UAMS To Offer Webinar on Proper Ventilation During Covid

By News Staff

| LITTLE ROCK — A webinar on the role of proper ventilation in protecting employees, customers and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic will be presented Nov. 9, 10 and 12 by the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS).

“COVID-19 and the Built Environment” is free and open to the public. To access the broadcast, go to https://uams.zoom.us/j/97215167204?pwd=dk9rSXVzM1pvUWZpcVk5bmtUSThUZz09#success.

Meeting ID: 972 1516 7204 Passcode: 876399

The UAMS College of Public Health is bringing together experts from across the country for three sessions that will be broadcast live. It will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube for later viewing.

The event is sponsored by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and UAMS.

Presenters and topics are:

10:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. – November 9

Luke Leung PE – LEED Fellow, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill LLP in Chicago

Latest research on COVID-19 to inform winterizing our buildings.

  • What are the positions of the CDC, ASHRAE, and WHO on airborne transmission of COVID-19?
  • What evidence is there the virus can be found in ductwork and HVAC systems?
  • Why is the environment in winter more concerning than in summer?
  • How do we prepare our buildings to minimize infection risk this winter?

10:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. – November 10

Elliott Gall, Ph.D. – Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Portland State University

Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2:  Mitigation strategies for buildings.

  • Aerosols 101: What size particles are generated by people and how long can they remain in air?
  • How are particles removed from an indoor environment and what strategies exist for reducing particle exposures?
  • Overview of indoor air mitigation strategies: reduced occupancy + distancing, face coverings, ventilation, air-cleaning.
  • Approaches and tools for estimating risk in an indoor space
  • Emergent air-cleaning technologies

10:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. – November 12

Cynthia Lewis – Principal, Creative Safety Solution; Director, Gulf Coast Safety Institute

Developing Emotional Resilience:  A New Tool for Workplace Safety & Health

  • Recognize signs and symptoms of work-related stress in yourself and others.
  • Use tools to increase readiness in yourself and others.
  • Use communication strategies to reduce anxiety in tough conversations — wearing a face mask, social distancing, frequent hand washing, etc.

“The 2020 pandemic has challenged how we look at everything, including our activities of daily life in the home and in the workplace,” said Curtis Barnett, president and CEO of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. “Arkansas Blue Cross is pleased to sponsor this three-part COVID-19 symposium during which experts will provide businesses, schools, agencies and other organizations with practical tips on how adjustments to ventilation can help prevent the spread of COVID.”

“This is vital information for businesses and manufacturing facilities to help keep their employees and customers safe as we head into the colder months of fall and winter,” said Randy Zook, president and CEO of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas. “We are pleased to join forces with the UAMS College of Public Health and Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield in offering this webinar on proper ventilation during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.

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