Weekly Quick Hits recaps announcements and events from The Daily Brief email. Check your email inbox for more.
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People
Leap Year Triplets Visit Children’s Hospital
The Schneck triplets – Mackenzie, Beth Ann and Emily – were born at Penn State Children’s Hospital on Feb. 29, 1996. On Feb. 29, 2020, to celebrate their 24th birthdays – or sixth Leap Year birthdays – the trio returned for a tour of the hospital’s expansion. Read the article on Pennlive.com.
Events
Book Club Meets March 11
Penn State Commission for Women’s Spring 2020 Book Club discussion on “A Woman is No Man” by Etaf Rum will be Wednesday, March 11, from noon to 1 p.m. at the College of Medicine, Room C1800. Bring lunch. Coffee and dessert will be provided.
Women in Science Symposium March 13
“A Celebration of Women in Science Symposium” will be Friday, March 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Hershey Country Club, 1000 E. Derry Road. This event will celebrate the contributions of women in biomedical sciences over the past 50 years at the College of Medicine and Hershey Medical Center. A reception and dinner will follow the event. Register here.
Concert March 16
In the Key of D Concert Series presents “Moonlight and Love Songs” featuring local pianist Maria Corley on Monday, March 16, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the College of Medicine, Lecture Room D. The free event is for faculty, staff and students, plus one guest. Space is limited to the first 50 people on a first-come, first-served basis. RSVP: tcochran@pennstatehealth.psu.edu. More info: kroyer@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
United Way Day of Caring April 18
Up to 24 volunteers from Penn State Health are invited to participate in the United Way’s Day of Caring in Lebanon County on Saturday, April 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers on a first-come, first-served basis will join with Friends of Memorial Lake and Swatara State Park to help pick up litter and trash along the trails and highways of Swatara State Park. Register with United Way of Lebanon County to join the team. An optional kickoff breakfast is at 7 a.m. Details pending. If this is your regular day to work, you will need to seek managerial approval and have them fill out this form.
Latino Health Summit June 12-13
St. Joseph and Highmark will sponsor the Adelante Health and Wellness Expo during the third annual Latino Health Summit on Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13, in Reading. As the expo sponsor, St. Joseph will highlight the many health care services it offers residents and its commitment to the city, according to John Morahan, St. Joseph president. “For many years, Penn State Health St. Joseph has believed in the potential of the city,” he said during the Feb. 18 press conference hosted by Reading Mayor Eddie Moran to announce the event. “Our Downtown Campus at Sixth and Walnut Streets is a physical testimony to that belief.”
Announcements
Medical Minute: Kids Living with Chronic Pain
Overall, about 5 to 20% of children live with chronic pain, usually in the form of musculoskeletal pain, headaches or abdominal pain associated with medical conditions such as juvenile fibromyalgia, juvenile arthritis, sickle cell anemia, migraines, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome or chronic cancer. The pain can become a vicious cycle leading to depression and anxiety. Worsening depression and anxiety can worsen pain perception. Read more in the Medical Minute.
E-Cigarettes Video
Jonathan Foulds, professor of Public Health Sciences at the College of Medicine, discusses e-cigarettes in this video. Users on clinical workstations at Hershey Medical Center: click here.
BeWell Grant Program
Penn State Health’s BeWell Grant Program, supported by Human Resources, will provide pilot-project funding for staff to develop and implement activities that encourage wellness and prevent burnout. Applications are welcome from any unit within the organization and must support at least one of the dimensions of wellness emotional, intellectual, environmental, financial, occupational, physical, spiritual and social. Read more here.
LastPass New Password Manager Tool
LastPass, a new, secure password manager tool, is now available. You should have received an email from LastPass on March 3 inviting you to click on a link to sign up. If you don’t remember receiving the email, search “LastPass” in Outlook. You also should have received a pop-up message asking you to start the installation, which usually takes less than five minutes to complete. LastPass stores all your website usernames and passwords in one safe place and enters them automatically when you log in to a website. Visit the LastPass page on Infonet for setup instructions. Questions: email cybersecurity@pennstatehealth.psu.edu. Technical issues: call the IS Service Desk at 833-577-HELP (4357).
Supply Chain Staff Volunteers
Penn State Health Supply Chain staff members kicked off their first monthly volunteering initiative at the Central PA Food Bank on Feb.19. The group bagged apples and sorted cans for future distribution.
Clean Eatz Lancaster Discount
Employees from Penn State Health and the College of Medicine receive a 10% discount on all food and snack items at Clean Eatz Lancaster, 1876 Fruitville Pike, Lancaster. Show your employee badge at checkout. Employees who wish to take advantage of the weekly meal plan program may visit cleaneatz.com/mealplanmenu and receive 10% off their order. Penn State Health employees enter PSH10 and their employee ID number (for example, PSH1012345) at checkout. Employees from the College of Medicine must enter COM10 and their Penn State University ID (for example, COM10123456789).
Annual Safety Training Due March 31
The deadline for employees from Hershey Medical Center and the College of Medicine to complete the annual safety training is Tuesday, March 31. Employees should log into Compass with their ePass username and password then click on “View Transcript” button to complete the training. Contact Dana Pease if you are not registered or assigned.
Quality of Air Research
What does the quality of air you breathe have to do with your health? A Penn State College of Medicine faculty member is dedicated to finding those answers. Jeff Yanosky, associate professor of public health sciences, investigates how the amount of particulate matter in the air may relate to health issues like asthma, heart disease, cancer, stroke and emphysema. He’s also been involved in research that suggests connections between air pollution and pregnancy outcomes like low birthweight. Read more about Yanosky’s work.
