In Brief – Dec. 20, 2018

Announcements

PTO/Vacation Donation

Seven employees have been approved for primary Paid Time Off (PTO)/Vacation Donation:

• Janirette Dozier, Endoscopy
• Shanna Gillette, Breast Imaging — East Campus
• Carolyn Heiserman, 3rd Floor South Addition
• Erik Schmidt, Life Lion Critical Care Transportation — Air
• Heidi Finicle, Surgery

Personal Time Payout Requests Due

Eligible employees may receive pay in exchange for up to 32 hours of unused personal time if they submit a request by Jan. 3. Click on the “Personal Time Payout Request” link located in the PULSE — Employee Self-Service. Employees can continue to use their personal time hours until the end of the fiscal year in June, when unused personal time will be paid off automatically.

Move to HIPAA-Compliant Zoom

Due to the recent discontinuation of Adobe Connect, the Penn State Health-branded Zoom platform is the only permitted video conferencing platform for faculty, staff and students of Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine because it is HIPAA-compliant. Review these Frequently Asked Questions for more information. Contact the IT Service Desk at 717-531-6281 (Milton S. Hershey Medical Center) or 610-378-2647 (Penn State Health St. Joseph), or email askPSHealthIT@pennstatehealth.psu.edu with any questions or concerns.

Food Service Holiday Hours

The following locations will be closed on Dec. 25 and New Year’s Day but will remain open for normal business hours Dec. 26 to Dec. 31:

• Treehouse Café
• Sunnyside Café
• Corner Café
• Café East

Upcoming Events

Book Club Discusses “Educated”:

The Penn State Health Commission for Women Book Club will discuss “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover:

• Thursday, Jan. 3
• Noon-1 p.m.
• C1804

Light refreshments will be offered. Contact Raz Abdulqadir, research technologist in pediatrics, to borrow a copy of the book.

Artificial Intelligence Challenge

All Penn State students are invited to participate in the online 2019 Nittany Artificial Intelligence Challenge. Organized by the Penn State Nittany Alliance, participants will create solutions to real-world problems and compete for grants totaling $50,000:

• Monday, Jan. 14
• 3-9 p.m.
• Register here.

Wild Onions Call for Entries

Faculty and staff — both clinical and non-clinical — as well as patients, families, students and volunteers are invited to submit original literary, artistic or photographic work to Wild Onions by Tuesday, Jan. 15. The publication for the literary and visual arts is funded by The Doctors Kienle Center for Humanistic Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine. Visit the Wild Onions website to submit a work. For more information, contact Tiffany Yeh or Xiaojie Liao.

Bust Stress

Julie Radico, an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, will share strategies for recognizing and coping with stress, fatigue and burnout at a Human Resources Lunch and Learn program:

• Monday, Jan. 21
• Noon-1 pm.
• C5621

Operations

Gas Line Disruption

The underground natural gas line at the Central Utility Plant at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center will be replaced on Thursday, Dec. 27. The work will interrupt all natural gas flow to the entire Penn State College of Medicine megastructure, the animal resource facility, the hospital kitchen and the Rotunda Café. It will also affect the heat and hot water for the Support Services Building. Except for the Support Services Building, this will not affect the steam heat to the campus. Contact Brian Harwick, facilities planning and construction, at 717-531-5287 with any questions.

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