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

Coronavirus Precautions: Week of March 20th, 2020

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

Today, I write this from home, where it’s pretty dreary outside and it’s been a week since we moved Salus online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. First and foremost, I want to convey our sincerest wishes of good health and safety for you and your families during this unsettled time.  While we find ourselves as a university community experiencing something we’ve never dealt with before, we know that our alumni, students, and families will meet this challenge responsibly, bravely and with determination. We are Salus Strong!

As you all know, we’ve pivoted to online training in all of our programs and our Salus-based clinics are closed due to the emergency. Depending upon your particular program and external clinical site, several of you are still working at those sites, while others have been instructed not to. We are working closely with accrediting bodies, as well as your external education coordinators to develop a mitigation plan that enables you to compete your clinical requirements as soon as practical and, hopefully, to avoid any graduation delays.

As you also know, we’ve made the very difficult decision to have the May graduation ceremony done virtually. I know how disappointed you are, as I am, but it was the only responsible thing we could do. Dr. Caldwell and his staff are looking at other models and working hard to make this as meaningful and special as possible. As I noted in my email that went out earlier this week, students will have the option of walking during our commencement ceremony in October. 

As you all realize by now, this is a very fluid situation, with new information and new guidelines becoming available almost daily. Just yesterday, the CDC provided additional guidance for healthcare providers to include: 

o   Delaying all elective ambulatory provider visits

o   Rescheduling of elective and non-emergent admissions to hospitals

o   Delaying inpatient and outpatient elective surgical and procedural cases

o   Postponing routine dental and eyecare visits

According to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the virus can live up to 72 hours on flat surfaces. It lives longest on plastic and steel and does poorly on copper. The virus can live up to 24 hours on cardboard, which suggests packages that arrive in the mail could have low levels of the virus. When the virus becomes suspended in droplets smaller than 5 micrometers — known as aerosols — it can stay suspended for about 3 hours with a half-life of about ½ hour, researchers said, before drifting down and settling on surfaces where it can linger for hours or days. All this information tells us how important it is to comply with the current CDC guidelines for social distancing, wiping down surfaces and regularly washing our hands. I suggest that you get into the habit of wiping down packages, your mail and things from the grocery store with a mild bleach solution, to be safe.

I recently received a link to a very informative video done by a friend and colleague, Dr. Harvey Rubin. Dr. Rubin is an infectious disease specialist at Penn who has also been a previous commencement speaker at Salus. I really liked his comparison to today’s emergency with that of the Spanish Flu of 1918 and how this is so very different in many respects. The only new information that has come out since he recorded this is the possibility that water droplets that can carry the virus can remain airborne for longer than originally thought. With his permission, I have shared a link to his talk here.

If you already haven’t come to the realization that this emergency will go on for a period of months, rather than weeks, you need to change the way you’re thinking about it.  Experts tell us we haven’t yet seen the peak in the United States. What’s happened in China and is currently playing out in Italy, Spain and other parts of Europe provides us a template for what can happen here. So, please take this seriously, practice the precautions that have been prescribed and be the conduit for accurate information for your friends and family. 

Even though you’re practicing social distancing and doing all the other preventive measures, doesn’t mean you have to sit in your living room and watch TV all day. I strongly encourage you to get outside and get some exercise, whether it be walking, running, working out in small (less than 10) groups where you can have at least 10 feet between you, or riding your bike on a path or around the neighborhood. This is probably one of the best things you can do to help relieve stress and anxiety caused by all of this. For those of you who would like to speak with one of our counselors, you can schedule an appointment to virtually meet with them here.

I know this is unnerving and very frightening to many of you.  While, at least right now, the end of this may not be in sight, I assure you, we’ll get through this. Keep the emails coming and remember that the most up-to-date information about all of this can be found on our website here!

I’d like to leave you with one final thought that I gleaned from an article I recently read in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The author spoke with his rabbi who suggested that while we must practice “physical distancing,” between others, it also important to maintain “social solidarity,” by making extra efforts to support people around us. That means checking up on your classmates, family members or if you have someone in your neighborhood who is in the “high-risk group” who cannot get out to get groceries, etc. It’s important to remember, as we make a conscious effort to continue to stay healthy and safe, we are all in this together.  You all are in my thoughts and prayers as we work through this as a Salus community. Let’s all Stay Salus Strong!

Mike

First Week of Online Training: Week of March 16th, 2020

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

Since this is our first official day of online training I wanted to touch base with all of you. Even before the original announcement was made last week, our faculty and staff have been preparing for such a shift in operations. Some programs have had a great deal of experience doing this while others have had to get up to speed quickly. I want to take this opportunity to thank our faculty and staff for stepping up to accommodate our students during this public health emergency. 

Over the weekend, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with several other college and university presidents, healthcare leaders, government officials, and have done additional research on my own. We are all in lock-step agreement that the best way to “flatten the curve” and slow down the spread of the disease is through “social distancing”. While there appears to be some variability in the media in how that’s defined, the CDC recommends maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from others when you are together. Just remember, the virus, which is transmitted through respiratory droplets and personal touch, is always looking for a new home and our goal is to assure that it doesn’t’ find one! For you public health junkies, the presidential declaration of today’s national emergency is authorized under The Stafford Act of 1988, which stems from the Disaster Relief Act of 1974. It’s designed to put systems in place that facilitate intergovernmental coordination in the event of a natural disaster or public health emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act provides federal funds and other authorities that allow state and local officials to deal with emergencies. 

Historically, there have been several times where Americans have had to make interim sacrifices for long periods of time, such as during World War II and following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but we do find a way to get through these. This pandemic will be no different. Many very bright people are working on both a vaccine and potential drugs to treat this virus. Even so, it’s going to be a while before they are vetted through the appropriate quality and safety processes. Once that’s completed, they still will need to be manufactured in bulk. This all will all take some time. In the meantime, we need to remain vigilant to curb the spread of the disease. 

I want to assure you that we are continuing to work on contingency plans for graduation. The CDC’s most recent guideline that recommends for the next eight weeks in-person gatherings of more than 50 people be cancelled or postponed, pretty much precludes us from holding a large commencement ceremony in May.

As we move through all this, I ask you to remain flexible and observant. Your safety, health and overall welfare is paramount to all of us at Salus. Take some time to check up on each other to ensure your classmates and colleagues are doing well. As we get new information (and things will change frequently, I suspect) we will pass it along via email our website and social media platforms. 

The majority of you have made the determination to become healthcare professionals. Your friends, families and acquaintances will be looking to you for advice and information. Please continue to remain calm, routinely check the Salus and CDC websites for the most current information and guidance and stay focused on your studies. We’ll get through this together. If anyone needs to talk with any of our counselors, they are available virtually. Contact information can be obtained here. 

Remember, we’re SALUS STRONG – there is no other group I’d rather be associated with as we navigate these uncharted waters. We will get through this together!

MHM

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

Greetings from Atlanta: Week of March 6th, 2020

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

Greetings from Atlanta, where it’s been raining since Monday and I have ordered wood from Home Depot to begin building an ark! I saw a peek of the sun before sunset last night which was very encouraging! Hopefully, today will be much nicer. Many of us are here for the annual meeting of the Southern Educational Congress of Optometry (SECO), which has been a great meeting, so far! Several of our faculty are lecturing which, of course, raises the quality of the meeting logarithmically! Before you ask, we’re all routinely washing our hands, using hand sanitizer and not getting too close to one another. 

Last Saturday I was honored to commission one of our students, Payton Burke ’21AUD, into the Army in a special ceremony that was attended by her family, friends, classmates and administrators. Payton has been a fantastic student leader and the Army is getting a real winner. I think any of the Services offer our students a very unique opportunity not only to serve our country, but also to really learn how to practice their professions. I encourage as many as are interested to look at this as an option. It’s a great way to serve and learn.

Many of you have heard that Salus has partnered with National Vision to advance optometric education by developing a pilot program focused on training students on conducting remote eye exams utilizing high-tech equipment and real-time secure HD video conferencing. The technology enables optometrists to see patients remotely in locations that do not have a doctor or when the doctor is not available. What makes this relatively easy is that we’re leveraging a very robust system that has been in use for a while up and down the east coast. While we realize that this may be considered somewhat controversial by some, we feel strongly that we have the responsibility to expose our students to the most up-to-date practice models available and telemedicine is already making inroads across many locations across the country. Just think how this technology can be leveraged for populations in the inner cities or rural areas that don’t have routine access to high quality eye care.  Our goal is to ultimately place some of these remote-care modules in Federally Qualified Health Centers and even busy rural practices across Pennsylvania. 

We will be hosting our annual Scholarship Reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at the Hafter Student Community Center. Please join us as we recognize the generosity of our scholarship donors and celebrate the achievements of the recipients.  

Please mark your calendars to attend the Salus University Leadership Forum from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, April 3, in Room S305A on the Elkins Park campus. The event will feature a panel of Pennsylvania legislators and members of the Salus Community. The program will include a question and answer format on several topics, including leadership skills; mentorship experiences; career path choices; gender-specific challenges; achieving goals; and community service and support.  For more information and to register please go to our website here. 

If you’re attending the Southern Educational Congress of Optometry (SECO) meeting this week, please join us for our Alumni and Friends reception from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. today, March 6, at the Omni Atlanta Hotel, Ballroom 1. 

This week’s Mental Health Minute discusses how to handle the stress surrounding the proliferation of the COVID-19 virus. The linked article, “How to Manage Your Anxiety about Coronavirus”, was sent to me by one of our faculty members who was helping her son complete a current events assignment for school. I thought it should be shared with everyone. 

As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 virus, up-to-date guidance will be maintained on our website here. As a reminder, please continue to: 

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. Then wash your hands immediately.
• Routinely wash your hands with soap and water often for at least 20 seconds. You can use an alcohol-based (60% or greater) hand sanitizer if you cannot access soap and water, but you need to use copious amounts and still rub your hands for 20 seconds.
• Stay home if you’re sick and do not travel so you do not spread germs to coworkers, patients or others.
• Take flu antivirals, if prescribed by your doctor. 

I hope you all have a great weekend. Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour Saturday night as we begin Daylight Savings Time this weekend! Stay safe, try to check our website or the local news periodically for any updates on COVID-19 and look out for one another.

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

Greetings From Sunny Aruba: Week of February 21st, 2020

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

Greetings from sunny Aruba! We’re here, along with 30 optometrists and their families, of which 28 are PCO alumni, for our CE by the Sea event. The event was planned as a special opportunity for PCO alumni and other optometrists to relax and escape the winter weather – although our winter here in the Northeast hasn’t been that bad so far – while earning continuing education credits. The goal of the program is to bring optometrists together from all over North America for lectures on various topics and research, offered by our world-class faculty, as well as provide a great opportunity to renew old friendships and acquaintances. The meeting is off to a great start thanks to the hard work and great planning by Kate Braemer, Jacquie Patterson, Dr. Melissa Vitek and Natalie Standig. I can’t wait to hear the lectures starting tomorrow morning!  Put it on your calendar for next year. 

Today’s Mental Health Minute addresses your eating habits.  Just as important as the obvious things such as avoiding drugs and alcohol, eating a healthy diet is one of the top mental health tips for everyone to follow. That’s because what you put into your body, will affect your mood. Chemicals that regulate moods such as happiness, anger, anxiety, and depression are also found in your brain and other parts of your body. The healthier the food and drinks you consume, the better regulated your mood will be and the better your body will be able to release the chemicals that make you feel good. A night of drinking beer and taking shots, followed by a pizza binge at midnight is going to make you feel awful, physically and mentally. Eating healthy meals that include fruit and vegetables each day will offer positive benefits.

This is a reminder to submit nominations for exemplary students, staff, and faculty for our annual Salus Awards Gala. Nominations are closing this Saturday, Feb. 22. After this date, nomination forms will no longer be accessible. Also, please be aware that when you are filling out your nominations, you should be providing descriptions on why you are voting for a specific individual or organization. Submissions without descriptions will not be put on the voting ballot. You may go back and resubmit your answers if necessary. If you have any questions, please contact Monae Kelsey or the Campus Activities Committee. You can find the links below for both students/student organization nominations, and faculty/staff awards nominations:

• Students and Student Organization Nominations

• Faculty and Staff Nominations

The introduction of electronic medical records into the doctor’s responsibilities has challenged healthcare providers to find a way to keep the focus on the patients. There is a concerted effort in every College to make sure students across the University take care of the patients first and their EMRs sometime after that. Mike Morsch interviewed a few of us to get our thoughts on EMRs. Check out this story on how and why we’re emphasizing patient-centric care here at Salus.

Finally, while I’m not exactly sure what the weather is going to be there this weekend, I do want to remind everyone to try and get out and get some exercise and enjoy some fresh air.  Be safe, take care of one another and try to relax! See you on campus Monday morning!

Mike