Weekly Updates: Week of Nov. 23
News
Living United: George thanks employees for strong campaign support
Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine wrapped up the 2020 United Way campaign on Nov 20. The percentage of employees who donated and the final total will be announced on Dec. 14.
“Amid the challenges of a pandemic, our employees and faculty rose to the occasion and demonstrated exceptional generosity to the people of our community,” said Jim George, Penn State Health director of community relations and chair of the United Way campaign. “Together, with the United Way we are helping families get access to better education, health care, jobs and basic needs.”
Winners of United Way of the Capital Region’s incentive prizes will be announced on March 12, 2021.
Counseling, financial resources available for employees
Need help? Employees can access a variety of resources and tools during this challenging year ― confidential counseling and overall wellness support, financial guidance, work and life solutions and planning, online resources and personalized content.
- Penn State Health and College of Medicine Employee and Student Special Financial Assistance Care Fund – employees and students can apply for financial assistance
- Penn State Health Employee Assistance Program: ComPsych GuidanceResources. Call toll-free at 866-465-8935 anytime, seven days a week or visit ComPsych Guidance Resources.
- College of Medicine Employee Assistance Program: Health Advocate – Call toll-free at 866-799-2728 anytime, seven days a week. Or visit the HealthAdvocate website for tools and resources.
Additional Resources:
- Penn State Health COVID-19 Resources
- Travel and Quarantine Policy
- Meeting, Training and Gathering Guidelines
- College of Medicine COVID-19 Resources
St. Joseph Medical Center begins no-contact valet service Dec. 1.
St. Joseph Medical Center will offer free, contactless valet service at its Bern Township campus, 2500 Bernville Road, beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1.
The service will be available from 5:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, for patients and visitors entering St. Joseph Medical Center’s main entrance. To ensure guest safety, valets and guests communicate via text messaging, eliminating the need for exchanging tickets. The valet will disinfect all appropriate touch points in the car, such as the door handle, steering wheel and gear shift, before returning it to the guest.
For urgent or ongoing concerns, Penn State Health staff can also reach out to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at guidanceresources.com using the web ID “PSHMC.” College of Medicine employees can utilize the University’s EAP Program.
College of Medicine pandemic response Friday round-up – week of Nov. 16-20
College of Medicine leaders updated faculty, staff and students on Nov. 20 about the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Given the rapid acceleration of the prevalence of COVID-19 locally and across Pennsylvania, effective Nov. 23 for the College of Medicine and all Penn State Health sites, studies involving in-person interaction with participants with no direct drug or device therapeutic benefit must pause. Research interactions with participants such as telephone contact, remote monitoring or remote data collection may continue.
- Because of the rapidly escalating number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in Pennsylvania and nationally, the College of Medicine began ramping down research starting Nov. 23. Out of an abundance of caution, research was scaled back on this date to those permissible in phase 3 of the College’s research plan (refer to the coronavirus section of the website). In general, phase 3 permits a maximum research occupancy of 50% at any given time.
- In response to the increased number of COVID-19 exposures among faculty, staff and students at the College of Medicine, administrative leaders will begin making daily safety rounds to proactively enforce safety protocols.
- Exercise increased caution when eating lunch in rooms with other employees, since everyone may be unmasked. When eating, people must maintain more than six feet of distance and should not sit directly across from one another at a table.
Penn State Health shifts to new anatomic pathology system
Penn State Health will migrate to Cerner PathNet Anatomic Pathology on Tuesday, Dec. 8, from a legacy anatomic pathology solution, CoPath Plus Laboratory. The move will result in an improved integration of anatomic pathology ordering and result reporting between CareConnect and PathNet Anatomic Pathology.
More information is available here.
Wellness Wednesday – Social media use linked to depression, secondary trauma during COVID-19
Taking breaks from and cutting back on sites like Twitter and Facebook use can be essential to good health, according to researchers at Penn State and Jinan University. They discovered that excessive use of social media for COVID-19 health information is related to both depression and secondary trauma.
Read more about their findings here.
For additional wellness resources visit the PRO Wellness BeWell Employee Wellness website.
Research
Altered ‘coat’ disguises fatal brain virus from neutralizing antibodies
A genetic modification in the “coat” of a brain infection-causing virus may allow it to escape antibodies, according to College of Medicine researchers. They say testing people for this and other viral mutations may help identify patients at risk for developing a fatal brain disease.
Dr. Aron Lukacher, professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the College of Medicine, and Susan Hafenstein, professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology at the College of Medicine and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State Eberly College of Science, co-led a research team that used high-resolution microscopy to study the capsid, or outer shell of mouse polyomavirus.
Researchers join $10 million project to understand sex differences in brain cancer outcomes
Researchers from Penn State College of Medicine are participating in a $10 million project to better understand why males and females with a common and deadly type of brain cancer have different survival rates. The investigators hope the study results can be used to develop new therapeutic approaches for treating the most severe form of brain tumor, glioblastoma.
Grants support research on diabetes, addiction and other medical conditions
During August and September, the College of Medicine received 129 grants totaling more than $38 million for research. Faculty, staff and students will use the funds to investigate the causes of Alzheimer’s disease, how federal and state policies affect health outcomes and new treatments for substance use disorders. Others will purchase new equipment for research, evaluate end-of-life care decision making and coordinate data processing for a large research study.
Read more about these studies.
Events
Employees can save on merchandise at Holy Spirit, Hershey gift shops
The Shoppe on the Corner at Holy Spirit Medical Center and the Gift Shop and Penn State Store at Hershey Medical Center have announced holiday sales.
Hershey
Sale runs through Friday, Nov. 27. Stores closed on Thanksgiving.
- Hats, gloves and scarves: Buy one get one free
- Penn State sherpa and fleece jackets: 50% off
- All other clothing and Penn State Apparel: 25% off
- All clearance items: extra 50% off the sale price
Holy Spirit
Sale runs Tuesday, Dec. 1, through Wednesday, Dec. 2, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- All Christmas merchandise: 30 percent off. Spend $10 and receive a free gift while supplies last.
Employees should bring their identification badge and VIP card if they have one. Exclusions include: flowers, cards, candy, balloons, books, magazines.
Town hall discusses veteran, first-responder inclusivity Nov. 30
Penn State Health’s Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will present a town hall on Monday, Nov. 30, from noon to 1 p.m., entitled “Insight into our Identities: Inclusivity of our Military, Veteran and First Responder Employees.”
The discussion will focus on Penn State Health’s commitment to developing a welcoming and inclusive environment for military, veteran and first-responder employees. Participate via Zoom by registering here. Email diversity@pennstatehealth.psu.edu if you have any questions or require accommodation of a disability to participate.
Employee blood drives in Hershey Dec. 1 and Reading Dec. 4
Hershey Medical Center will run an employee blood drive on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in a trailer in the parking lot outside the Academic Support Building, 90 Hope Drive. Organizers recommend scheduling appointments, which can be made here.
St. Joseph Medical Center will hold an employee blood drive Friday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Bern Township Campus in Franciscan Rooms A and B. Schedule an appointment here. You may also call the American Red Cross at 800-733-2767 or Cheryl Gipe, St. Joseph’s blood bank manager, at 610-378-2187
Register for the Sixth Annual Penn State Addiction Symposium on Dec. 3
There’s still time to register for the sixth Annual Penn State Addiction Symposium on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. via Zoom.
Keynote speaker Susan Sherman, professor of health, behavior and society at Johns Hopkins University, will present “The Invisible Impact of Gender: Overdose and HIV Risk Environment of Street-based Female Sex Workers.”
Mark your calendar for the next Penn State Health town hall, Dec. 15
The next Penn State Health town hall is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 15, at noon:
- Zoom: zoom.us/j/99297591044
- Phone: 929 205 6099
- Webinar ID: 992 9759 1044
To submit a question in advance, send it to askacovidq@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
Food boxes available for those in need
Cocoa Packs will distribute food boxes 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Monday in December to anyone in need who lives in Pennsylvania. Individuals do not need to live in Derry Township to receive services. Drive-thru distribution will be at 500 Homestead Road, Hershey. For more information or to enroll in Cocoa Packs email cocoapacks@gmail.com. Registration is not required for Monday food distributions.
People
Employees honored for work milestones
Congratulations to the following Penn State Health employees who are celebrating a milestone work anniversary between Nov. 18 and Nov. 24. They put our values into action every day:
30 Years of Service
- Vicki Greeninger, Patient Financial Services, Hershey
- Lee Lynn, Nursing Education Staff, Hershey
- Douglas Strine, Facilities Maintenance, Hershey
25 Years of Service
- Mao-Lin Wilson, Neurosurgery, St. Joseph
20 Years of Service
- Angel Nieves, Security, St. Joseph
15 Years of Service
- Shannon Walko, Physical Therapy, Hershey
10 Years of Service
- Stephen Adams, Supply Chain Services, Holy Spirit
- Kathleen Bernot, Patient Access, Hershey
- Christine Bishop, Medical/Surgical 1 North, St. Joseph
- Tracy Frantz, Penn State Health Medical Group – Palmyra
- Allison Hoyer, Medical/Surgical 1 North, St. Joseph
- Jaime McLean, Penn State Health Medical Group – Middletown
- Linda Norton, Emergency Services, St. Joseph
- Jennifer Park, Laboratory, State College
- Patricia Reed, Phlebotomy, Hershey
- Eugene Simoni, Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute – State College
- Michelle Smith, Pediatrics – Hope Drive
- Daniel Traxlmayr, Respiratory Therapy, Hershey
Employees are recognized for their time at Penn State Health. Recognition begins on the 10th anniversary and is given in five-year increments. Employees from every entity within Penn State Health are included in these recognitions, but not every entity may have an employee with a work anniversary during this time period. For questions about work anniversary dates, contact the HR Solution Center at hrsolutions@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or 717-531-8440.
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