Resources for a Happy (Healthy) 2023!

A message with health and well-being tips for 2023 was sent to the Drexel community.

Summary

• Visit the new Health & Well-Being at Drexel site for health and safety resources.
• A new, web-based platform for the Drexel Health Checker launched December 14. The former Drexel Health Checker app and older web platform have ceased operation. If you have the app, please remove it from your mobile device, and make sure to bookmark the new site to schedule tests and upload your latest COVID-19 vaccination information. For more info about using the revised Health Checker as well as data privacy, visit the Response to Coronavirus site.
• There is a regional increase in COVID-19 transmission. For your protection and the protection of others around you, Drexel recommends wearing a well-fitting mask indoors (masks are required in all health care settings/clinical rotations).
• If you feel sick and/or test positive, follow the guidelines concerning what to do If You Are Infected or Exposed. Employees no longer need formal approval to return to work following COVID infection assuming they adhere to community guidance concerning the period of isolation and masking.
• It’s not too late to vaccinate!

Dear Drexel Students and Colleagues,

Happy New Year! We hope your holidays have been restful and fun. As we return to campus, I would like to remind you of a few recent changes and new resources to get 2023 started on a healthy note.

Well-Being Resources

As you consider your goals for the new year, remember that Drexel is committed to your health and well-being. Data shows that feeling well is tightly connected to doing well, both individually and as a campus community. We offer a variety of resources from counseling to exercise to outpatient health care. Whether you’re a student or an employee, you can now easily find them on the Health & Well-Being at Drexel site. Take a look—and consider trying a new wellness activity this year. Stay tuned for special events, informative blogs and programs designed with your well-being in mind.

New Drexel Health Checker

On December 14, the Drexel Health Checker app ceased operation. The new Drexel Health Checker is now available; it is a web-based portal (no app version) that will allow us to make rapid updates as public health guidelines continue to evolve. You can access the new Drexel Health Checker here. You will need to log in using your Drexel ID. You can easily use this portal to schedule a COVID test at Drexel’s Race Hall testing site, receive test results, report an outside test result, upload proof of COVID vaccination or booster, or apply for COVID vaccine exemption if you meet medical or religious requirements. Please remember to keep your COVID vaccine information up to date, including all boosters you may have received.

Your information from the older Drexel Health Checker app and online platform has been securely transferred to the new platform. Information about data privacy and security can be found here. For more information about the new Drexel Health Checker, visit the Drexel Health Checker page on our Response to Coronavirus website. If you have technical difficulties, email research.informatics@drexelmed.edu.

Stay Safer, Wear a Mask

Philadelphia is experiencing a rise in COVID-19 along with other respiratory infections this winter. For that reason, Drexel strongly recommends wearing a well-fitting face mask while you are indoors on campus around others. Wearing a mask adds an extra layer of protection against infection and can help keep you and those around you safer.

Note that a well-fitting mask is required in all health care facilities—including, but not limited to Student Health Services, Occupational Health Services, and the Counseling Center—and in all health care rotations (College of Nursing and Health Professions, College of Medicine, Co-op Health Care Positions). If you need a mask, Drexel provides KN95 and/or KF94 high filtration masks to students and employees who request them, at locations including the Hagerty Library, DAC, Recreation Center, Main Building Lobby, Kline School of Law, New College Building lobby, the Queen Lane security desk and the Race Hall COVID testing center. Students living in Drexel dorms may obtain masks from their RAs.

Healthy Ventilation

As always, activities are safest when held outside, weather permitting. Where needed, ventilation has been enhanced in campus spaces. If free-standing ventilation/filtration devices have been added to your dorm, office, meeting and/or instructional spaces, please leave them on. Facilities continues to monitor all campus HVAC systems.

Vaccination/Boosters

Staying up to date with vaccination including available COVID boosters remains a key part of a comprehensive approach to staying healthy and not transmitting the virus to others. Vaccines work. The risk of infection is three times lower among those up to date with vaccination including boosters. More importantly, people vaccinated with the fall booster experience a significant decrease in severe illness and poor outcomes. Students can receive the latest booster dose through Student Health. The booster is also available throughout our region at numerous pharmacies. Flu vaccine is also available at these places. Please remember to upload your latest booster information through the Drexel Health Checker.

If You’re Sick

If you have symptoms of COVID or have been exposed to someone who does, get tested and adhere to the Drexel guidelines: If You Are Infected or Exposed. Employees no longer need formal approval to return to work. If you have questions about Drexel COVID protocols, email covid19questions@drexel.edu. Schedule your test through the Health Checker.

As always, we’re grateful to have you as part of Drexel’s campus community, and we hope to be your partner in health and well-being in 2023 and beyond.

Sincerely,

Marla J. Gold, MD, FACP
Chief Wellness Officer
Senior Vice Provost for Community Health