Posts tagged ‘contact tracing’

Return-to-Campus Plans [Zoom recording]

Community Covenant

All students and employees should follow the LVC Community Covenant to protect themselves and their peers, colleagues, professors, and loved ones.

It is a privilege to be a member of the Lebanon Valley College community of learners. I recognize that we are only as good as the sum of our parts. For this reason, I embrace my responsibility to support, assist, and hold my fellow community members accountable. I am committed to participating in a safe, healthy, and high-quality educational environment and will uphold the policies, procedures, and mitigation strategies the College sets forth.

I promise to:

  • Adhere to practices such as masking, social distancing, employing good hygiene, and frequent handwashing and hand sanitizing.
  • Self-monitor for symptoms and report them using the Daily Symptom Tracker in MyLVC.
  • Refrain from behaviors that will compromise my health and the health of others within our community.
  • Limit my exposure to others who choose to do otherwise. 
  • Respond promptly and honestly to contact tracers. 
  • Regularly clean and disinfect my personal space and items. 
  • Prioritize virtual or outdoor meetings with social distancing. 
  • Communicate potential health concerns, including COVID-19 symptoms, to appropriate personnel in Shroyer Health Center (students) or my physician (employees), and report all health-related issues as instructed by College policy. 
  • Hold others accountable to these standards.
  • Demonstrate care and concern for others. 

Vaccines are not just about personal protection—they are vital to public health. We implore those who are hesitant to listen to the science, talk to their primary care physician, and do what’s right for our community and the vulnerable within it. Get vaccinated. The vaccine is safe. 

Those who do not follow the College’s employee and COVID-19 policies or the Student Conduct Code will be prohibited from campus property. LVC policies and protocols may be stricter than public health guidelines. 

Partnership with Penn State Health

Dear Campus Community,

I am happy to report that Lebanon Valley College has established a partnership with Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center as part of our fall return-to-campus preparations. Through its Department of Family and Community Medicine, the medical center will provide LVC with a medical director with direct experience treating college-aged students, additional clinical health center staffing, guidance on responding to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, referrals for testing, and contact tracing support.

On- and off-campus clinical care for students will be significantly expanded. The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has hired Dr. Levelle Drose-Bigatel, a family practice physician who will serve as medical director of LVC’s Shroyer Health Center. In addition to her general directorship duties, she will advise College staff regarding the care of students with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, refer students for COVID-19 testing, and provide guidance to the College on public health and infectious disease plans and protocols, drawing on expertise from Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine.

An advanced care practitioner (nurse practitioner or physician assistant) from Penn State Health will provide on-campus care alongside Shroyer Health Center staff and allow us to expand health center hours. Students will also have 24/7 access to Penn State Health’s on-demand virtual services, as well as in-person and on-call care at Penn State Health Medical Group—Palmyra.

Crucial to our reopening is the College’s ability to conduct thorough contact tracing, which requires substantial training and staff resources. Through this partnership, the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center will provide a licensed practical nurse to guide us in the process and to conduct tracing as needed. Eighteen LVC staff members have completed contact tracing training through an online course provided by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. I am extremely grateful that they have signed up for such an important role.

Please continue to practice physical distancing, limit your interactions with others, wash your hands often, complete the daily symptom tracker, and wear a mask.

Sincerely,
President James MacLaren