Dear Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
I write this week’s update with a very heavy heart as we keep in our thoughts and prayers Michigan State University students who were killed and injured earlier this week and the entire MSU community in the wake of the terrible tragedy. These heinous acts of violence have become all too commonplace throughout our country. Confronting this public health epidemic must be front and center in discussions with our local politicians and policy makers.
SALUS SOULMATES: Mike Guerriere, MMS ‘18, and Alexandra (Adolph-Gothier) Guerriere, MMS ’18, were in the same Physician Assistant (PA) Studies class when they met. They started out as friends, but then he shoveled her car out of the snow and that led to romance. Click here to read more about Salus University’s featured Valentine’s Day couple.
LGBTQ+ SAFE SPACE TRAINING: Back by popular demand, Stan Kimer will provide a two-hour training session via Zoom on Friday, Feb 24. from noon to 2 p.m. The main subjects covered will include basic terms and definitions, LGBTQ+ history, being an ally, understanding key LGBTQ+ issues and struggles, and understanding and supporting the “coming out” process.
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION: Andrea Tyszka, OTD ‘18, OTR/L, SIPT, and Anna Grasso, OTD, MS, OTR/L, CAPS, ECHM, presented a poster at the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) international conference in Paris highlighting an innovative model of fieldwork that the Salus Occupational Therapy (OT) department utilized during the pandemic. To read more, click here.
COMMUNICATIONS ON A ROLL: Congratulations to our Office of Communications for achieving two awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and two CUPPIE awards from the College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals (CUPRAP), in the categories of marketing/advertising outdoors and long-form story. So great to see their work recognized!
DREAMSCAPES EXHIBIT: The newest art exhibit, titled “Dreamscapes,” featuring the work of Kathy Robinson and Jenn Hallgren, is now available to see through March 24, 2023, at the D’Arrigo Family Gallery located inside the Hafter Student Community Center on Salus University’s Elkins Park campus. Click here for a preview.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This week I am attending the annual meeting of the Society of Federal Health Care Professionals, AMSUS, in which our U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has highlighted the epidemic of loneliness, despair and pessimism about the future of our country, and the importance of human connection. Especially among children, social media exposure has fostered feelings of loneliness, isolation and sadness. When people experience togetherness, this raises optimism and creativity. When they experience belonging, their lives are stronger, richer, and more joyful.
Dr. Murthy identifies four strategies that mitigate and directly address the root causes of the crisis. These include:
- Spend quality time each day with the person(s) you love. This could be as little as 15 minutes with those for whom you care most.
- When talking with someone, give them your full, undivided attention with eye contact and active listening.
- Embrace solitude through meditation, art, music, prayer, and time spent outdoors.
- Help and accept help from others. Service is a human connection that helps to remind all of us of our value and purpose in life. Simple acts such as checking on neighbors, seeking advice or smiling at a stranger make us all stronger.
As healthcare providers, we are a vital part of this solution. Giving our patients and students our full attention with kindness, care and respect; limiting the use of social media, especially among our children; spending quality time with family and friends; taking time for self-care; helping and accepting help from others; are all important steps we can take to foster connection and belonging as an antidote to isolation, depression and sadness. While political vitriol, gun violence, social unrest and general pessimism dominate the headlines, the fullest majority of society is comprised of good people doing good things.
Sometimes we need to be reminded of this -- and all that we can do individually and collectively, in and beyond the clinic and classroom, to build a stronger, richer and more creative society.
As we approach this weekend, please take time to reflect upon the strategies that Dr. Murthy shared with all of us so we can all become better connected and in the long-run, better providers for those we care for. Be safe, continue to look out for one another and remains SALUS STRONG!
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