Note to Faculty and Staff from the President 9/3/09
Dear Faculty and Staff,
As we begin the new academic year, I want to assure you that DePaul has made detailed plans to manage a flu outbreak on campus. Based on everything we have learned from local and national health officials, it appears likely that virtually every large business, organization and school will experience cases.
DePaul has a committee that has been monitoring advice from federal officials this summer and will watch for patterns of absenteeism among students and employees to gauge the impact on DePaul. We agree with the priority U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan gave on a recent conference call for university officials that indicated we should try to keep schools open and keep students learning.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance to colleges and universities (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/guidance/) to manage outbreaks, which DePaul will follow. The key to success at limiting transmission is self-isolation. This is simple, yet powerful, advice. If you are sick, the CDC recommends that you stay home until you have been fever-free without assistance from fever-reducing medication for 24 hours. We have shared this advice with students as well. Academic Affairs is drafting additional guidance that will be shared by the Office of the Provost next week to manage student and faculty illness.
Human Resources (HR) is sponsoring its annual health fair Oct. 6 and 7. Free seasonal flu shots will be available, but require pre-registration. Watch for information in the next two weeks from HR about how to pre-register. A separate vaccine specifically formulated for H1N1 flu is expected to be available nationwide in late October and will be made available by the federal government to the highest-risk populations first.
The university has continued the enhanced cleaning procedures it put into place last year. This includes use of stronger disinfecting products, more frequent cleaning of commonly touched surfaces and hand-sanitizing stations around campus. Furthermore, HR has updated its guidance for managers (https://hr.depaul.edu/News/FluUpdate.pdf) in handling illnesses in the workplace.
We encourage you to do your part in helping stop the spread of germs by:
Practicing good hand hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing; alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and coughing or sneezing into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands
Monitoring your health by checking for fever
Talking to your health care provider to determine if you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu and/or 2009 H1N1 flu
Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and coughing or sneezing into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands
Monitoring your health by checking for fever
Talking to your health care provider to determine if you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu and/or 2009 H1N1 flu
Information about 2009 H1N1 flu vaccination can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination and about seasonal flu vaccine at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm.
DePaul has revised its flu information on the home page and will post any critical updates throughout the season. The site also provides links to major local, national and international health authorities. Please feel free to check it out regularly at http://depaul.edu/campusNotice.asp.
Be well,
Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M.
President
