Five Questions

Good morning!

It’s the last Friday of the month, so today I’ll answer some of the questions you’ve sent me over the past several weeks.

Just as a reminder, I read all of your questions and comments and enjoy hearing from you. I’m only able to respond to some of them in this space, but I pass the rest along to senior administrators for their review and possible follow up.

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Q: I was wondering if there can be a designated area, for all surgical departments, where new mothers can go to have privacy when they pump? Sitting in the women's locker isn't very private and there's high traffic in there. Is it possible to accommodate for something more private?

A: Your question was shared with Department of Surgery business administrator Shane Atkison pretty soon after it came in and I’m happy to report that he, with the blessing of Dr. Chris Anderson, department chair, has identified a space on the basement floor of the Hardy Clinical Sciences Building for new moms to pump. While the location will be a bit of a makeshift space, it will have all of the amenities that are most necessary like a sink and a refrigerator. But the most important features of the room are convenience and privacy.

Breast milk is without question what is best for new babies and I appreciate this department responding to this request and making a commitment for the well-being of their employees (and infants). The room is still being prepared and Shane will alert department staff when it is ready.

On a broader scale, Dr. Juanyce Taylor, chief diversity and inclusion officer, is leading a group of about 30 people from across the institution who are working on a comprehensive, system-wide strategy on the issue of accessible pumping/breastfeeding stations for employees, students and the public. There are three stations currently available to anyone:

• WC278, which is near 2 North (access code is 414)
• W141, located right outside the Wiser NICU
• U115-2, inside the Rowland Medical Library on the first floor

Several units and departments have set aside a space for breastfeeding/pumping for their staff (one example is the Department of Orthopeadic Surgery’s room that was established through a project of former resident Dr. Bopha Chrea), but a comprehensive list is not yet available for those. I do know that several rooms were included in the Sanderson Tower construction (one near the new PICU and two close to the new NICU, and the pumps in patient rooms are available to Children’s staff when not in use). The workgroup plans to make a full list of available rooms when complete.

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Q: A while ago it was stated the buses would be equipped with stop signs on the side to indicate people to not pass. Do we have a date of completion? Yesterday I was on the bus dropping people off at stop 27 and 2 vehicles came around. Additionally, why is there not a covering at some of the pick-up areas either on campus or in the parking area.

A: As has been the case in many instances over the past couple of years, a spike in COVID-19 can have a trickle-down effect through many areas of business – for instance, companies being able to receive shipments on time. This COVID-induced-slow-supply-chain effect is the reason you don’t already see the illuminated stop signs on the back on the shuttles that I announced several months ago were in the works by Groome Transportation, our shuttle vendor.

That project is now back on and the stop signs are currently being added to shuttles as the materials are available. They all should be sporting them within the next couple of weeks. These new illuminated signs, intended to be a warning sign for other vehicles when the shuttle is loading/unloading, will certainly increase safety for shuttle riders when getting on and off.

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Q1: Why are employees allowed to rollover so many hours? When requesting time off, this makes scheduling difficult. Having an employee with over 700 PER makes it difficult to staff when they request off. I've worked at facilities that didn't allow rollover or if they did, they only allowed 40 hours.

Q2: Why do people who work 7 on/7 off accumulate Personal Leave? This makes scheduling very difficult. They already have 7 days off and their request to take additional days off during their 7 on causes a hardship on the department.

A: I grouped these two questions together because they both lead to a similar response – state law. There are certain policies we must operate under because of state regulations and the topic covered in these two questions – personal leave – is one.

UMMC employees are state employees and many of our leave policies are governed by state law. For example, state statute says that “There shall be no limit to the accumulation of personal leave.”

However, UMMC employee leave – and this is all detailed in the Faculty and Staff Handbook – is through a request system and managed by each employee’s supervisor. No matter how much leave an employee has saved up, being off on a certain day is not a guarantee but is approved and scheduled according to operational needs within the unit/department. The Handbook states “Vacation schedules are arranged and personal leave is approved at the discretion of the supervisor, based on the demands of work and to ensure that sufficient staff are available at all times.” Managers should take this into consideration before approving any leave.

On the second question above, the answer basically points to the same state law. Forty hours makes up a “workweek” but as an academic medical center, many of our employees’ schedules are anything but “normal.” The entirety of a work year is what determines full-time-equivalency status and how leave accumulation is factored. Whether a person is scheduled to work five eight-hour days or seven 12-hour days, the hours worked will all reach the same FTE-qualified endpoint over the course of the year and thus all earn leave similarly. But, again, how and when that leave is granted is at the discretion of the area supervisor.

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Q: Hello, I think it would be helpful to everyone if it is published campus wide where the flu shots are being given each day. Otherwise, we have to call employee/student health to find out and I am sure they don't need any more phone calls. Thank you.

A: A different approach was taken this year for our annual employee and student flu vaccination effort. A phased plan was announced last month that is intended to make getting your flu shot easier this year. Phase I, the “Flu on Wheels” initiative, is wrapping up and Phase II, the annual Flu Blitz will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The last phase will look more like the traditional method of flu vaccination tables set up around campus with Flu on Wheels continuing to visit units/departments.

The confirmed areas where Flu Blitz tables will be set up on that day are (more may be added later and will be noted on the Intranet information page found here):

• The walkway between University Hospital and the old hospital, outside of the business office and next to the Daisy statue
• The walkway between the hospitals and the Clinical Sciences Building
• The old School of Medicine area commonly referred to as the “Hall of Heads” near the main office of the Graduate School
• The 2nd floor walkway between Batson Tower and Wiser Hospital

Remember, getting the flu vaccination is a condition of your employment or enrollment. That policy can be found here. So far, about 40% of employees and about 20% of students have received their annual flu shot. This is important for the safety of our patients and for each other, so please go ahead and get this taken care of as soon as possible. Flu-vaccination accommodation requests are due tomorrow, Oct. 30! Information can be found here on how to submit an accommodation request. Anyone who does not qualify for vaccination accommodation must be vaccinated by Dec. 31, 2021.

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Thanks for sending in these questions, and keep them coming!

Before I sign off today, I want to pass along the message that more appointments to get your COVID-19 booster dose (if you’re six months out from completion of the initial round) at Student and Employee Health have opened up for the month of November. Information for employees about boosters and how to get yours can be found here. While not mandatory, you are encouraged to get a booster shot.

Between more people now eligible to get a booster and reports that kids aged 5 to 11 will soon be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the path is getting clearer toward an ending of this pandemic and a renewed focus in our work toward A Healthier Mississippi.