Healthy Habits and Important Updates for Fall 2024
Bottom Line Upfront:
- Respiratory Illness and new mask requirements – continue to follow CDC guidance and practice good hygiene to keep campus safe
- AED – Now available in all Reynolda Campus buildings
- Ergonomics – Help is available to prevent work-related injury. Contact Bridget Marrs in Environmental Health and Safety.
- Emergency Alert Testing Program
The Campus Health Committee is excited to welcome you back to another academic year at Wake Forest University. Many of our partners across campus have worked over the summer to prepare for your safe and healthy return.
As with any fall semester, we anticipate continuing to see routine upticks in respiratory illnesses this fall and winter. It is important to remain vigilant to minimize the spread of these illnesses within our community.
- Flu shots and the updated COVID-19 vaccine are available at local retail pharmacies. If you are eligible, we encourage you to get these vaccines. Remember that vaccines typically take around two weeks to become effective, so continue to be cautious during that time.
- Continue to avoid being around people who are ill, wash your hands thoroughly, and use hand sanitizer as needed.
- Masks remain an effective personal strategy to mitigate the risk of spreading germs and contracting viruses. New NC legislation supports mask-wearing for medical reasons. If you choose to wear a mask to protect yourself or others from illness, it should be medical-grade. If you are unsure if your mask meets this requirement, you may obtain an approved one at Deacon Health or the University Police Department.
- For students who become ill during the semester, contact Deacon Health or your primary care physician for evaluation.
The Campus Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program has expanded to include AEDs in residence halls, Deacon Place, academic buildings, and other public spaces. A guide to finding AEDs and other life-saving information can be found on the Environmental Health and Safety website. We will also have Naloxone and Stop the Bleed supplies available in many of the AED locations. These are all a part of efforts to enhance our campus’s ability to respond to life-threatening emergencies. These events are infrequent, but we want to do everything possible to be ready.
Ergonomics is a practice that focuses on decreasing injury or excessive fatigue in repetitive and sedentary work routines. Wake Forest has two ergonomic workspaces – Worrell Professional Center, Room 3349, and Room 1027 at the University Corporate Center. For information on accessing these spaces or other enhancements to your work environment, please contact Bridget Marrs at Environmental Health and Safety.
For faculty or staff who work with potentially hazardous materials, please review the revised policy for the supervision of minors in these areas. The new policy requires a permission form for non-enrolled minors participating in those activities.
You may also notice an update to our emergency alert testing program. Tests conducted using our public address system will announce that the alert is a test as it is delivered to help distinguish between tests and actual emergency alerts.
The Campus Health Committee wishes you a safe and healthy new academic year.
Warrenetta Mann
Assistant Vice President for Health and Wellbeing and Chair of the Campus Health Committee