Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni Board Members and Friends,
Good morning from a sunny and bright Elkins Park campus where we are, once again, all wearing masks, whether we’re fully vaccinated or not in accordance with the latest CDC guidance. As always, the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and patients remain our top concern. Even with the increased precautions, our incredibly talented faculty, student body and staff continue to move things ahead, both on and off campus as we prepare for orientation our White Coat Ceremony and the start of Fall classes. Here are some things you might find of interest:
LVR ACCREDITATION: Congratulations to Salus University’s Low Vision Rehabilitation (LVR) program, in the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS), for being the first program of its kind to achieve accreditation from The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). Read more here.
MEET THE COLLEGE TOUR CAST: In the first of a series, we meet the Salus cast of The College Tour, a TV series produced by Emmy-nominated and multi-award-winning producers featuring individual episodes on colleges and universities across the country. A film crew from The College Tour spent a week at the University’s Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, campus in early March to capture its specialness. This week we feature Kelly Malloy, OD ‘96, Resident ‘97, FAAO. Click here to read more.
WELCOME BACK: The international mixed cohort that was on campus in April is back again starting today (Aug. 6) for Advanced Studies workshops/labs over the next two weekends and Controlled Patient Care during the weekdays. Their in-person activities culminate on Aug. 20 with White Coat ceremony.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT: We’re showcasing some of the great staff members who work at the University in a social media series called “Staff Spotlight.” Some of these will also turn into expanded feature stories on our website. We kicked off the series with Bonnie Taylor from the Institutional Advancement department. Learn more about Bonnie here.
GRAND ROUNDS: The next Grand Rounds will be at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 13, titled “We All Know What Dr. Meagher’s Gonna Talk About . . . Glaucoma” with Dr. Andrew Meagher.
FINAL THOUGHTS: As the progress we have made in fighting the pandemic has most recently reversed course, our levels of stress, fear and uncertainty as we begin this month have undoubtably increased. We continue to face important decisions about how to keep the University community, our families and those patients we care for as safe as possible. While we often think about the toll on our physical health, we often neglect our mental health, which is equally important. As most of you know, the World Health Organization defines health as, “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This pandemic has certainly tested that definition as it applies to all of us.
As we prepare to start our Fall semester, I want all of us to take an accounting of our total health and see what we can do better to ensure we are addressing our mental health needs. For many, that might entail looking at your nutritional, exercise and daily sleep routines. Instead of reaching for that donut, maybe you should think about some healthy snack foods such as fruits or nuts and consider adding something to your normal exercise routine such as a short jog or walk? How many hours of sleep are you getting each night? As the semester gets busier, sleep often becomes a casualty of unsuccessful time management. Most experts recommend at least 7 hours of sleep per night for us. While you may not be able to do all of these things, just hitting some of them will make you more productive and feel better.
Even when doing “all the right things,” sometimes we just need someone to talk with who can listen to our concerns, fears and frustrations. To that end, for our students, we have a very engaged and effective counseling service in our Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) which I encourage you to access, if needed. There’s no shame in reaching out - it’s no different from asking your PCP why your foot hurts. For our faculty and staff, Human Resources has places for you to turn as well. For those benefit eligible employees, Unum has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides unlimited access to consultants by telephone in addition to other resources. For all employees not enrolled in our health plan, your health insurance companies will have mental health resources you can access as well.
I suspect the pandemic will continue to throw challenges our way. I can assure you that we will continue to carefully monitor the situation and make necessary changes in how we conduct our business based on CDC recommendations as well as local conditions. As more people get vaccinated, the better things should get over time. In the meantime, it’s important that we continue to look out for each other and do what’s necessary to balance our educational mission with keeping everyone healthy and safe. That means, continuing to wash our hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, not coming to campus or clinics if you’re not feeling well and wearing your facemask when around others, even if you’re fully vaccinated and socially distance when you can. Also, please remember that the deadline for everyone to be fully vaccinated is next Friday, August 13. If you are not completely vaccinated by that time (2 weeks following your last dose of the vaccine), you will be required to submit proof of a negative test prior to coming onto campus.
Enjoy the weekend and please reflect on what I’ve written, especially as it applies to your mental well-being. I hope to see everyone on campus remaining healthy and SALUS STRONG!
Mike
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