Health Services COVID-19 update for November 20

Mark Parisi, director of counseling and health services, sent his weekly COVID-19 update to the community today, November 20, 2020.

Dear Students,

At the time of my writing this message to you, we had five new positive COVID-19 cases to report since Sunday, four students and one employee, bringing our total so far this semester to 21. As a reminder, you can find a current tally of positive COVID-19 cases on campus by viewing our COVID-19 Dashboard. It will be updated as new cases are reported.

Thanksgiving break: We are less than a week away from the Thanksgiving break and the closing of the residence halls. If you are concerned about vulnerable members of your household back home, please email richardj@strose.edu about being tested. We can either work you into our sample testing schedule or refer you to where you can be tested. To help you evaluate your risk for exposure to COVID-19 at upcoming holiday events in New York State, try out the COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool.

Reporting positive COVID-19 results: Please remember, we are asking all students who seek off-campus COVID-19 testing and receive a POSITIVE result to email your test result to covidresults@strose.edu.

Daily Symptoms Tracker: Once you return home for the remainder of the semester, you do not need to complete the symptoms tracker. For those of you who are remaining on campus we ask that you continue to complete the Symptoms Tracker form that appears on your To-Do list in the Navigate app every day.

Testing for COVID-19: If you are having COVID-19 testing done, be sure to not drink or eat anything a half hour before your testing appointment. COVID-19 testing is available through Health Services, and you should call 518.454.5244 or email healthservices@strose.edu if you are seeking testing.

Treatment at Health Services: For any non-urgent medical issue, students can call 518.454.5244 or email healthservices@strose.edu for assistance, and their cases will be triaged by our LPN or nurse practitioners. Based on the presenting concerns, the triage outcome may lead to a telehealth appointment with the nurse practitioner.

Treatment at the Counseling and Psychological Services Center: Students may be experiencing emotional distress in response to the impact of the pandemic on our daily lives in addition to simply adjusting to college life again. Please call our center at 518.454.5200 or email us at counseling@strose.edu to speak with a counselor through a phone or Zoom session.

More COVID-19 information: You can find the most current COVID-19 information on the CDC’s COVID-19 webpage. You can always call the New York State Department of Health Novel Coronavirus Hotline at 888.364.3065 and ask any question you have regarding COVID-19.

You can view COVID-19 data for the Capital Region (and by county) on the New York State Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard.

New York State has put out a new COVID-19 contact tracing app that you can download to your phone. This app will be used to help notify you if you have been in close contact with someone that has tested positive for COVID-19.

As always, if you have any concerns or questions, please contact the College’s Health Services at 518.454.5244 or healthservices@strose.edu.

Sincerely,

Mark Parisi
Director of Counseling and Health Services