Celebrating Labor Day & The Importance of Casting Your Vote: Week of September 2, 2022

 

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

Greetings on a beautiful September morning from our Elkins Park campus where the Fall semester is well underway. Some of you have already had your first set of exams, which I’m sure were very successful!

As we end this week, here are some happenings around campus:

SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH: September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Please visit CPPD's Dr. Cristina Laracuente, along with new student trainees Andrew Jaskot and Janeyshka Ortiz, outside the cafe from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8. They will have awareness ribbons, snacks, and educational material for you.

O&P LAUNCH: Salus University’s Orthotics and Prosthetics program has officially launched! Read more here about our wonderful ribbon-cutting ceremony highlighting our new labs.

TAIWAN STUDENTS VISIT: We were delighted to welcome students from Chung Shan Medical University (CSMU) in Taichung, Taiwan, who spent most of July on our Elkins Park campus learning about our health science programs. Read more about their visit here.

ABOUT OUR AMBASSADORS: Our Salus University Ambassador Program is a select group of students across all programs who represent our University. In this podcast, we talk with Emaree Stone ‘25OD and Madison Gates ‘23SLP, who share their rewarding experience of being Salus Ambassadors.

PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL WINNERS: Melissa Padilla, MPH ‘13, (June 29, 1966 – May 29, 2022) who recently passed away, made a distinctive contribution to the growth of Salus University in so many ways. Her dedication and loyalty permeated everything she did – she was born to be a leader, a passionate learner, and an exquisite communicator. Read more about Padilla’s contributions to Salus and the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) here.

After his graduation from PCO, Robert Bittel, OD ‘83 spent his entire career working in support of Pennsylvania optometrists. As chairman of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association’s Legislative Action Committee, Dr. Bittel played a key role in expanding scope of practice for Pennsylvania optometrists. Learn more about Bittel’s distinguished career here, as he is awarded a 2022 Presidential Medal of Honor. 

COVID BOOSTER SHOTS: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just approved the latest round of Covid-19 boosters that specifically target the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants of the virus, in addition to the original strains. The Pfizer booster will be available for everyone 12 and over, and the Moderna booster will be available for all aged 18 and over. The FDA recommends that people who recently received their initial vaccine or a booster should wait at least two months before getting the updated booster, as getting the new booster too soon could limit its effectiveness. I strongly encourage everyone to get the booster when you are eligible (at least 2 months after you received your last shot).

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we begin Labor Day weekend, I always like to remind people why we mark this holiday celebrating the greatest workers in the world – American workers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday. This is why we have this coming Monday off. I hope everyone enjoys their 3-day weekend and especially, Labor Day.

One more reminder: As election day approaches, it’s important that we all do our civic duty and vote. Preserving our democracy depends on this. If you are not registered to vote, please take the time do that in the coming weeks. Since all our professions are statutorily regulated, it’s important that we have a voice in selecting those who represent us. I will remind you again about this in the coming weeks, but please take this seriously. Thomas Jefferson said, “The government you elect is the government you deserve.” Thus the importance of taking the time to register and vote.

Have a great weekend. The weather is supposed to be fantastic, so get out and enjoy it! Please remember to socially distance, continue to follow CDC face mask guidelines, wash your hands frequently and remember that what you do off campus directly affects all of us on campus. Be safe, be responsible, remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

As a Country We Dropped the Ball Concerning Vaccinations: Week of July 30th, 2021

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

Greetings from our Elkins Park campus where things have been humming along nicely throughout this Summer semester. Just when we thought the pandemic was in our rearview mirror, we are now having to watch things much more closely as the Delta variant of the virus spreads throughout the country. We are aware of the new CDC guidance regarding indoor mask wearing for fully vaccinated people in certain regions of the country and are closely monitoring local and regional data to ensure we comply. As of this today, there is no local requirement for vaccinated people to wear a mask indoors because our numbers are relatively low, but this can change over time and we will make adjustments as necessary. If only everyone would get vaccinated! There are several things going on around campus that I wanted you to be aware of:

MIDDLE STATES ACCREDITATION: This week, we highlight Standard VI - Planning, Resources & Institutional Improvement. Our working group is led by Radhika Aravamudhan, PhD, PhD, CCC-A., FAAA, Dean & Associate Professor, Osborne College of Audiology, who is joined by Don Kates, CPA, Vice President of Finance, Jill Leslie, Director, Instructional Technology and Support Services, Rebecca Delia, MS, Salus University Board of Trustees, Margie Singer, Administrative Coordinator, Physician Assistant Program, and Wendy Woodward, Director, Sponsored Programs & Academic Finance. Together they are documenting how we plan, use and continuously assess our resources to support our educational offerings and the continued improvement of the university, as a whole.

MEET THE AMBASSADORS: Salus University has 17 students representing various academic programs who serve as student ambassadors at University events both on campus and in the community. In the third and final part of the series, meet six more student ambassadors representing what our Salus community is all about. Click here to read about them. 

STUDENTS AT LEISURE: We’ve kicked off a new online series called “Students at Leisure” (SAL) that features some of the fun, interesting and unique outside activities that our students engage in when they’re taking a break from their studies. The first SAL story focuses on Katie Stanton ‘24OD, who practices “leviwanding,” an object manipulation discipline where the practitioner controls a seemingly floating stick. It has its origins in the magic world dating back to the mid-1800s and is known as the “Dancing Cane” trick. To read more about Katie and leviwanding, go here.

RESIDENT PROFILE: Since we just welcomed our newest Resident class to TEI, we’re profiling them over the next several weeks on our website so everyone can get to know them better. Kicking things off will be Rochelle Fleisher, OD, ‘22Resident, who was inspired by her mother, a nurse practitioner, to pursue a career in healthcare. Read more about Dr. Fleisher here.

PODCAST UPDATE, TAKE I: Join Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, the Chair and Program Director of the department of Speech-Language Pathology at Salus University, as he moderates a podcast that focuses on the services provided at the Speech-Language Institute. He is joined by an SLI client, a student working with that client and the supervisor overseeing the care of the client. Click here for details.

PODCAST UPDATE, TAKE II: Check out this extremely interesting podcast featuring David Meltzer, OD ‘02, assistant professor at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University. Dr. Meltzer talks about his time in the United States Army and working as an optometrist in Germany, Iraq, and Italy before returning to the United States and his alma mater to teach the next generation of optometrists. We’ll also have a Faculty Focus story on our website about Dr. Meltzer next month, so look for that as well.

DONATIONS FOR SCHOOLCHILDREN: Hearts in Motion will be collecting school supplies to donate to schools in Gualan, Zacapa, Guatemala, during its mission trip at the end of August. The group is looking for unopened/new school supplies to give to the schools. Examples of what they are looking for: pencils/pens, sharpeners, crayons/markers, scissors, backpacks, paper, folders/binders, small toys, etc. There will be a box in the lobby at the Elkins Park campus for donations to be placed.

PA FORMAL: The Physician Assistant Program Class of 2022 will celebrate the end of the didactic year before they move on to their clinical sites all around the country with a PA Formal Saturday, July 31. Look for a story and photos on our website about the event.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I’ve spent the last few weeks talking about the importance of getting vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. The fact that the delta variant has been spreading so rapidly across our country (now with the greatest number of cases again) illustrates how, as a country, we have totally dropped the ball when we had the opportunity to finally put the pandemic behind us. Vaccine hesitancy has always been around, but because this entire pandemic has been defined both politically and scientifically, politics have played an unacceptably high role in determining who gets a vaccine and who does not. As healthcare providers we have only one acceptable avenue to determine efficacy of vaccines, treatments, etc. and that is SCIENCE. As we have learned throughout the pandemic, the science can change, depending upon how the virus mutates and changes. Clearly, science is telling us that the delta variant of the virus is more transmissible and potentially more dangerous than previous variants. What is scarier to me is that the more hosts this virus has the opportunity to infect, the greater the chance we have of confronting an even more virulent variant of COVID-19 that may even be vaccine resistant. Every person who is unvaccinated presents a greater opportunity for the virus to mutate and adapt. Most recently the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the City of New York, a myriad of large health systems have mandated or required vaccines for front line healthcare workers and the Federal government just announced that all federal employees must attest to being vaccinated against Covid-19 or face strict protocols including regular testing, masking and other mitigation measures. Additionally, many corporate entities such as Netflix, Morgan Stanley, Saks Fifth Avenue, Facebook and Google are requiring all of their employees returning to work to be vaccinated. Like us, they did this to protect their patients, coworkers and each other. 

Please, if you are not yet vaccinated, reconsider your decision – if not for yourself, do it for those of us who must work or live with you. If you are vaccinated, share your stories and help to educate those who have not yet gotten the vaccine to feel more comfortable about doing this. We’ve come to the point where, unless there’s a legitimate medical or religious reason not to be vaccinated, there is no excuse not to be. The benefits, individually and collectively, of getting vaccinated far exceed any perceived risks.

Please think about this over the weekend. The weather is going to be extremely nice, so I encourage you to get out and enjoy the fresh air. For those of you not yet vaccinated, please wear your face mask when around others. For those of us who are fully vaccinated, please check local positivity numbers if you go outside our region for your situational awareness. If in doubt, wear a face mask indoors, just to be safe. Enjoy the weekend and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Get That Vaccination Now: Week of July 9th, 2021

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

Good morning from a pretty soggy Elkins Park campus as Tropical Storm Elsa has been paying us a visit throughout the night. All of this morning’s rain hasn’t dampened the excitement of our Summer Enrichment Program students who started their in-person classes this week. Students from most of our other programs have also been very engaged in classes and labs which makes our campus a very busy, but fun place to be in the summer. In addition to all the great things happening on campus, here are some things that will also interest you:

NOA VIRTUAL CONVENTION: The National Optometric Association (NOA) 2021 Annual Convention is virtual this year. Starting today through Sunday, July 11, the online event will provide 15 hours of COPE approved continuing education. The chair of the National Medical Association (NMA) Ophthalmology section, Dr. Ninita Helen Brown, MD, PhD, will present with NOA president Dr. Sherrol A. Reynolds along with many more well-known speakers. To see the full schedule and register for a session or two over the weekend, click here. 

CIAO – CHOW: Last night we said farewell to our outgoing PCO residents and welcomed our class of new residents at the annual Ciao-Chow event. While normally held at one of our PCO faculty’s homes, this year we opted to hold the event at the Hafter Center to allow for more social distancing. As always, the evening allowed everyone to let our outgoing class of residents know how much we appreciated working with them and wish them the best as they prepare to launch their optometric careers and also welcome our new residents to the PCO/Salus team.

PCO WINS ESSILOR STUDENT BOWL: I know I wrote an addendum about this last week, but it’s so fantastic, I wanted to ensure it was included in the “real version” of the update. The Pennsylvania College of Optometry won the Essilor Student Bowl at Optometry’s Meeting last Friday evening in Denver!! Now, they just didn’t win it, they crushed it - one team member, in particular deserves special mention - Tyler Lesko - he pretty much carried the ball the whole length of the field for the event. We plan on honoring Tyler sometime in the near future but he needs to know how much we appreciate his efforts in bringing the Bowl back to PCO/Salus! Well done Tyler and our entire PCO team.

STUDENT AMBASSADORS: Salus University now has 17 students representing various academic programs who serve as student ambassadors at University events both on campus and in the community. Meet the student ambassadors representing what our Salus community is all about in the first of a three-part series.

NEW SALUS BOARD CHAIR: I am pleased to announce that, effective 1 July, Ms. Rebecca Delia became Chairwoman of our Board of Trustees. Ms. Delia joined our Board in 2018 and currently serves as Chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Executive Committee and the Audit & Compliance Committee. She is currently Senior Vice President of Financial S&lutions LLC, a financial advisory firm to colleges and universities. Ms. Delia is a member of the advisory council for the Women’s Leadership Network of the United Way of the Capital Region and a Founding Board Member of Ladies First, a professional association of women engaged in the public finance industry.

FITNESS CENTER REMINDER: Sign-ups are still required for the Fitness Center at Hafter. You must reserve a workout block before you arrive, which you can do by selecting the "Book Class" tab in either the PTFitWorks app or on the salus.ptminder website. You can reserve up to five days in advance, must bring your Salus ID to scan into the building and must be vaccinated to utilize the Fitness Center. 

FACE MASKS: A reminder that if you’re working in any of our clinics or clinical procedure labs, you are required to wear a face mask, whether or not you are vaccinated. While required in those two areas, if you feel more comfortable wearing a face mask anywhere else on campus, please feel free to do so. All unvaccinated individuals are required to wear a face mask at all times while on campus and in our clinics.

OTI VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMP: The Occupational Therapy Institute (OTI) of Salus University is providing a virtual summer camp for children entering kindergarten and first grade. The program began this week and will run through the week of Aug. 9. This camp offers one daily activity, six days per week, to encourage the use of occupation-based skills through play. To read more, click here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: For those of us in healthcare who remember our basic sciences, we all understand that the more chances a virus has to replicate, the more chances it has to mutate. Well, that’s exactly what’s very troubling about all those folks who are refusing to get the very safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.

Fortunately for us, the five largest clusters of unvaccinated people are concentrated in the South and parts of the Midwest (see graphic). Even though Pennsylvania and our surrounding states are in much better shape, these large cohorts of unvaccinated people present a risk to all of us as they provide a host for the virus to replicate and potentially mutate to other, more virulent forms that might be resistant to existing vaccines. Right now, the current vaccines are very effective against all the variants of the virus, but there is no guarantee that will remain the case if given the chance to mutate on a larger scale. Given that fact, it is imperative for all of us to continue to help educate and convince those not vaccinated to get it done NOW. Not only are those unvaccinated people placing themselves at great risk, but they risk ruining the great progress we’ve had in slowing the spread of the virus. As a reminder, Salus will be requiring all students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated by August 13th, unless they have an approved medical or religious exemption.

If you know anyone not vaccinated, help them understand their decision doesn’t just affect them; it also affects all of us! We’re all in this together.

Have a great weekend. Be safe, stay hydrated in this heat and humidity, if you’re unvaccinated – GET THE JAB – and remember to wear a face mask when around others, look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike