YRACUSE — The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) plans to have its classes begin Aug. 24 and continue until Nov. 24. 

At that time, students will leave for Thanksgiving break and not return to campus afterward. Final exams will be held online the week following Thanksgiving, and the fall semester will conclude Dec. 9.

The fall schedule also has students in class on Labor Day.

ESF sent an email to students, families, and guardians outlining aspects of the college’s plan for restarting, following the March transition to distance learning, the school said in a July 2 news release.

ESF will require all students, faculty, and staff to follow the guidelines issued by New York and the Onondaga County Health Department, including the requirement to wear face masks in situations where it’s difficult to maintain social distancing.

The college plans to offer a mix of face-to-face instruction for some classes with less than 30 students, flex/hybrid classes in which some face-to-face instruction will be offered simultaneously with online content, and online-only courses.

ESF says it has measured all classrooms and created new, reduced-seating guidelines “to ensure social distancing.” Some classes will also be held on the Syracuse University campus, the college noted.

“The health and safety of everyone in our community is our top concern,” Joseph Rufo, ESF’s officer-in-charge, said. “ESF is working with Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University for screening and testing protocols.” 

ESF will use a novel RNA (ribonucleic acid) testing approach in Centennial Hall, ESF’s residence hall, to monitor whether the virus is present in the population. 

“If the COVID RNA is found in the dorm’s wastewater, that would be the signal to begin more intensive group and individual testing of students in the dorm,” said Rufo.

Capacity in Centennial Hall will be reduced through the elimination of triples and the temporary creation of a limited number of single rooms. ESF will also reduce occupancy limits in common areas. 

ESF’s Ranger School will also be in session for the fall 2020 semester. Staff at the Ranger School have a plan for maintaining student health while delivering its standard teaching and living program. Outside interaction for Ranger School students “will be limited,” and screening and testing will be done to ensure student wellness. 

ITHACA — Cayuga Health on July 6 announced that it is restarting limited inpatient visitation at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca and Schuyler Hospital in Montour Falls after it was previously halted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The visiting hours are Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. 

“We have been working diligently to create a policy that will allow visitors into Cayuga Medical Center and Schuyler Hospital while maintaining the safety of our patients and staff,” Dr. Martin Stallone, president & CEO of Cayuga Health, said in a statement. “We recognize that visitors are a significant part of the healing process and we are very pleased to be able to allow patients visitation with friends and family once again.”

Visitation policy 

All visitors must be greater than 18 years of age and must remain in the patient’s room throughout the visit.

In addition, all visitors will be required to wear a mask for the entirety of their visit. Visitors who fail to wear a hospital-issued mask and other personal protective equipment (PPE) will not be allowed in the facility.

Everyone entering the hospital or off-site location will be temperature checked (must be below 100 degrees) and screened for symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, fever, etc.) or potential exposure to someone with COVID-19. Failing the screening requirement will preclude the visitor or support person from entry. Visitors will also be asked about past travel out of state. 

Visitation is limited to one person for a maximum of four hours per day or patient, which is the maximum amount of time allowed within New York State Department of Health guidelines.

Patients undergoing same-day procedures may be accompanied to the facility by a companion and that companion may remain with the patient through the initial intake process — and may rejoin the patient during the discharge process.

Certain departments such as behavioral health and the Cayuga Birthplace have additional restrictions in place.

Dining services at both hospitals will be closed for visitors and support people. 

SYRACUSE — Dr. Gregory Conners, executive director of Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse, has been appointed chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) committee on pediatric emergency medicine. 

Conners’ four-year term as chair began July 1, Upstate Medical University announced.

The committee addresses the needs of children and adolescents in the access to and delivery of pediatric emergency care.

Besides his role as Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital executive director, Conners is also professor and chair of Upstate Medical University’s department of pediatrics.

“On behalf of Upstate Medical University, I congratulate Dr. Conners on this important appointment. He has distinguished himself as a national leader on pediatric emergency medicine and his leadership and insight on this important issue will benefit all pediatric patients greatly,” Dr. Lawrence Chin, dean of Upstate Medical’s College of Medicine, said.

The AAP committee on pediatric emergency medicine uses its resources “to foster national programs and policy designed to heighten professional and public knowledge of such issues as prehospital care of children, EMS, pediatric life support, hospital resources for the delivery of pediatric emergency care, including essential equipment supplies, staff and protocols,” according to the Academy.

The AAP, an organization of 67,000 pediatricians, issues guidance and policies on numerous nationally important issues related to pediatric care. The AAP recently announced that it “strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.”

As a member of the committee on pediatric emergency medicine from 2010 through 2016, Conners was part of the process that provided guidance on pediatric-observation units and “stressed the importance” of good communications between an urgent-care center where a child was treated and the child’s “medical home.”

The committee’s decision-making process on policies and guidelines often involves discussion and input from various other organizations, such as groups representing emergency physicians, emergency department nurses, and emergency-medical-services personnel, Conners noted.

Conners joined Upstate Medical University in March 2019, from Children’s Mercy Hospitals & Clinic, University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine, where he served in a variety of roles, including associate chair of pediatrics and director of the division of emergency medicine.

Dr. Chima Chionuma, chief of service pediatrics at SCHC, and Gary Williams, SCHC’s director of performance improvement, have joined the Health Foundation’s board. They join 17 other community and business leaders from throughout Western New York and Central New York who currently serve on the Health Foundation’s board.

Trustees provide “vision, leadership and strategic direction in support” of the Health Foundation’s “mission to improve the health and health care” of people and communities in those regions.

“We are grateful to have Dr. Chionuma and Mr. Williams join our board,” Cheryl Smith Fisher, chair of the Health Foundation’s board of trustees, said in a release. “At a time of great challenges and opportunities in community health care, our new trustees’ vast knowledge and experience will be an invaluable asset to our work.”

Chionuma is a board-certified pediatrician. Besides her role as chief of service pediatrics for SCHC, she is also a clinical assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at Upstate Medical University.

Chionuma is a graduate of the Health Foundation’s Health Leadership Fellows program and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is a member of the Medical Society of the State of New York, Onondaga County Medical Society, and Onondaga County Pediatric Society. 

Prior to his role as director of performance improvement at SCHC, Williams served as director of health quality improvement at Molina Healthcare Inc. He has also held several leadership positions including serving on numerous community boards in the Syracuse area. 

Williams is a public speaker and spoke on health-care equity during a TEDx in April 2019, the Health Foundation said.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Le Moyne College, a master’s degree in public administration from Long Island University, and is currently seeking his master’s degree in healthcare administration from Cornell University.