Five Questions
Good morning!
It’s the last Friday of the month, so today I’ll answer your questions.
Before I begin, I thought some of you might be interested in the discussion that occurred earlier this week at the Republican National Convention. I was asked to participate in one of several panel discussions on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was pleased to represent you and UMMC, and to share my thoughts about how and why we are perceived as a source of reliable information by the public during these uncertain times. A similar panel discussion occurred (virtually) at last week’s Democratic National Convention, and both events were sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges. You can watch the video of the discussion here.
I always enjoy reading your questions and comments. I’m not able to respond to all of them here, but I do pass them along to others in leadership for their review and possible action. Please keep sending me your questions/comments.
Q: It seems like there are constantly concerns about the crosswalk in front of the hospital. Would it be possible to install a pedestrian bridge over the road to help cut down on the number of people needing to cross at street level? Some people may still need to cross at ground level due to disabilities, but being able to divert a decent amount of foot traffic may help ease congestion and safety concerns.
A: This question has come up many, many times before (even when I was a student). A number of years ago we explored the possibility of a pedestrian bridge with architectural consultants. The problem is that a stand-alone pedestrian bridge is very expensive to build and, once constructed, not necessarily used by pedestrians for its intended purpose. Think about it: If pedestrians have to climb stairs on one side, walk across and descend stairs on the other side, the extra time and effort required is a deterrent to most people, who would simply rather wait to cross at ground level, even if they are exposed to traffic. Pedestrian bridges are most effective when they extend from one building to a second building across a busy street or other obstacle. Indeed, one of the options in our campus master plan is to build a replacement for the University Physicians Pavilion Outpatient Center in the Veterans Memorial Stadium parking lot, with a connecting pedestrian bridge to University Hospital. I hope that plan will be realized within the next few years.
Q: Garage B basement employee parking has been closed since March. For those attending physicians working in the critical care tower and coming in and out multiple times a day and during weekends, it is very discouraging not to be able to get a temporary parking permit in Garage B. Any plans to open the employee parking back or at least allow selected staff to park at the upper levels?
A: As you probably know, the lower level of Parking Garage B was initially used as the site for employee/student test sample collection. Later, we deployed our mobile field hospital there for use as an adult respiratory clinic. The lower level is currently our staging area for equipment in case we need it. We hope it doesn’t come to this, but if our ICUs and inpatient floors are overwhelmed by a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases coupled with a bad flu season this fall, Parking Garage B is a critical part of our backup plan to manage additional patients. We all hope we can bring the lower level back into service for vehicle parking as soon as possible, but that will only be when we can confidently say we’re in the clear on the pandemic. If you have a specific parking need, you should go through your chair/supervisor to request on-campus parking.
Q: With the new Remote Working Policy and Procedure, how long will it allow us to work from home?
A: Our Human Resources team tells me the Remote Working Policy and Procedure does not include a limit on how long an employee can participate in a remote working arrangement, but it does set the parameters for the employee to continue working remotely. For employees working remotely under the temporary, flexible remote working category, these arrangements are not typically expected to last beyond a three-month period. But the procedure does outline how a manager can renew such an arrangement beyond three months. For employees working remotely under the regular remote working category, the arrangement does not have an expiration, but the manager and employee are required to evaluate the arrangement on an annual basis for continued suitability of the job and the employee’s work habits, among other factors. As a reminder, the process for an employee to engage in remote work is initiated by the employee’s supervisor. Supervisors, in conjunction with their up-line leaders, assess the suitability of jobs and employees within their departments or work units to conduct their work remotely. When the policy was implemented, supervisors were encouraged to initiate the process for jobs and employees that they assessed to be suitable. If employees with an interest in working remotely are unsure whether their supervisor has made this consideration, they should speak to him/her.
Q: With all of the talk about hydroxychloroquine and the other potential treatments, why can’t UMMC do a clinical study, like, immediately. I am sure some people would volunteer. I truly believe this will work. I have had friends that had it (COVID-19) who started getting worse and were able to get this medicine and felt better within hours and the next day even better. I am so tired of the political ramifications of all of this. Just please, I am begging, can we not just try it? I am heartbroken to hear about all these deaths and no one will even give this a try again. How can they say it doesn't work when you have people who took it telling you it does? Please, please try this - get a study going immediately.
A: Early in the pandemic, UMMC participated in a federally funded, multicenter trial evaluating hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in patients requiring hospitalization early in their course of COVID-19. That trial is complete and found no benefit to the use of HCQ in this patient population. We had been slated to participate in a trial of HCQ in outpatients (not requiring hospitalization), but that trial has been halted due to concerns about the lack of efficacy of HCQ. Currently there are no clear, evidence-based recommendations for using HCQ to treat COVID-19. However, 294 trials are registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov, suggesting that additional data may emerge in the future to better inform clinical practice.
Q: I had to walk the crosswalk to the parking lot with 15-plus students today, none of whom were wearing masks. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I witnessed another large group of students without a mask in sight. Is anyone holding the student population accountable for mask usage, or are they going to be permitted to put hospital staff (and patients, visitors, etc.) at risk?
A: I’ve heard other reports of students not complying with the mask policy, so that’s why I decided to include your question today. Many people seem to think that the moment they walk outdoors, they can safely remove their masks without exposing themselves or others to harm. If you are walking by yourself, that’s probably true. But if people remain in close quarters and are talking, as in the situation you describe, then it’s possible that aerosolized droplets emitted by an infected but asymptomatic person could spread to another person, especially if neither are wearing masks. In our current environment, when you are around even one other person, the default should always be to wear a mask, and students are expected to adhere to our policy.
So for those students who read VC Notes, pass the word to your classmates: Mask Up! This is not only our policy, it’s an expectation that our students will model the behavior of a health care professional and set a good example for others. With all of us doing our part, we will stay #UMMCStrong.