Weekly Updates: Week of Feb. 8
COVID news
New process may shorten quarantine for asymptomatic staff critical to patient care operations
Quarantined, asymptomatic staff who are critical to patient care operations may be able to return to work two days earlier. The Asymptomatic Quarantined Employee: Early Return to Work COVID-19 Testing Process provides guidance on whether asymptomatic staff could be eligible for COVID-19 testing on:
- Day 6 of a required quarantine for a single exposure, or
- Day 16 of a required quarantine due to a positive housemate
The early return-to-work process applies to staff at Hershey Medical Center, Holy Spirit Medical Center, St. Joseph Medical Center and Penn State Health Medical Group ― Academic Practice and Community Practice divisions. To be considered for testing to return to work early, an asymptomatic employee would need to have leadership request a review of the situation from the designated entity’s executive leadership. If approved, the testing would have to be coordinated with the designated entity’s Employee Health Department.
Hershey RVP testing partially restored
Limited Respiratory Viral Panel (RVP) testing is again available in the Hershey Medical Center Virology Lab.
The new estimated turnaround time for an RVP test is four hours. Inpatient testing will be prioritized over outpatient testing.
The lab’s staff asks that employees avoid ordering an RVP test unless the full panel is essential, and that they do not place an order solely to secure a COVID test. Because of the extended turnaround time of RVP testing, the lab will temporarily run any screening ordered at the same time as an RVP test concurrently.
Earlier this week, a water incursion damaged the primary RVP testing instrument, which will be replaced in the next few weeks.
Penn State Health expands visitation guidelines, clarifies additional exceptions
Penn State Health has shifted to Tier 2 of its three-tiered visitation guidelines because of falling numbers of COVID-19 cases.
The health system has altered the Tier 2 rules to allow one support-person visitor per patient in the adult Emergency Department and the adult clinics. Organizers made no changes to the adult inpatient and adult procedural areas guidelines ― which allow one support person per stay ― nor did they change pediatric family/support-person guidelines.
The health system also clarified several exceptions for visitors, which can be found in the revised visitation policy. These changes take effect on Monday, Feb. 15.
People
Rojiani named chair of Department of Pathology
Dr. Amyn M. Rojiani has been named chair of the Department of Pathology at the College of Medicine and Hershey Medical Center, effective Saturday, May 1.
Since 2010, Rojiani has served as the chair of pathology and holds the E. R. Pund Distinguished Professorship at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University. He also is the clinical service chief of pathology for Augusta University Health System, which includes Augusta University Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
Schmitz named Penn State University Distinguished Professor
Kathryn Schmitz, professor of public health sciences with joint appointments in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, has been awarded the title of Penn State University Distinguished Professor.
Schmitz joins the College of Medicine’s elite faculty to be recognized with this title, based on her exemplary scholarship in research, teaching and service.
Schmitz is an internationally recognized leader in the area of exercise physiology. In this discipline, her contributions have directly improved the lives of cancer survivors through treatment innovations that she developed into widely disseminated programs. For this reason, she was chosen to give the 2020 fall dean’s lecture.
Events
Black History Month features Market Square Concerts event
Contemporary African American composer Nansi Carroll’s music is part of the latest Market Square Concerts program available to Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine staff to help provide comfort during these stressful times.
Violinist Juliette Kang and cellist Thomas Kraines played Nansi Carroll’s “Spiritual for Cello Solo” during a Jan. 13 concert at Whitaker Center in Harrisburg.
Listen to the audio recording of the concert or watch the video, both available until Feb. 25. Learn more about the event on the concert program.
Second-year medical students celebrate accomplishments at College of Medicine Student Clinician Ceremonies
Penn State College of Medicine second-year medical students marked an important milestone in their journey toward becoming physicians during Student Clinician Ceremonies on Feb. 4.
The events celebrated the transition from classroom learning to clerkships and more intensive clinical rotations. In past years, one ceremony took place. This year, because of the need to social distance, four separate ceremonies were held.
“Instead of just looking ahead, we wanted to stop and look at what these students have done so far that puts them on the path to becoming the doctor they want to be,” said Dr. Myles Nickolich, interim assistant dean for education in the clinical learning environment and assistant professor of medicine at Penn State Cancer Institute.
About 140 second-year students attended the events, along with six PhD recipients.
Upcoming events
Celebrate kindness in Hershey: Enjoy free cup of coffee Feb. 15
Hershey employees can enjoy a free cup of coffee, any size, on Monday, Feb. 15, at any food service location, excluding Starbucks and Au Bon Pain.
The free cup of joe is compliments of The Staff Morale Work Group, Nestle Coffee and Morrison Healthcare.
Human Resources offers live, online professional development workshops
Penn State Health Human Resources Learning and Leadership Development offers online, professional development workshops for 2021. Employees can register for these live, instructor-led workshops through Compass using the links below. Click on the workshop titles for details.
- Crucial Conversations. Tips for talking when the stakes are high. Learn how to foster open dialogue around emotional or risky topics to create alignment and agreement. First workshop is Wednesday, Feb. 17. Register early.
- Culture of Accountability Institute. Learn how to demonstrate high levels of ownership and accountability to achieve results.
- Foundations of Leadership. Learn proven techniques to make better decisions, resolve conflicts, increase engagement, improve employee performance and lead change. This workshop is for those who lead others in the organization.
For a flyer of these workshops to download and share, click here.
‘Understanding Impact of Religious Beliefs on Health Care’ Feb. 18
Ilana Lehman of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding will discuss “Understanding the Impact of Religious Beliefs on Health Care” on Thursday, Feb. 18, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. This virtual session, aimed at health care providers, is part of the Inclusion Academy’s Patient Care series presented by the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“Many patients follow a specific faith, and the rules established by it can impact the medical treatments they receive,” said Lynette Chappell-Williams, vice president and chief diversity officer, Penn State Health. “It is vital that health care providers remain mindful, respectful and empathetic of a patient’s spiritual beliefs.”
Sign up here. For questions or to request accommodation of a disability to participate, email diversity@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
Wellness Wednesday: Working out at lunch event Feb. 18
Kayla Rutt, a research project manager from the College of Medicine, and others from the BeWell team will present a BeWell Lunch and Learn entitled “The Lunch Break Workout” on Thursday, Feb. 18, from noon to 12:30 p.m. Click here to register for the event.
Check out the BeWell Employee Wellness Toolkit and for information on wellness resources, visit the PRO Wellness BeWell Employee Wellness website.
Trailblazers: honoring female scientists at College of Medicine
Today is the United Nations’ International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
As countries around the globe celebrate the innovation and perseverance of female scientists, Penn State College of Medicine recognizes the efforts of its own researchers.
Janice Egeland, PhD
In 1967, Egeland became the first female faculty member at the College of Medicine.
Lois Forney, MS
In 1969, Forney became the first graduate of the College of Medicine to earn a master’s degree in physiology.
Kathryn LaNoue, PhD
LaNoue was a faculty member who sought to increase the success and inclusion of women in the medical community by identifying and addressing matters affecting salary and gender equity.
Read more about female faculty who were trailblazers at the College of Medicine and paved paths for future women’s successes.
Learn more about the College of Medicine’s virtual “Celebration of Women in Science” symposium on Friday, March 12, and register to attend.
Other news
Faculty, staff invest in scholarships to strengthen diversity at College of Medicine
Several current and former faculty and staff physicians committed $250,000 to establish seven new scholarships and add to one already existing endowment as part of Penn State’s recently concluded Educational Equity Scholarship Matching Program.
These invested funds, doubled by the University match, will provide perpetual support for students whose gender, race, ethnic, cultural and/or national background contribute to the diversity of the student body.
Gifts from faculty and staff represented 34% of the overall total of $737,000 committed by all donors during the matching program, including alumni, community leaders and corporate and foundation partners.
Dr. Kevin Black, interim dean of the College of Medicine, and Lynette Chappell-Williams, vice president and chief diversity officer for Penn State Health, led the way in endowing two of the seven individually named scholarships from faculty and staff. Members of the Black Faculty and Professional Staff Association also collectively established a new educational-equity scholarship.
College of Medicine pandemic response Friday round-up ― week of Feb. 1-5
College of Medicine leaders updated faculty, staff and students on Feb. 5 about the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
- As COVID-19 vaccine eligibility focus moves from health care workers to other members of the public, faculty and students should anticipate patients and their families questioning their vaccination status. Reminders: COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for emergency use only, and individual vaccination status is protected under HIPAA.
- Mandatory testing of all College of Medicine students will occur from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 16 and 17, at the University Conference Center. Students will be receiving information directly from their program coordinators with more information.
- Beginning Feb. 15, Penn State will conduct random daily surveillance testing of approximately 2% of the University’s on-campus population across all campuses. Random daily surveillance testing is also planned for students starting in early March. More details will be announced later.
Team Science Toolbox offers evidence-based techniques for common team issues
A new resource from Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute equips teams with scientifically validated approaches to tackle common problems.
Team Science Toolbox is designed for the non-team scientist and provides evidence-based techniques and interventions. The toolbox is available at the institute’s website at ctsi.psu.edu under Research Support.
The Team Science Toolbox can equip teams to be more effective and lead them to success. Mohammed also offers team science consultations to Penn State research teams as a service of Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Consultations are free and requested by completing a service request form at the institute’s website at ctsi.psu.edu.
Susan Mohammed, professor of psychology, discusses team science in an episode of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s “Engage” podcast.
Penn State Health launches participation in KeyHIE
Penn State Health has joined Keystone Health Information Exchange (KeyHIE), one of the oldest and largest health information exchanges.
Founded in 2005, KeyHIE serves more than 5.8 million patients across Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is enhancing the coordination of care between providers, health plans and patients.
KeyHIE connects Penn State Health to the Pennsylvania Patient and Provider Network (P3N), enabling the sharing of patient information across Pennsylvania.
In phase one of the implementation, Penn State Health linked Cerner (CareConnect), Allscripts Touchworks and Allscripts Pro electronic health records (EHR) through KeyHIE, enabling the sharing of patient information with the health system’s community partners. Phase two of the KeyHIE implementation will include the integration of clinical documentation back into the Cerner and Allscripts EHRs. In addition, discrete laboratory and radiology results will be sent from Cerner to KeyHIE.
Physicians already using KeyHIE can receive notifications of patient admissions and discharges from participating hospitals. To begin the KeyHIE set up process or to enable notifications, email HealthInformationExchange@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
St. Joseph Medical Center improves patient access with Nuclear Medicine Department renovations
Construction is underway within the Nuclear Medicine Department at St. Joseph to make room for two new imaging systems that will deliver an in-house cardiology and oncology Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) service line with improved patient access.
Benefits include:
- Improved technology and diagnostic accuracy for cardiac perfusion imaging
- Potential for earlier diagnosis and more definitive treatment strategy
- Accommodations for patients weighing up to 500 pounds
- Access for cardiology, oncology and bariatric surgery screenings
Construction is scheduled for completion in April.
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