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Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, introduces a full panel of speakers during the Oct. 28 Town Hall. Image by Katrina Dupins

October Town Hall Focuses on Employee Wellness

Nov. 3, 2020 | Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, and other UAMS leaders urged employees to take time for themselves during an Oct. 28 Town Hall.

Chief Wellness Officer Natalie Cannady told employees that up to now “we have been a lighthouse for our patients and co-workers.” She encouraged everyone to lay down that burden and instead “think of ourselves as a fleet that is working together.”

“It is OK to put down your anchor and take a break for yourself,” she said.

UAMS offers a number of services to help employees take better care of themselves, Cannady said, directing employees to gethealthy.uams.edu for more information on virtual mindfulness sessions and the Supportive Conversations hotline as well as services offered directly by Cannady, including wellness retreats, Stretch and Strategy sessions and one-on-one meetings.

EAP and AR-Connect are additional mental health services available for employees, she noted.

“Take time to de-stress by distracting your brain and your body with things you enjoy,” she said. “Throw down your own anchor before your boat sinks.”

Finally, the Fitness Court, which is part of the Pine and Cedar project, will be open soon. More details on the court, open to Team UAMS and the entire community, will be coming in November, she said.

Danielle Lombard-Sims, Ph.D., vice chancellor for human resources and chief human resources officer, told employees that as UAMS focuses on employee engagement, one area identified as needing improvement is resilience.

“In health care, we are heroes, so we are great at taking care of everyone else. However, we don’t always take very good care of ourselves,” she said.

“When I fly Southwest, they always say that in the event of an emergency, put on your mask first and then take care of the person next to you,” she said. “You’ve got to put your mask on first.”

She also cautioned against pandemic fatigue, adding that it often shows up as not wearing a mask.

“Guys, I know we’re all tired of this pandemic. But the reality is this is our new normal,” she said. “This is how we keep each other safe. This is how we take care of our families, our friends and our community.”

She encouraged Team UAMS members to hold each other accountable with mask wearing and other precautions.

Lombard-Sims also reminded employees that open enrollment for UAMS health plans, other insurance and flexible spending accounts runs Nov. 1-30. Also during November, all employees on the UAMS health insurance need to complete the tobacco pledge.

Finally, she encouraged all employees to vote. The election is Nov. 3. Early voting is available through Nov. 2.

Mark Hagemeier, J.D., vice chancellor for institutional compliance, took a few minutes to remind employees of some key compliance deadlines.

First, all employees and students were required to complete the yearly HIPAA training by Oct. 1. Nearly a month later, 150 employees haven’t completed that federally mandated training, he said. This year, employees who failed to complete the training on time lost access to Outlook and Epic. Next year, those steps will be used as well as progressive discipline and leave without pay, he warned.

He reminded employees they should have received an email through MyCompass to complete the Drug Free Campus Program notice. Simply click the notice in MyCompass, and you’re done, he said.

UAMS has changed its TB compliance process, he said, adding that TB skin tests have been discontinued. Instead, new hires need to complete a blood test within 31 days of hire. Existing employees will receive a link to education and an online medical screening.

Finally, it is flu shot time. All employees must have a flu shot or be granted an exemption by Nov. 18, he said. Any questions regarding TB compliance or flu shots should be directed to Melissa Vandiver in Student and Employee Health Services.

Steppe Mette, M.D., senior vice chancellor for UAMS Health and chief executive officer of UAMS Medical Center, gave an update on the flooding in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s Walker Tower. A 10-inch hot water pipe on the building’s fifth floor burst in the early afternoon of Oct. 26, sending thousands of gallons of 200-degree water to the floors below. Several clinics sustained water damage. The clinics were able to move to other locations and still see scheduled patients, Mette said.

The sterile supply room for the hospital was also flooded, Mette said. Because of the loss of sterile supplies, elective surgeries were paused and the Emergency Department went on diversion status. Surgeries for hospitalized patients were able to continue as planned, Mette said.

The ED ended diversion status Thursday morning; elective surgeries were on track to resume by Monday.

He praised Curtis Broughton and his staff for their diligent work replacing the damaged surgical supplies. Mette also thanked Baptist, St. Vincent and Arkansas Children’s for their assistance.

Laura James, M.D., director of  the Translational Research Institute, presented on the COVID-19 antibody research going on at UAMS. Researchers Joshua Kennedy, M.D., associate professor in the College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, along with Craig Forrest, Ph.D., and Karl Boehme, Ph.D., associate professors in the College of Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology, are leading an effort to analyze blood samples for evidence of COVID-19 antibodies.

This effort has used leftover blood samples from patients at UAMS clinics, including those at some Regional Campuses, she said. The first wave of testing on 1,220 samples found antibodies in 43 samples, or 3.5%, she said.

Wave two of the study will include samples collected in September and October, she said, while wave three will focus on samples from November and December. The analysis of those samples will take several months, she said.

College of Public Health Dean Mark Williams, Ph.D., presented the college’s latest COVID-19 forecast for Arkansas. COVID-19 cases in the state continue to increase, he said, with little change in the growth curve since July. The 15-day model is forecasting more than 101,000 cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases in Arkansas by Nov. 1.

By Nov. 1, the state Department of Health was reporting 104,239 confirmed cases with an additional 8,818 probable ones. Probable cases are diagnosed using an antigen test, while confirmed cases are those identified using the more reliable PCR test. The department includes both sets of numbers in its overall total.

Meanwhile, the 15-day forecast for COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state predicts there will be 7,109 cumulative hospitalizations in Arkansas by Nov. 1, an increase of 578 hospitalizations in 15 days, he said.

The 15-day model is forecasting 1,925 deaths by Nov. 1, an increase of 331 since Oct. 19. The forecast for cumulative deaths by Dec. 15 is 2,762.

“Arkansas, like much of the rest of the United States, is entering a dangerous period in this pandemic,” Williams said, warning of an increase in cases and in hospitalizations, which threaten a great toll on the state’s economy, as more infected people are unable to work because of isolation protocols.

“For example, using the number of forecast cases by Dec. 15 and assuming each case has four contacts, we will have 250,000 people either in isolation or in quarantine, Williams said. “Assuming 80% are between the ages of 18 and 65, 200,000 persons would be out of the workforce or working from home for an average of two weeks.”

“You can easily see how these numbers in six weeks could put a drag on the economy.”

He urged employees to work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and decrease new infections by avoiding large gatherings, including large gatherings of family and friends, washing hands frequently, and most importantly, wearing a face mask.