News

This is SPCHNA's public News blogs. At this time, all members may post News items to this page.
  • 02 Sep 2020 8:12 PM | Catherine Healy-Sharbaugh

    Fall 2020 President Letter

    Dear SPCHNA Members,

    SPCHNA, as well as other College Health Associations, has always been about education, and keeping up to date with changes in the health care system and its delivery in regards to College Health and its access to students. As members, we have enjoyed the many conferences over the years and it gave us time to catch up with other members and friends, visit other schools of higher education and learn about new opportunities. Socializing and sitting with other members, listening to the many educators, collecting those CEUs and always “eating way too much” has always been anticipated every spring and fall. But unfortunately we have had to change all that.

    When I took the position of President of SPCHNA, I never thought that a pandemic would hit and that we would not be able to meet, as a group, for an undetermined amount of time. And if we could meet, how many persons, how far apart do we sit? Will the University allow us to use the space as a group? If we plan, will we have to cancel? Since March, the dynamics have changed, almost daily.

    As President, I was supposed to send out a newsletter in June. However, the reason I held off was that I wanted to see what Universities would be doing at the start of the new semester. My University, West Chester University, had initially planned to open but that changed in July and now almost all of the learning is Virtual. As I watch the news of Universities opening, inviting their students back, the cases of COVID started increasing and the students were sent home, only to go back to virtual learning. I am happy that WCU did not do in person education this fall.

    Many Student Health Centers on campus have had to totally change the way they deliver health care. Telemedicine is now the new norm. Although it does not offer hands on treatment, it is the best we can do during this time. To see a student, we need to screen them for COVID and if the screening is negative, then we will see them. We have had the student with sore throat, cough and laceration at the same time and we have had to change the way we treat them, challenging us every step of the way. Again, how we see a student, test a student while protecting ourselves has been challenging.

    Many Universities are testing for COVID and are doing contact tracing which brings new challenges to each university. How do we handle all the positive cases, how do we house them, feed them, care for them. Each University has had to do its own planning. I applaud each University and College Health Center for doing the best they can for the students.

    SPCHNA had plans for the May 2020 and Jan 2021 conferences and we were so excited. But because of the pandemic, those plans are cancelled.

    The Board will be meeting to discuss Educational Opportunities for its members. We still need to stay up to date with the changes in College Health. We still need the CEUs for our licenses. If any of you have any great ideas/educational opportunities that we can pass onto the members, please reach out to the board. We will let you know what opportunities will be available, as we want SPCHNA to continue its educational mission.

    All the best to you  -    Lenore Joyce, RN, BSN  


  • 09 Jun 2020 10:43 PM | Catherine Healy-Sharbaugh

    Join the lecture on ZOOM Friday June 12 at 12 noon to 1pm

    https://villanova.zoom.us/j/95743403238


    Lecture and Discussion on Covid Testing, Monitoring, & Tracking

  • 06 Apr 2020 4:20 PM | Catherine Healy-Sharbaugh

    Hello Membership,

    Covid 19 has been so challenging for us all.  The SPCHNA Board wishes to provide an opportunity to support each other in a virtual Tea Time Chat.  We are hoping the chat meeting will be a time in which we can question, give advice, provide possible solutions, or just give support to each other in this ever changing landscape of College Health.

    Join us from 7pm to 8pm.  If you join in a little late no problem or have to leave a little early that's just fine.  This is an open hour of support for all you dedicated members. For security of our meeting Please note meeting id and password below.

    Take good care and Stay Safe.

    Best-

    Catherine Healy-Sharbaugh, DNP

    Family Nurse Practitioner

     SEE PRESIDENT's e-vite

    Nori Joyce is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

    Topic: SPCHNA Tea Time Chat

    Time: Apr 7, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

    Join Zoom Meeting

    https://us04web.zoom.us/j/551872204?pwd=QURzWC90NUlxZlJheUM1M0JsM0pFZz09

    Meeting ID: 551 872 204

    Password: 156578


  • 20 Mar 2020 4:50 PM | Catherine Healy-Sharbaugh

    SPCHNA Spring Newsletter

    3/20/20

    Dear SPCHNA Members,

    Every spring and fall, the President of the board sends out a newsletter to all its members. As the President of SPCHNA, I now sit down to write a newsletter at a very trying time in this country. So many changes and there continue to be changes, on a daily basis to our campuses, work and families.

    College Health has really been rocked within these last 2 weeks. Along the way, the ACHA, CDC, state health laboratories and our local health departments have been there to help provide guidance.  Many Colleges/Universities have closed their doors and sent most of their student’s home to reduce the spread of COVID 19. Student Health Centers have changed their polices and are now requiring all students’ to be screened by phone, prior to coming in for an appointment, and many have locked their doors to prevent community spread of the virus. Other College Health Centers are now practicing telemedicine. West Chester Universities Student Health Center, my workplace, is working with a skeleton crew and alternating staff on a weekly basis. Moreover, none of us knows how this will all play out.

    The landscape of College Health and campus life has changed traumatically.

    Due to the Public Health emergency, the spring SPCHNA conference that was scheduled to be at Bucknell has been cancelled. A lot of hard work has already gone into the planning and preparation for this conference, but it will not be wasted. The plan is to move this conference to spring of 2021. At this point, universities do not want large crowds gathering for any reason. In addition, unfortunately, the ACHA 100th year celebration scheduled for May has been cancelled. We just do not know when this crisis will be over and for everyone’s safety; we must comply with social distancing.

    The board has purchased Zoom and with that, we can have video conferencing, meetings, webinars, and on-line gatherings for any reason. The board will be meeting next week to discuss this further. We are even thinking of having “Tea-Time for Members”. It is in the planning stages, but we were thinking of inviting members to join the Zoom Gathering just so we can check in with each other and share ideas, thoughts, feelings with one another.

    Emails will be sent soon regarding voting for the next VP and Treasurer of the board. This has usually taken place at the spring meeting, but it will be online so be on the lookout for the ballots. Get your votes in as soon as you get the ballot please, deadline for voting May 1.

    These are trying times and changes are happening daily. Please keep safe! Enjoy time with your families but above all else, take care of yourself.

    Sincerely,

    Lenore M. Joyce, RN

    SPCHNA President


  • 18 Mar 2020 3:37 PM | Catherine Healy-Sharbaugh

    ACHA Cancelled Annual 2020 Meeting.

    While extremely disappointing, it is understandable that during this public health emergency the risk to ACHA members is high for transmission of Corona Virus if gathering and meetings in large groups.  Official word is coming from ACHA on next steps and refunds etc.

    Stay safe,

    Dr. Catherine Healy-Sharbaugh, ACHA Chair of APC

    Lehman College, CUNY.edu

  • 18 Mar 2020 3:35 PM | Catherine Healy-Sharbaugh

    Hello All,

    I wanted to pass along some helpful advise from Ryan Patel, DO (OSU) who wrote a helpful guide to deal with our evolving Public Health Situation with the Corona Virus.

    https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2020/03/12/mental-health-tips-during-covid-19-coronavirus/

    Take good care and remember to get a break today, and go outside- Nature is still open!

    Best- Dr. Catherine Healy-Sharbaugh, Family Nurse Practitioner, ACHA Chair APC


© 2013 Southeastern Pennsylvania College Health Nurses Association

Website by Blue Pixels Media


Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software