale events should be permitted, social distancing at restaurants and other places will be essential, even wearing a face mask when around others and when we go outside may become commonplace. This too will pass – it’s just it will take some time. 

I keep reminding you that we are SALUS STRONG – make no doubt about it, we are! Our armor is strong, but isn’t impenetrable. We have several support mechanisms to help us cope and get through all this.  Whether you rely on your family and friends’ network or want to take advantage of our network of counselors at Salus, it’s healthy and important to talk about what scares you, what concerns you and what you might not understand. No one has all the answers right now, so you’re not alone.  We will get through this together, you have my word on that!

That was my 9/11 story.  The parallels to today are clear.   As we’ve done in the past, we will come through this just fine.  We will be smarter, having learned the lessons we’ve observed along the way, we will be more resilient and we will be better prepared the next time something like this happens.  

Be safe, stay healthy by practicing social distancing, getting regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. Wash your hands frequently and please, keep in touch. I want to hear how you’re doing! 

Mike

Practicing Social and Physical Distancing (and Frequent Hand Washing): Week of March 27th, 2020

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and our many Friends,

This is the second Friday I’m writing this from home. I know that most of you are working from your homes as well. Following Governor Wolf’s mandate, our Elkins Park and clinical facilities remain closed until further notice. Our world-class faculty, IT staff and students have all pivoted to online teaching and learning as well as some labs, where appropriate.

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, we are committed to the continuation of our academic offerings for our students and the continuity of employment for our faculty and staff.  Several students have understandably inquired about tuition and fee reimbursements. As we deliver on our commitments, we don’t believe there is any justification for refunds. While lectures and labs will be delivered in a different format, our academic offerings are continuing without interruption and without compromise of our standards. Students will continue to receive the expected value for their tuition and fees. If, for any reason, a student's course of study is delayed, the university will not charge additional tuition or fees as a result of such a delay. I want our students to realize that as a tuition driven institution, your tuition goes primarily to compensate the faculty that directly delivers your education and to the staff that supports their efforts. Just as Salus is committed to ensuring your education continues, we are similarly committed to making sure that our faculty and staff are compensated during this time so they care for themselves and their families. I cannot tell you how much we appreciate your understanding as we move through this crisis together.

Since announcing that our commencement will be virtual, I have received several emails and surveys that articulate several of our students’ displeasure with the decision. We all are disappointed about this. As I note in this video, this decision was not taken lightly nor without a great deal of thought. We will do everything we can to make the virtual ceremony as memorable and special as we can. Given the likely duration of the pandemic and the logistics involved in planning commencement, we felt it would be irresponsible and unrealistic to plan on a face-to-face ceremony, either on or off campus. I take full responsibility for making this decision. If circumstances change, we will do everything in our power to make a face to face ceremony happen in May. Otherwise, those scheduled to graduate in May certainly have the option of participating in our Fall graduation in October. We’ve been asked about a summer commencement and frankly the logistics of making this happen are just not possible right now. Everything is on the table as conditions change. To put this in perspective, the Summer Olympics, which were scheduled in July, have been postponed until 2021 and all professional sports have been either cancelled or postponed. We’re not making these decisions in a vacuum, but basing them on good science and the projections of public health experts. To do otherwise would be irresponsible.

Let’s switch gears and talk about some of the things we do have some control over and have been happening in response to this emergency. The staff at the Hafter Center has been providing daily online offerings for exercise, which I hope many of you will take advantage of. One of the best de-stressors is exercise and now we can do it in the comfort of our homes, thanks to our Hafter fitness staff. We get daily emails with the links so keep on the lookout for them. If you’re not receiving these emails, let Dr. Caldwell know and he’ll pass that along. Also, members with the PTMinder app can reach out to the trainers on staff via the app or website for help with modifying workouts during this closure. If you are on Instagram, follow our fitness experts at @HafterCenter. 

Our sincere congratulations to Dr. James Caldwell, OD, EdD, on the successful defense of his doctoral thesis. That EdD after his name is brand-spanking new!  So now he’s Dr. Dr. Caldwell. Congratulations Jim! Due to the pandemic, Dr. Caldwell’s graduation has been cancelled, so he’ll be getting his diploma in the mail.

Speaking of congratulations, we were just informed that Kaylin Magosin (OT20) just found out that she was selected to receive the 2020 Alice Jantzen Memorial Scholarship from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. That’s fantastic news!

As most of you have seen on the news, there’s a significant shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for our hospital workers and first responders.  Special thanks to Rick Echeverria, Head of Facilities, Carlos Rodriguez, Head of Security and members of our PA, Audiology and Research departments for making the extra effort to collect and ultimately help us donate excess gloves, masks and other PPE to the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Center and Einstein Healthcare Network. Thank you to Marie Szolna, Lydia Parks and Jonette Owens for running around your departments and collecting all this stuff!

Finally, as we all live through what I consider to be a generationally defining public health emergency, I can’t help but think how lucky we all are to be part of the Salus family. While we may sometimes have our differences, I am strengthened by the fact that we are united in our commitment to each other, our mission and those we care for. As I’ve said before, we will all get through this. It will be difficult, it will take time, it will often be character building, but we will come out on the other end stronger, smarter and even more convinced we’ve chosen the right professions – those that are dedicated to the care of others. Is there a better way to live a life?

Stay safe, practice social and physical distancing of at least 6 feet, wash your hands often, stay at home and remain Salus Strong! 

Mike

President's Monday Message: March 23rd, 2020

Today marks our second official week of online training and from all accounts, that aspect of this emergency is going well. There are still many unanswered questions concerning many of your clinical rotations, but I know each program is working with both accreditors and clinical sites to see what’s next. We will keep everyone posted as we get new information about this. I cannot thank you all enough for your flexibility and professionalism as we work through all this. Yesterday, Governor Wolf announced that his original mandate of closures up to 27 March has been extended indefinitely. This shouldn’t come as a surprise given the progression of the pandemic. We will all work through this together.

With all this swirling around us, I’ve had the time to reflect on our current situation as a nation, as well as some of the things I’ve been reading and seeing on television. After reading an op-ed by Admiral Bill McRaven, who drew parallels to his time as a Navy Seal, I was inspired to look back to my days in the Navy when I was going through the primary flight training portion of my aerospace optometry program.

For any Naval Aviator to complete flight training, they have to first complete about 3 weeks of water and land survival courses. The water survival includes jumping off a 12-foot-high tower into a 12-foot-deep pool and then having to swim under water for 25 meters and touch a wall, swimming a mile in full flight gear, successful egress from the infamous Dilbert Dunker, of “An Officer and Gentleman” fame (for those of you old enough to have seen it), and then successful egress from a helicopter crash simulator both with and without blindfolds on. If you survived that, then you were brought out to Pensacola Bay, where you parasailed until the instructor told you to release the lines and you floated towards the cold water (I did it in February) while at the same time, going through all the procedures to release your parachute and inflate your life vest prior to hitting the water. I didn’t think I’d ever get through all that. It took me about 5 attempts to successfully touch the wall underwater, but eventually I did it and the Dilbert Dunker was terrifying to watch, but not too awful once actually doing it. Once that was all over, it was off to land survival training where we were literally left in the middle of nowhere with no food or shelter and told to survive for 3 days. Throughout all of this we remained in the same group. In the beginning, it seemed like we’d never get through it but eventually, it was over and we survived. We got our leather Naval aviator jackets (the prize at the end) and our Wings of Gold. When I was selected for the program, it never occurred to me that the Navy would continually try to drown me (at least that’s how I felt) and then be left out in the middle of nowhere to survive. What got me through this was teamwork, trust in my instructors and knowing that the Navy wouldn’t be doing this to us unless it was necessary to save our lives in the eventuality we needed to fall back on all this training.

So, the coronavirus has thrown every one of us into the water and is trying to drown us. We’re all scared, we’re cold, wet, hungry and the end seems a long way off – if at all! While it’s important to understand how serious the coronavirus is, it’s also important to realize that this too will end. Our feelings of fear and possibly, despondency that accompany the pandemic, should not paralyze us as a nation or even as an institution. There are many reasons to be hopeful and optimistic.

We have the world’s best researchers and research infrastructure. Our academic and federal medical institutions are aligned and are working overtime on potential treatment options and eventually we’ll have a vaccine. Today, our dedicated medical teams are working overtime to save lives and make a difference. I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal a friend had recommended entitled, “Make America the Medicine Chest of the World” by Arthur Herman. Drawing a parallel between what we’re experiencing now and World War II, Herman quoted Lt. General William Knudsen, a former CEO of General Motors, who said “We won because we smothered the enemy in an avalanche of production, the like of which he had never seen, nor dreamed possible”. I am hopeful the same will happen as we tackle this pandemic. Our pharmaceutical industry, along with other industries, will mobilize to confront this emergency. As I noted in last week’s message to you, as Americans, we have always been able to come together in a crisis, and this time will be no different.  

So, yes, we’ve been thrown in the water and left out in the wilderness to starve. Now it’s time to work together, show compassion, and trust one another to get through this.  Things will get worse before they get better, but it will get better.

Social distancing, hand washing and protecting those around us is essential.

We are Salus Strong – we will get through this together! Remember to check our website here for the most up-to-date information.

Mike

COVID-19 and Social Distancing: Week of March 13th, 2020

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Good morning from a very quiet campus on a rainy Friday morning. I’d like to take the opportunity to reiterate some of the information that we sent out over the last few days and also thank all of you for stepping up and doing what’s necessary in order to maintain our educational mission and responsibilities to our students and also following the public health guidance by staying close to home. With the exception of those students on their external clinical rotation assignments such as externships or clerkships, we prefer you don’t leave the local area.

As we mentioned yesterday, Governor Wolf made it clear we will remain closed from today through Sunday 29 March, hopefully enabling us to partially open the campus on Monday, 30 March. If we’re able to do so at that time, it’s our intent to continue with online instruction and, conditions permitting, open the Learning Resource Center and provide access to clinical labs. Since this is such a fluid situation we’ll have to wait and see what happens at that time. As I’m sure you all understand, this is not an exact science so it’s difficult to predict when this will all end. I don’t expect things to go back to “fully normal” until authorities are confident the COVID-19 virus spread is well under control, not just locally, but regionally and nationally. 

As we work through this public health emergency, I’d like you all to remember that as healthcare professionals people will be looking to you for information and also to set an example of how we should be responding. As I noted in my video yesterday, there’s no need to panic. If everyone acts responsibly, follows instructions, and keeps a level head, everyone will be fine. As a reminder, it’s the simple things that will help keep everyone safe, to include:

• Hand washing for at least 20 seconds
• Maintaining social distancing of at least 6 feet from one another
• Avoiding large groups
• Cover your coughs
• Stay home if you’re feeling sick

Finally, several folks have asked me about graduation and related events. While nothing has been cancelled yet, we’re working on contingency plans for a web-casted audience free ceremony to ensure that we can make this time as special as possible for our graduating students and their families.  We will share information with you as soon as possible.

We realize all this is a significant transition from normal for everyone, and understand that it may be difficult, as well as raise many questions. It’s our commitment to the entire Salus community to work diligently over the course of this emergency to ensure you have access to the most up-to-date information and to keep our lines of communication open, as they always have been. Our website is being updated as new information becomes available. You can access that here.

I have full faith in the resiliency of our students and the commitment of our faculty and staff as we all work through this together. We are Salus Strong – and that makes me proud! 

Be safe, look out for one another and don’t be afraid to touch base if you have any questions.

Mike

Preventing the Spread of COVID-19: Week of February 28th, 2020

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Good morning from a very chilly Elkins Park. It’s been another busy week at Salus with many of us getting back into the swing of things following a very successful continuing education event in Aruba last weekend. 

As we hear more about the proliferation of the COVID-19 virus worldwide, I wanted to have a short discussion about that this morning. As the director of the CDC mentioned earlier this week, it’s just a matter of time before we confront the virus more directly in the U.S. While this sounds extremely ominous and clearly is something we need to be paying very close attention to, we also need to remember that there are steps that we can take and share with others, that will help to minimize the risk of spreading or catching the virus. Clearly, not traveling to areas that have known disease, such as China, Japan, Italy and some other places, is paramount at this point. Infectious disease experts remind us that the most important thing we can do personally is to practice good hygiene, such as routine hand washing. Although the CDC believes the immediate risk of the virus to the American public is relatively low, they do have some specific recommendations we all should be following. They include:

• Ensure you get a flu vaccine
• Take everyday preventive actions to help stop the spread of germs, such as routinely washing your hands with soap and water
• If you’re sick, stay home so you don’t spread germs to coworkers or patients
• Take flu antivirals, if prescribed by your doctor

For those of you actively involved in patient care, you need to be on the look-out for people who recently traveled from China, Italy, Japan or other affected areas and have a fever and/or respiratory symptoms. If you encounter a patient with an acute respiratory infection, especially those who have recently traveled to affected areas, you must follow the CDC’s guidelines, found here to ensure we can minimize exposure to yourself, other providers, staff and patients. For more information and to keep up-to-date with this, I recommend you routinely check the CDC’s COVID-19 website. We also have a link on our website that can be accessed here. As healthcare providers we have a responsibility to stay up to date with the latest factual information that will help to keep us informed and also help to dispel any rumors and falsehoods that tend to develop during these events.

Given the previous discussion, this might be a good time to discuss our Mental Health Minute. All this talk about potential pandemics, on top of the usual challenge you have just trying to stay ahead in school, creates stress. Some stress is good, but there comes a time when we all need to ask for some help. The National Institute of Mental Health has a very good website addressing this which I would encourage you to access. If you need to access our Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD), their office is located on the 3rd floor of the West building in Suite W-326. Counselors are available Monday-Friday and can be reached for appointments at 215-780-1315 or 215-780-1534. You may also email a counselor individually.

Closer to home, please take the time to check out the story about the Kraskin Family Legacy on our website. Dr. Jeffrey Kraskin, a classmate of mine at both undergraduate school and PCO, comes from a long line of optometrists in the Washington, D.C. area. Read about how his family’s practice has been operating for three generations and the impact it has had on the profession of optometry.

The Sexuality and Gender Alliance at Salus (SAGAS) asked me to pass along that they have a meeting from noon to 1 p.m. today in room W111 where they’ll discuss upcoming events and there will be elections for the new e-board. If you're interested in running for a position (president, vice president, treasurer, secretary) submit a letter of intent to sagas@salus.edu. 

After studying for their boards, our PCO Class of 2021 got to exhale a bit and attend “EyeBall 2020” at the end of January before they head off to their clinical externships in March. Check out some of the class awards that were presented and the great photos from “A Night on the Red Carpet.” 

Salus has partnered with Widener University to offer a certificate in Healthcare Management program for both students and alumni. The online four-course, 12-credit program is expected to accommodate up to 10 students and is scheduled to kick off in the fall. For more information, email careerservices@salus.edu or gel@widener.edu. We’re also preparing to work with The Erivan K. Haub School of Business at St. Joseph’s University will offer several different options for our students and alumni to gain business and finance acumen either during your time at Salus or beyond.  You’ll hear more about this in the very near future.

Grand Rounds at The Eye Institute from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. this morning, will feature Dr. Lucinda Kauffman, who will speak on “Diabetic Retinopathy in Youth and Young Adults” and Dr. Kelly Seidler, who will talk about “Visual Disturbances”.

Finally, many of us will be in Atlanta next week to attend the annual meeting of the Southern Educational Congress of Optometry (SECO). We’ll be hosting an Alumni and Friends reception at the Omni Hotel from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. We hope that anyone attending SECO can join us for this fun opportunity to reconnect with classmates and faculty from PCO. I hope to see many of you there!

Remember that this is a Leap Year, so tomorrow will be 29 February, not 1 March! For those of you with a birthday, anniversary or other significant event tomorrow - I hope you enjoy your once in every 4 year celebration :-).  Have a great weekend and please continue to monitor our website and the news to follow what’s happening with the COVID-19 virus.  Stay safe, stay warm and look out for one another. 

Mike

Valentine's Day: Week of February 14th, 2020

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends

Greetings and Happy Valentine’s Day from Elkins Park! Since today is Valentine’s Day – a day that’s supposed to be dedicated to love and relationships, I thought I’d do a deeper dive into the history of this Hallmark and Hershey holiday. As it turns out the history of St. Valentine’s Day is somewhat dubious according to historical documents, because it includes a gory story involving the decapitation of a third century martyr. According to Smithsonian Magazine, there were several St. Valentines who died on Feb. 14. Two of them were executed during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius Gothicus in 269-270 A.D., at a time when persecution of Christians was common. It wasn’t until Geoffrey Chaucer, the famous author of “The Canterbury Tales” declared the February feast of St. Valentinus to the mating of birds, that Valentine’s Day took on a more romantic meaning. Smithsonian notes that in Chaucer’s day, English birds paired off to produce eggs in February. Soon, nature-minded European nobility began sending love notes during bird-mating season. As the story goes, the French Duke of Orléans, who spent some years as a prisoner in the Tower of London, wrote to his wife in February 1415 that he was “already sick of love” (by which he meant lovesick.) and he called her his “very gentle Valentine.” (Smithsonian Magazine, 2018) The rest is history, as they say. If you would like to read a bit more detail about this history of St. Valentine’s Day, go to the Smithsonian Magazine website here.

Related to Valentine’s Day, love was in the air this week at Salus as students, faculty and staff could stop by the Learning Resource Center (LRC) and design a handmade valentine for their significant others.

The Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI) “Hear the Love” event attracted a large crowd that came to hear an educational talk that focused on hearing loss and how it can impact patients’ lives and relationships. Complimentary hearing screenings were also offered for those who attended.

This week’s Mental Health Minute discusses the positive effects of regular exercise. There have been many scientific articles that speak to how exercise helps to reduce stress and anxiety as well as increase self-esteem and self-confidence. Most of you already know that increasing your heart rate can actually stimulate the production of neurohormones like norepinephrine, which not only improve cognition and mood but can improve thinking that might be influenced by stressful events. Endorphins, when produced during even moderate exercise give us a natural high that can produce feelings of happiness and euphoria. Just developing a simple exercise regimen that could be as simple as regular walks, to some regimented gym time, will have a positive effect on your mental health. 45 minutes, three times a week is generally recommended, so think about how you’re going to work this into your schedules. I’ve done it for years and have made it a priority. Try to see if you can do that as well. If you’d like to learn a bit more about all this, check out an article from the American Psychological Association here that goes into much greater detail about all this.

As healthcare providers and students preparing to enter healthcare fields, many of our patients, family members and friends will expect us to know something about the coronavirus pandemic, so it’s probably a good idea to keep up with the latest news about it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in humans and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Officially designated as COVID-2019 earlier this week, the virus is most often spread from person-to-person during close exposure to a person infected with the virus. While serious, the risk to most people outside China remains very low. According to the CDC there are at least 15 cases that have tested positive for the virus in the U.S., with a little over 400 people being observed. Generally speaking, to avoid any viral illness, be it COVID-2019 or the flu, the CDC advises getting the flu shot, washing your hands frequently and avoiding your office, school or clinic when you’re sick. To keep up with the latest reliable news about the coronavirus, I suggest you check the CDC website periodically as it’s updated frequently. 

Last Friday afternoon, many of us enjoyed seeing all the creativeness of our students, faculty, staff and friends on display at the opening reception for this year’s “Community Expressions 2020” exhibit in the D’Arrigo Family Gallery at the Hafter Student Community Center. Elynne Rosenfeld, curator and director of the gallery, has once again done a great job of gathering and displaying the work of our talented Salus community members. The exhibit runs through March 13, so stop over when you get a chance and check it out. 

Celebrating our heritage and remembering our history is always important. Take a look at the fascinating story on our website about an historic piece of PCO history that almost ended up being scrapped. But thanks to Dr. John J. Crozier and Dr. James Caldwell, the original desk that our founder Dr. Albert Fitch used was saved, restored and is still in use at the Elkins Park campus. 

Dr. Lindsay Bondurant, director of the Pennsylvania Ear Institute at Salus, will discuss “Aging Gracefully: How Addressing Hearing Loss Can Improve Your Quality of Life” at the next Lunch & Learn from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Willow Grove YMCA, 3300 Davisville Road, Hatboro, Pa., 19040. Dr. Bondurant will discuss the signs and symptoms of hearing loss and the impact untreated hearing loss can have on health, happiness and relationships. She will also provide an overview of current management options for hearing loss, including hearing aids, cochlear implants and communications strategies. There are probably many of us here than can benefit from this talk!

Finally, winter has returned to Philadelphia this weekend, so if you’re headed out to enjoy the sunny weather, dress accordingly! Have fun, try to take some time to relax and evaluate how you’re going to fit some exercise into your daily routines, if you don’t already do that. Be safe and look out for one another!

Mike

Mental Health Awareness: Week of January 31st, 2020

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends, 

Greetings from a very busy Elkins Park campus where we’ve been lucky enough to skirt most of the winter weather – at least so far! I apologize for the length of this update but there’s lots to talk about!

I want to start this update by addressing an issue that we don’t talk enough about, but affects almost everything that we do – and that’s mental health. Those of us who were in the military were keenly aware of the stigma associated with service members who had mental health challenges and the necessity of eliminating that so people would feel free to seek help when they needed it. It’s still a problem, although it has gotten better. I suspect that this same stigma occurs in our world of academia. I think everyone at Salus realizes the extraordinary pressures that are on all of you to succeed. We’ve been having discussions about this with deans and program directors for a while and also discussed this with our Board of Trustees earlier this week. Everyone is very aware of the issue, and more importantly, wants to ensure we’re providing students, faculty and staff with all the tools you need to help address any challenges you might be having. To that end, we have a very robust counseling program on campus through our Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD). Their office is located on the 3^rd floor of the West building in Suite W-326. Counselors are available Monday-Friday and can be reached for appointments at 215-780-1315 or 215-780-1534. You may also email a counselor individually. It’s funny, stress manifests in many different ways for different people. So, if you feel like you need to or just want to talk to someone about some of the stressors in your life, please don’t hesitate to access our experts in CPPD.

Along the same lines, I just read a very insightful article about mental health in graduate schools that was in the Chronicle of Higher Education by Kathryn R. Wedemehyer-Strombel, a former graduate student at the University of Texas, that I would encourage you to read. It’s a short read and well worth the time. I know I’ve spent a good deal of time on this, but I feel it’s important to put this subject in the forefront. Our goal is for everyone to succeed and remain healthy in the process.

Around campus, at the quarterly meeting of our Board of Trustees on Monday, the Board approved our recommendation to move forward with the planning process to bring an Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program to Salus. For those of you who aren’t familiar with O&P, the profession is dedicated to the management and restoration of function and mobility to individuals who have experienced limb loss, loss of mobility or disability due to medical conditions or trauma. Unfortunately, there are over 2 million people in the U.S. who live with limb loss and with almost 20 million in the world. 20 million people in the U.S. require some type of orthotic management (think about that orthotic you wear in your shoes today) with 100’s of millions more globally. There is a huge demand for these specialists nationally and internationally, and there are only 13 programs in the country training them today. As we continue with our planning, we’ll keep everyone informed. This is truly an exciting time for us at Salus as we look to bring this new program into our already robust educational offerings.

At Monday’s Board meeting we also welcomed two new members, Joyce Koh, a seasoned corporate transactional attorney with solid experience and training as a large-firm associate as well as in-house senior legal counsel, and Carolyn Forcina, an expert in healthcare systems and currently the vice president of government relations and education at Pandion Optimization Alliance, have been elected to the Board.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee will be hosting a student mixer on Monday, Feb. 3, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Toland Classroom at The Eye Institute. The mixer is an opportunity to meet students, faculty and staff along with DEI committee members to learn about getting involved and share ideas about how Salus can create a more inclusive environment. All are welcome. 

There will be an opening reception for the Community Expressions 2020 art exhibit, featuring works from Salus University faculty, students, alumni, staff, spouses and significant others, at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 6, in the Bennett Lounge of the Hafter Student Community Center. The exhibit will run from Feb. 4 through March 13.  Here’s an article about last year’s exhibit: salus.edu/community-exhibit.  It’s always fun to see all the artistic talents our colleagues have!

By now, most of you are aware of the spread of a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and has since spread to other parts of the world. Currently there are several confirmed cases of nCoV in the U.S. although there are hundreds of confirmed cases and over 20 deaths worldwide currently attributed to this novel coronavirus. There have been no confirmed cases in our region, and there are ongoing investigations to learn more.

There is no vaccine for the nCoV. To protect yourself, the CDC guidance includes many of the same recommendations to prevent infection with other respiratory viruses, i.e. influenza. They include:

• Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Staying home or in your dormitory room when you are sick.
• Covering your cough or sneezing into a tissue, then throwing the tissue in the trash.
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Students, faculty and staff considering international travel should review the up-to-date recommendations available on the CDC website.

Finally, it’s Super Bowl weekend! So, if you’re an Andy Reid fan, I assume you’ll be rooting for the Chiefs; if not, the 49er’s are looking pretty good. Either way, enjoy the game! Be safe, have some fun and look out for one another. Have a great weekend!

Mike