Something Powerful

Tell The Reader More

The headline and subheader tells us what you're offering, and the form header closes the deal. Over here you can explain why your offer is so great it's worth filling out a form for.

Remember:

  • Bullets are great
  • For spelling out benefits and
  • Turning visitors into leads.

DiversityNursing Blog

More Schools Are Hiring Chief Health Officers

Posted by Erica Bettencourt

Thu, Nov 12, 2020 @ 09:00 AM

backtoschoolMore Universities and Colleges have considered hiring Chief Health Officers (CHO) as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. Some responsibilities of the CHO would be to lead campus health and safety measures, create connections with state and local hospitals, and be the voice of information to students, employees and parents.

Dr. Preeti Malani has been CHO at the University of Michigan since 2017 and is a great role model for someone who is considering taking on this position.

Dr. Malani has been highly visible throughout this outbreak, sharing safety tips on social media, appearing in a number of interviews, and participating on coronavirus task forces.

When a school feels strongly about a certain topic, they create an executive role around it, like a Chief Diversity Officer for example. Now, health is an imperative issue that should be properly addressed.

“The mere appointment of a CHO would send a strong message about the school’s commitment not only to the well being of its students, faculty, and staff but also to the health of the public at large,” said Malani.

After the pandemic passes, Malani hopes her visibility at the University of Michigan will help her make progress on other college health issues like vaccines, health-care equity and student mental health.

Dr. Benoit Dubé is the Chief Wellness Officer (CWO) at The University of Pennsylvania. He’s part of a Recovery Planning group tasked with examining the elements needed to be in place to allow a safe return to more normal campus operations.

Dr. Dubé explains the best approach for reducing COVID-19 transmission is to follow a hybrid in-person and online semester model. The University is also mandating the flu vaccine this fall.

Ohio State University’s CWO, Bernadette Melnyk developed several anxiety-reducing strategies to use to help manage and prevent the spread of this infectious disease. She created a webinar video Key Strategies for Relieving Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Melnyk also created the acronym COPE COVID:

Control the things that you can, not the things you can't
Open up and share your feelings
Practice daily stress reduction tactics, including physical activity
Engage in mindfulness; be here now; worry will not help!

Count your blessings daily
Overturn negative thoughts to positive
Volunteer to help others
Identify helpful supports and resources
Do your part to prevent spread of the virus

Schools that don't have the resources to bring on a CHO can try other options, like working with local and state health agencies, hiring a health consultant, and partnering with close institutions or academic medical centers.

New Call-to-action

Topics: COVID-19, chief wellness officer, schools hiring chief health officers, Chief Health Officers, colleges, universities, CHO

Recent Jobs

Article or Blog Submissions

If you are interested in submitting content for our Blog, please ensure it fits the criteria below:
  • Relevant information for Nurses
  • Does NOT promote a product
  • Informative about Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Competence

Agreement to publish on our DiversityNursing.com Blog is at our sole discretion.

Thank you

Subscribe to Email our eNewsletter

Recent Posts

Posts by Topic

see all