UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, headlined a full slate of panelists Nov. 24 in a virtual Zoom town hall.
Ted Cieslak, MD, interim executive director for health security at UNMC, and Michael Ash, MD, vice chancellor for information and technology, joined Dr. Gold at the all-campus forum.
Dr. Gold thanked those on the frontline who are working so hard through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and cautioned against a “second pandemic”: “The emotional health issues . . . are huge, and they are going to be enduring,” the chancellor said.
“We are constantly looking for ways to say thank you,” he said.
Dr. Cieslak concurred with the chancellor that “the pandemic continues to rage out of control.” The good news, Dr. Cieslak said, is that UNMC campuses continue to be among the state’s safest places.
“Please continue to model that behavior when you are off campus,” Dr. Cieslak said.
“We remain cautious,” he said, “but good news is on the horizon,” meaning multiple vaccine candidates, hopefully soon ready for peer review, approval and distribution.
Dr. Ash reported that greater than 90 percent of systems and data are restored following the recent cybersecurity event. The med center was a model in campus cooperation and response, he said. But we must remain wary: 64 percent of organizations impacted by malware are impacted again.
Of the millions of emails across our system, 77% percent are malicious, Dr. Ash said. Almost all are blocked. “But it only takes one.”
Among the other topics touched upon at the forum:
- This week, UNMC will take on its annual strategic goal-setting meeting. What are the short-term and long-terms outcomes of the pandemic? “We will stress test our current strategic plan,” Dr. Gold said.
- Enrollment remains positive and “Our budget remains in a very good place,” Dr. Gold said.
- Dr. Gold noted that at the time of the forum, Nebraska was 70 hospital cases away from another tier of directed health measures from the state. The chancellor said that UNMC works closely with DHHS and the governor’s office providing scientific data but, “policy decisions are not made by us.”
- Dr. Cieslak apologized to those who wanted but were unable to receive a COVID-19 test during a recent on-campus testing pilot. That anonymized data will be included in campus statistics and the testing effort may expand at a later date.
- Would you take the prospective vaccines? If peer review holds, Drs. Gold and Cieslak said they would give the thumbs up and roll up their sleeves. “I caution you to stay vigilant just a little bit longer,” Dr. Cieslak said.
Dr. Gold again acknowledged and thanked those who “are holding the community together in this very difficult time.” He expressed the gratitude for all those who are working so hard day after day dealing with all of the challenges caused by the pandemic and wished all a “happy, safe and healthy” holiday.