UCSF Division of Geriatrics Weekly Updates (6/19/2020) from Chief Dr. Louise Walter

June 19

This is the fourteenth Geriatrics Division Weekly Update and the last one of this academic year.  The Geriatrics Division Weekly Update will take a break over the summer as we are now in the Recovery Phase of the COVID-19 pandemic at UCSF.  

UPDATES ACROSS THE DIVISION

Recovery Phase:  UCSF and SFVA have begun a phased return to on-site operations for some programs, however those who can continue to productively work remotely should do so through January 18, 2021.  We also recognize that there may be challenges to working at home (e.g., poor internet connections, noisy or disruptive environment, lack of space, etc.) so now that we are in the Recovery Phase, please speak to your supervisor or PI to determine if working on-site is part of the solution needed to perform your work productively.  UCSF Supervisors and PI’s should reach out to Maxine Davis to request on-site work approvals for Laurel Heights.  Sometimes initial approvals will require more than a week to move through the process.  Maxine is keeping a spreadsheet of attendance at Laurel Heights to make sure we don’t have too many people in any of our office spaces.  No prior approval is needed to work on-site for patient-care activities at UCSF, ZSFG or for working on-site at the San Francisco VA but everyone must follow social distancing rules and health screening procedures and do not come to work if you have any COVID-19 symptoms.

Please refer to last week’s Geriatrics Division Weekly Update for the specific recovery phase procedures for Laurel Heights and SFVAHCS.

EDUCATION:  We had a joyful Geriatrics, Geri-Pal, T32 and VAQS Fellows’ virtual graduation celebration on Thursday June 18th with lots of singing.  Congratulations to our terrific group of fellows!  I have no doubt they will all change the world for the better.

POLICY:  Louise Aronson presented at the UCSF COVID townhall on 6/12/20. You can find the link to the UCSF Town Hall here.

NEXT UCSF DIVISION OF GERIATRICS HALF-DAY IS JUNE 24TH
1-2PM   CLINICIAN-EDUCATOR MEETING: 
Josette has invited the TEE team to train us on best practices for using Zoom to teach small groups in Life Stages.

2-3PM   FACULTY DEVELOPMENT: 
Kaitlin will teach us about best practices for Telemedicine.

3-4pm  DIVISION-WIDE MEETING:  **Everyone is encouraged to attend.
Faculty Diversity Champion presentations.

4-5pm  UCSF DIVISION OF GRAND ROUNDS
“Social Justice and Equity for Vulnerable Elders” 
In this Grand Rounds, faculty from the UCSF Division of Geriatrics will discuss four groups of elders who experience health disparities and disproportionately include minority elders: 

  • Older Adults in Prison
  • Homeless Older Veterans
  • Nursing Home Veterans with Mental Illness and Dementia
  • Older Adults Living with HIV

The focus will be on what we are doing to help these groups and next steps for social justice and equitable systems to improve the lives of older persons in these groups.

Moderator: Louise Walter, MD, Professor and Chief, UCSF Division of Geriatrics

Speakers:

  • Anne Fabiny, MD, Professor of Medicine
  • Leah Rorvig, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine
  • Michi Yukawa, MD, Professor of Medicine
  • Meredith Greene, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Zoom information:
Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device by clicking:
https://ucsf.zoom.us/j/93009289284?pwd=ZXRvR2lzd2RLbnNuZFYrSWU3cmhsdz09
Webinar ID: 930 0928 9284
Password: 437360
There have been over 1,800 views of our May Geriatrics Division Grand Rounds at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqBtRTLp9uU&t=2s

MAXINE’S WEEKLY TIP
All UCSF faculty, please complete the very short Mandatory COVID-19 Training
This short (~1 minute) read-only training covers the methods in place to limit COVID-19 transmission in the workplace.  It must be completed by June 30, 2020, through the UC Learning Center.

UCSF TOWNHALL SUMMARY
The 6/16/20 Townhall can be viewed here. 

As I said at our graduation ceremony, I feel lucky to be part of the UCSF Division of Geriatrics family.  We are warriors for compassion.  In our work with older people, we are passionate that all lives are valued and that we need to have the same compassion, respect and sense of possibility for all people.  Have a good summer and congratulations again to our outstanding group of fellows!

Thanks!
Louise

PS: Maxine sent a link with a wide selection of virtual backgrounds: https://www.americangreetings.com/stay-connected/virtual-backgrounds

Updates from Our Chief During the Initial Phase of the Pandemic