College of Medicine Pandemic Response highlights vaccine mandate, protocols
College of Medicine leaders updated faculty, staff and students on Nov. 12 about the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and protocols.
This Week’s Updates:
COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees extended to Jan. 4. Student guidance to be issued shortly.
In alignment with the recent announcement from the White House on federal vaccination requirements, Penn State College of Medicine’s new deadline for employees to be fully vaccinated has been extended to Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. Students who haven’t received the vaccine are strongly encouraged to begin first steps.
Employees:
Employees should refer to the email from the Dean sent out Nov. 12 to make sure Penn State and the College of Medicine remain in compliance with the president’s mandate:
- Full vaccination is required for employees by Jan. 4.
- The first dose of the vaccine is needed by Dec. 7 to allow time between doses.
- Provide proof of vaccination in two systems: Salesforce Health Cloud and ReadySet.
- Schedule their first dose of the vaccine. Find nearby locations at gov.
- If needed, request a disability/medical- or religious-related
- Visit Penn State’s vaccine mandate resource website.
Students:
Penn State College of Medicine is continuing to evaluate if or how the mandate, especially the new guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), applies to students. We believe that it is highly likely that all students (medical, graduate, physician assistant and nursing) will fall under the CMS guidelines. At this time, students who are not currently vaccinated should begin the steps now to receive their first dose of a vaccine — either their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or single dose of Johnson & Johnson. If the Jan. 4 deadline is required, the first dose of the vaccines will be needed by the following dates:
- Moderna ─ Dec. 7
- Pfizer-BioNTech ─ Dec. 14
- Johnson & Johnson single-dose ─ Jan. 4
More information will be provided as it becomes available.
Symptomatic Students Asked to Not Come to Campus and Risk Exposing Others
Student Health has recently received a number of messages about sick students who have attended classes for several days before seeking testing. Student Health has also had symptomatic students come to the office as walk-ins, without calling first. It is imperative that all students remember the importance of not coming on campus and exposing others when ill, so you must follow the protocol to call Student Health at 717-531-5998 when symptoms first appear and remember to complete the daily online check-in.
Reminder: Daily Check-ins are Expected
All faculty, staff and students who are planning to visit campus are expected to complete the online check-in form every day. The form asks visitors to attest whether they have COVID-19-like symptoms and serves as a reminder to not come to campus when ill. Complete honesty is expected when filling out the form. Even if you do not have COVID-19, many other communicable diseases could be spread to others, including influenza and respiratory syncytia virus.
Extended Winter Break
The dean has announced the College of Medicine will be following guidance from the University regarding an extended winter break for employees. To accommodate this change, College offices and operations – except for essential services and operations – will close for the winter break at the end of business on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, and will resume at normal starting times on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.
This extension applies only to the 2021 winter break and applies to faculty, staff and students. We realize that some individuals may need to come to the College to perform time-sensitive activities or because they want to work to meet a deadline. While individuals are certainly permitted in the College during this time, it is our hope that everyone will avail themselves of this opportunity to visit friends and family or just relax. It is our sincere wish that all activity be minimized during this time frame as much as possible. All research mentors are expected to fully support the spirit of this announcement with their trainees – both students and postdoctoral fellows.
The extended winter break will impact the review and approval of clinical research projects. The University committee will conduct the last review of clinical research projects for 2021 on Thursday, Dec. 16. In order to allow time for review at the College of Medicine – required prior to review at the University – all new or resubmissions should be submitted to the InfoReady system by Monday, Dec. 6, 2021.
Vendors and Visitors to Campus
This is a reminder that vendors, contractors, consultants and other visiting professionals need to be scheduled to enter the College of Medicine. Read the details on visiting professionals. At this time, all external visitors to campus are required to be fully vaccinated or present a negative COVID-19 test three days prior to their arrival. Importantly, except for emergencies, no vendor/visitors forms will be approved during the two-week extended winter break.
Ordering During the Winter Break
The Controller’s office will be closed during the two-week extended winter break. Please plan accordingly and place your orders early, if necessary.
Mental Health
This time of year can be particularly stressful for our employees and students because of the impending academic deadlines and the demands imposed by the holiday season, in addition to the continued COVID-19 pandemic. The Office of Professional Mental Health offers a wide range of services, both remote and in-person, to meet the needs of College of Medicine professionals compassionately, honestly and confidentially. The office stands willing to help all and encourages those individuals feeling overwhelmed or in distress to reach out immediately.
You can contact the Office of Professional Mental Health at pmh@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or 717-531-8658. An anonymous mental health screening is also available. If you need to talk to someone immediately, please call the Penn State Crisis line at 877-229-6400 to speak with a crisis counselor or text “LIONS” to 741741.
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