Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Health Services offering COVID-19 support for essential employees

Health Services is now offering COVID-19 support to University of Waterloo essential employees who do not have their own primary health care provider, according to a memo circulated yesterday by Dr. Clark Baldwin, the University's medical director.

"We want to ensure that our essential services employees are getting the COVID-19 health-related care they need during this difficult time," Baldwin wrote. "If you do not have a primary health care provider, Health Services is offering support."

How to access Health Services

If you feel unwell with any influenza-like illness symptoms, please contact Occupational Health. You can email or call Linda Brogden on 519-888-4567 ext. 36264 or Karen Parkinson on 519-888-4567 ext. 30338.

"They will make arrangements with Health Services to set up a telemedicine appointment with a Health Services clinician, or if necessary, an in-person appointment," Baldwin's memo says. "Please note that employees who are directed to visit Health Services in-person, they will be screened there by a Health Services Nurse and may be asked to wear a mask."

"We will continue to take steps to ensure the health and wellness of our essential employees who are supporting the ongoing and safe operations of our campus," Baldwin concludes.

University closes academic buildings

"To follow provincial emergency orders to close non-essential businesses, we have now closed all academic buildings," says a memo from Director of Safety Kate Windsor that was circulated to students yesterday.

"Unfortunately, over the last week or more, we have seen small numbers of people gathering in groups larger than five people in spaces and buildings that were open," Windsor's memo says. "Practising physical distancing is a responsibility that the University is taking seriously."

In response to those that have been ignoring the guidance on distancing:

• Buildings previously open to students for study purposes (M3, E5, E7, QNC, AHS) are now locked; and
• Residences remain open for students who are living in them.

"Police Services will continue to monitor the campus and are approved to issue provincial notices to people who are not following physical distancing rules," the memo continues. "These notices can mean fines of up to $1,000. Please treat the COVID-19 situation seriously and play your part in stopping the spread."

Navigating COVID-19 information overload

By Rachel Figueiredo, Liaison Librarian.

I’m working with Library Communications to run a campaign that will help our users navigate the overwhelming amount of information online related to COVID-19. As I’ve been scrolling through endless news articles about COVID-19, I find myself practicing some important information literacy concepts, similar to those we teach in class to students, to cut through the noise. I realized the Library has a unique opportunity to share some best practices with our users to help them find quality information and ease some anxiety related to information overload. After reaching out to library staff, we curated a list of tips to help ease information overload anxiety, as well as a guide with some of our favourite credible sources for keeping current.

New online resource available

The social media campaign to help users combat anxiety related to information overload officially launched last week, and our top tips are listed below. Each of the social media posts directed users to a new research guide, Navigating COVID-19 Information Overload, which includes the crowdsourced list of resources that our library staff members frequent to find credible information on this topic. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of credible sources, but hopefully it’s a jumping off point for the University community to find reliable news, data, standards, and more.

Refresh your feed less

With news breaking every few minutes, it can be tempting to refresh your feed constantly to stay up to date. It can also be really overwhelming. Instead, choose a few times a day to check the news. If you can’t resist the temptation, turn off notifications.

Choose your news wisely

Not all news sources are created equal. Curate your news feed to showcase reliable content, such as the CBC, CTV, or the Globe and Mail. PressReader is a great library database to check out newspapers, including international content, but many sources are also making their coronavirus content freely available.

Opinions are not facts

It can be tempting to get caught up in coronavirus conversations on social media, but remember that those comments are someone’s interpretations of the facts. Do your own reading, read carefully, and give your attention to the content that deserves it.

Seek positive stories

COVID-19 has brought a lot of anxiety and uncertainty, but there are positive stories out there if you look for them. Look for the helpers!

Ignore the bait

Many search engines and websites will send you similar results to what you’ve previously clicked and read. Avoid buzzy headlines and sources you don’t recognize from the start.

Take a media break

Even though our devices make it easy to stay informed, remember that it’s okay to disconnect. Be honest with yourself, your friends, and your family about when you need a break from the news.

I've got a fever and the only prescription is more Good Buddies of the University

"Smudge would like to remind everyone to take frequent wellness breaks (which should include snacks) for your mental and physical health," writes Carrie Gabla, senior communications officer in Advancement of her "Remote Location Manager." "Here she is demonstrating ‘modified’ downward cat."

"Previously featured administrative assistant Coco has been passively-aggressively displaced by Huck!" writes Tracey Szarka, undergraduate advisor & coordinator in Electrical & Computer Engineering "His insidious technique involves looking at her at eye level until she reaches a fit of pique and vacates her spot. He looks harmless, but he might come for you next!"

"Billie and Loki take on the daunting job of holding the dog bed down in my office," writes Laurie Peloquin, student advisor in Co-operative Education. "It’s a tough job, but I’m pretty confident these two can handle it!"

"I thought i would share a pic of my two office buddies Hank (the dog) and Gilbert (the cat)," writes Andrea West, advisor in the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Office. "Neither one seem to be very interested in my advising work as you can see!" 

"Here is my helper Coach!" writes Peggy Govanis, finance coordinator in Campus Wellness. "Coach may be an old fella (12 years) but he seems to enjoy having his human home all day. He double checks the numbers to make sure they add up!"

"Ruby is a cute and laid-back co-worker," writes Allie Serota, interim graduate studies administrator in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. "Her main responsibilities involve: boosting morale, napping, and keeping track of break time."