December 15, 2020

1. Spread the Joy! Donate a Toy!

Please consider spreading joy to underprivileged children this holiday season by donating an unwrapped toy to foster parents in our community by way of the Department of Children Services. Toys can be donated through this Thursday at a drive-thru event:

Monday, December 14 – Thursday, December 17
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Van Vleet Building, 3 North Dunlap Street

UTHSC volunteers will be located at the driveway off Dunlap St. to receive your toy(s), then cars will continue through the driveway to exit on Madison Ave.

Everyone who donates a toy will receive a UTHSC face mask!

2. Best Practices for Managing COVID-19 on Campus

UTHSC's Chief Safety Officer, Tim Barton, has put together these best practices to keep our patients, students, and employees safe, based off of incidents that have already occurred on our campus:

• Essential employees whose safe work relies on the use of partners or teams should be assigned partners who remain consistent to minimize the number of individuals with whom each person has close contact.
• Essential employees who must work within 6 feet of someone else should separate as soon as possible upon completion of the task.
• Individuals whose job responsibilities bring them into contact with the general public, a large number of people, or those whose responsibilities require that they work within 6 feet of their colleagues should get tested regularly for COVID-19 (e.g. every 14 days). This will help to more quickly identify cases where no symptoms are evident and prevent spread among your work group.
• Students and employees should speak with your colleagues or notify your professors or supervisors if someone appears to be exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 in the classroom, clinic, or at work.
• Supervisors should be aware of the sick and vacation time available to each of your employees. Be proactive in having conversations about available time. Make sure each employee has a plan in place and is aware of the Human Resources provisions for employees that need administrative time to cover a period of self-isolation or quarantine.
• Supervisors and professors/instructors should develop an escalation procedure and inform employees and students of the consequences for not complying with campus COVID-19 guidelines. 
• Supervisors should ask about symptoms if employees call in sick. Direct them to fill out the Notice of COVID-19 Occurrence Form on the Human Resources website if they have any symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g. cough, fever, chills, aches, diarrhea, etc.). Tell them to seek guidance for a safe return to campus from University Health Services. 
• Supervisors and professors/instructors should post signs to identify the maximum permissible number of people in break rooms, offices, or common areas frequented by more than one person.
• Supervisors and professors/instructors should meet or otherwise communicate (via email) with your students and employees weekly to answer questions about COVID-19 guidelines, share COVID-19 updates, and discuss situations of non-compliance. 

3. Reminder About Travel

Currently, there are no restrictions affecting UTHSC travel within the United States.

However, UTHSC is following the CDC recommendation that travelers should avoid all nonessential international travel.

All UTHSC employees with active payroll status are required to complete the Outside Interest Disclosure form no later than this Thursday, December 17. 

To complete and submit your Outside Interest Disclosure for FY 2020-21:

• Please sign into the Employee Self-Service tab with your UT NetID and Password at https://irisweb.tennessee.edu/irj/portal/ESS
• Under the Personal Information area, choose the Outside Interest Disclosure link and follow the instructions on the screen. 
• Employees can use the Help and Video buttons at the top of the screen for additional information or to watch a brief video explaining the form.  

5. UTHSC Will Be Closed Next Week – Happy Holidays!