Campus braces for swine flu
Joel Pavelski
Issue date: 9/10/09 Section: News
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"I assumed [H1N1] wouldn't spread as it did, but now that school has started we're seeing it on college campuses everywhere," Dean of Women Diane Philipp said.
Not that she's expecting an epidemic. All across campus, from Phillip to Vice President of Adminstration Rich Péwé to the Health Center, the response to questioning about the flu has been the same.
"Like anybody else, we don't know exactly," said Maureen Causino, a nurse at the campus Health Service Center, about whether an outbreak of H1N1 was expected. "We're hoping it won't be terribly serious."
So, just in case, the college prepares.
The Health Service Center has ordered extra thermometers and Tylenol and is working with the health department to procure the H1N1 vaccine when it is available, Cousino said. The vaccine for H1N1 won't be available until November for college students, Péwé said, since children and the elderly take priority for vaccinations.
"They've assured us we'll get some of the vaccine and we'll decide at that point how to let students know," Phillip said.
Extra hand sanitizers were installed across campus over the summer, especially near exercise equipment.
"They're not a substitute for washing your hands, though," Péwé said.
Security held extra training sessions with housekeeping staff based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, teaching them how to clean, what kind of chemicals to use and how to protect themselves, he said. The crews are now using a bleach-based anti-viral cleaner on surfaces, especially doorknobs.
As for the college's cafeteria, Phillip said, "It's an easy place for germs to spread, but [workers are] going above and beyond to protect everything."
Saga is the only food preparer in Hillsdale County that has every worker certified and on contract not to come to work when sick. There are new rules for serving spoons and buffets, Péwé said.
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