Five Questions

Good morning, happy Friday and happy third payday of the month!

Since it’s the last Friday in July, today I’ll answer your questions. 

Even as the months come and go, and July gives way to August, I’m sure everyone is feeling frustrated with the current state of affairs.  I know this – things will get better and we will get our old lives back, especially if we stay disciplined and encourage others to do so.  With that in mind, I want to reprise here the comments made by Dr. Charles O’Mara, associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs, at last Monday’s administrative update.  Dr. O’Mara urged us to:

• “Remain optimistic – We will get through this.
• Be resilient – Take care of yourself and those around you.
• Live every day to the fullest and address those many things that need to be done that day, without being distracted by thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow.”

Dr. O’Mara wrapped up his advice with this, “Some things are tall tasks with broad scope, others less so; but all are important.  And over time, day upon day, we will make a difference.”

Through the VC Notes comment feature, you have sent me many questions during the last month.  Since I’m not able to answer all of them here, I’ve selected the ones that seem to apply most broadly.  The rest I’ve sent to administrative leaders for their review.  I read and appreciate receiving all of your comments and questions. 

Q:  In response to a question posed in a recent VC Notes, you stated that you "want our managers to use their authority to politely request that their employees wear masks, and our instructors to politely request that their students wear masks," and that we should all "feel the peer pressure" to follow policy. I feel that we are beyond the point at which a polite request is appropriate. The authority vested in managers and instructors should, I believe, compel them to politely direct that those under their authority comply or be subject to disciplinary action just as would occur for any other serious policy violation. No one is being asked to agree with the policy or to like the policy. Everyone must be held accountable for following it.

A:  When I answered that question in the June 26 VC Notes, my hope was that we would have widespread voluntary compliance with mask-wearing on campus and at all UMMC locations.  We’re still not at 100 percent, but “secret shopping” conducted under the purview of the Chief Medical Officer indicates that we have gradually improved and are now up to 88 percent compliance in our hospital. My sense is that our numbers are not as good in other parts of the Medical Center. One hundred percent compliance in all areas remains our goal.  We should assume that everyone we encounter is infected and we should always be wearing our masks when we are around others. Although it’s important to be civil and polite when addressing noncompliant individuals directly, I agree with you, we need to insist that employees and students whom we supervise follow this policy. Whatever it takes to get us closer toward universal use of masks (along with hand washing, social distancing and avoiding crowds) will get us that much closer to bringing the virus under control.

Q:  On my way to work one morning I was almost hit while properly crossing the street at the main crosswalk in front of University Hospital. The problem is impatient drivers and the light turns green for turning motorists after only 3 seconds, with 27 seconds left for pedestrians to cross the street. The light turns too soon and there are drivers who do not care about pedestrians crossing. They actually blow their horns at cars that are in front of them patiently waiting at the green light while we are crossing. My experience was upsetting because I literally was almost hit. The vehicle was so close that I could touch it and identify the driver if I needed to. Is there a way that we could get the light to not change until the crossing signal finishes counting down or at least give us more time to cross?

A:  I’m thankful you weren’t hurt in the incident you describe.  I’ve asked our Facilities Services team to evaluate the crossing patterns at that location.  They have reached out to the City of Jackson about the possibility of providing a longer pedestrian-protected interval during peak times.  Of course, reducing any “green light” time will cause increased delays for motorists and potentially create longer vehicle queues.  But pedestrian safety is paramount, and there needs to be a reasonable balance of interests to assure that.  I believe at one time we positioned a campus police officer at that location to support traffic control, and that may be something that factors into assuring safe passage for our employees and students.

Q:  With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise, it is safe to assume most departments will have a COVID-positive employee at some point. What are the protocols for alerting employees if a fellow departmental employee tests positive for COVID-19?

A:  Presently we are not disclosing COVID-19-positive co-workers or patient contacts.  This has been our policy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and is in accordance with current recommendations.  Employee confidentiality is one of the considerations.  Another is that many health care workers are “exposed” to the virus from patients (even if the precise origin is unknown) and we don’t disclose, isolate or quarantine these individuals.  Doing so would decimate our workforce even though these exposures would result in few, if any, infections.  Generally speaking, contact tracing, which would entail notifying some co-workers, is the purview of the State Department of Health, but tracing is less feasible when there is widespread community transmission, as is the case in Mississippi at the moment.  However, we do careful contact tracing of events that are considered “outbreaks” in various units at the Medical Center.  They always originate from a symptomatic employee coming to work.  That’s why it’s so important to stay home when you are not feeling well and to seek testing if COVID-19 symptoms are present.

Q:  Since most educational departments have resumed some form of face-to-face learning, the library is still closed. This puts a burden on students who utilize it frequently, but most importantly, it puts a burden on students who need the printer access. Many of my classmates are dealing with the lack of printing access dilemma. When will the library be opening?

A:  I asked Susan Clark, director of the Rowland Medical Library, to respond:  Thanks so much for asking about the library and printing services for students.  Although the library has continued to provide access to most resources and services during the pandemic, the one service we have not been able to easily provide is printing.  One option is Pharos. If a printing "job" is entered into Pharos, a student can print from any of the Pharos-enabled machines on campus. As of now the library has two Pharos printers, the School of Medicine has two, the School of Health Related Professions has two and the medical student lounge in University Hospital has one. Pharos is a program administered by DIS, and other schools can reach out to DIS for a Pharos-enabled machine in their particular areas.  

The library physical space will reopen with the start of the fall semester on Aug. 10 to accommodate about 40 individuals in separate carrels on the first floor only.  Open hours are from 7 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.  Tables have been removed and the carrels have been spaced for proper social distancing.  The second floor will initially be reserved for fourth-year medical students to conduct virtual residency interviews. Hand sanitizer will be available when first entering the library, and in keeping with UMMC policy, everyone must wear a mask.  Once we determine that our operating procedures are safe for students and staff - hopefully in a matter of days - we will expand operating hours and move toward a 24-7 schedule.

Q:  Due to the continued rise in positive COVID-19 case numbers, can employees who were previously approved for teleworking be allowed to resume working from home? I realize that circumstances are different than they were in March/April when cases first began to appear in Mississippi, but I would think now (more than ever) we'd want to encourage folks to work from home when feasible. I understand that some workers cannot complete their work responsibilities from home, but there are many who can. I also understand the need to be "fair," but if it can help prevent the spread, I don't see how it could hurt to allow those who were previously on a teleworking agreement or those who can perform tasks from home to be allowed to do so at this time.

A:  Based on our extensive experience with teleworking in the spring, I asked Dr. Alan Jones, assistant vice chancellor for clinical affairs and clinical response leader for the pandemic, to lead a group in strengthening UMMC’s remote working policy and procedure.  In addition to Human Resources, led by Chief Human Resources Officer Molly Brasfield, input into this process came from Legal, DIS, Integrity and Compliance, and others.  Draft documents have been completed and I am now soliciting feedback on the policy revisions from key leaders and stakeholders prior to implementation, which will include required manager and employee training.  With the recent announcements about school schedules, and anticipating that these back-to-school plans may change depending on how things go with respect to the virus, I know many of you are anxious to have this work completed.  We are moving as swiftly as possible and I’m confident the time and effort that has been invested will result in a policy and procedure that is more efficient and that provides for remote working arrangements that can be sustained beyond just the temporary situation we find ourselves in. 

We’ll talk more about this topic and many others at the virtual town hall meeting we are tentatively scheduling for next week.  Until then, be optimistic, invest in your resilience and stay focused on what’s directly in front of us.  Your persistence and heroic work continue to be my daily inspiration.  #UMMCStrong