Coronavirus

Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management

Community Information Regarding Coronavirus

Update March 12, 2020:

Dear Faculty, Staff, Students and Families,

Yesterday, we made the necessary decision to extend Spring Break for another week through Friday, March 20, and continue courses via online delivery for students studying at all of our Texas campuses. While the health risk for COVID-19 in San Antonio remains low, we have a responsibility to you and the greater community, including those most at-risk, to be especially diligent through close coordination with city-wide planning, practice of CDC guidelines and implementation of directives from San Antonio Metro Health.

Our decision has many implications for you personally, as well as for those across our complex institution. The detailed guidance below, from our Emergency Management team, will help guide our next steps and answer some of the questions you’ve presented this week.

Please continue to visit www.UIW.edu for current information and updates for the campus community. Check your UIW email and follow UIW on Twitter @UIWCardinals for the latest notifications.

During these times of uncertainty and change, we appreciate your patience and cooperation. As always, I know we will come together to ensure the health, wellbeing and success of all members of our UIW community.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Evans, PhD
President

A Special Message from UIW Emergency Management

This direction applies only to UIW’s Texas locations. Our international campuses will be guided by the Vice President for International Affairs. Dr. Denise Staudt, dean of the Dreeben School of Education, will provide guidance to St. Anthony Catholic High School.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Those with F-1 Visas must return to campus by Monday, March 16 in order to meet with the UIW International Office for special instructions during that week. The Office of International Affairs has provided detailed guidance via email to individual students.

By now, international students should have received an email from the International Affairs office. If you did not, please contact José Martinez, director of International Student & Scholar Services at jfmartin@uiwtx.edu.

STUDENTS & FACULTY – ACADEMICS

For all other students, Spring Break has been extended one week, through Friday, March 20. Beginning Monday, March 23, classes for the remainder of the Spring 2020 term will be held online via Blackboard (or other online tools already in use).

Deans and faculty will work at their campus locations next week (March 16-20) to prepare their online course delivery. They are keenly aware of the challenges of teaching and evaluating certain courses online. Please watch your UIW email regularly and check in on your Blackboard courses for updates as the week progresses.

As we expand our online learning environment, we appreciate your patience and collaboration. While this is an adjustment, we are confident that our faculty and students will work in concert to meet their academic goals.

If you have questions related to a particular course, please check your Blackboard course resources or email your faculty directly.

For any questions related to academic support, or challenges with the transition to online learning, please email academicsupport@uiwtx.edu. Your question will be directed to the appropriate office.

While courses will take place online, some essential on-campus resources will remain available. More information on hours and services will be communicated via email.

EMPLOYEES

At this time, UIW will otherwise continue normal administrative operations at all Texas locations. Faculty and staff will work from their normal locations.

Whether or not any symptoms have appeared, if you have traveled to or from an affected area, we ask that you notify UIW Health Services at (210) 829-6017.

Employees should monitor themselves for fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Anyone with these symptoms should call their primary care provider.

STUDENT EMPLOYEES

Students are employed by UIW under student employment, work study, or graduate assistance. If they desire, students may continue to work in these capacities, as long as their support is still needed in their respective office or program, and if they have access to transportation to and from their workplace.

Student employees should contact their supervisor before coming on campus to work.

GUIDANCE FOR ALL TRAVEL

Whether or not any symptoms have appeared, if you have traveled to or from an area affected by COVID-19, we ask that you notify UIW Health Services at (210) 829-6017.

Employees should monitor themselves for fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Anyone with these symptoms should call their primary care provider and follow instructions to be evaluated. It’s important to call before arriving at a doctor’s office or emergency room. Stay home when you are sick and avoid close contact with people who are sick.

For any travel outside of Texas, we ask all employees and students to complete this simple form summarizing your travel.

UIW-SPONSORED TRAVEL

Travel is considered UIW- sponsored if it draws on UIW funding for any portion of the trip.

Please cancel all non-essential international and domestic travel through April 30.

If you have tickets for travel in May or later, keep those tickets and plans for now, and watch for updates. If you have plans, but have not yet booked travel, please delay your booking as long as feasible, to avoid the possible need to cancel or reschedule.

The provost or your vice president may approve exceptions for essential travel.

In general, travel to and from safe regions will be approved, as needed for student recruitment and searches for vacant employee positions. Travelers and vice presidents are reminded to check the latest travel guidance for safe and high-risk areas before seeking exception to these travel restrictions.

Search committees should not invite students back to campus to take part in search activities or candidate teaching demonstrations.

For athletics events and travel, the NCAA and Southland Conference guidance is changing rapidly. Watch for communication directly from the UIW Athletics Department for current details.

PERSONAL TRAVEL

For personal international travel, we urge you to carefully reconsider your travel choices and avoid traveling if possible.

For personal domestic travel, please consider your destinations carefully and avoid traveling if your agenda includes participation in conferences or other large gatherings.

If you must travel, review the UIW guidance in previous messaging for safe travel and the current CDC warnings of high-risk regions.

Whether or not any symptoms have appeared, if you have traveled to or from an area affected by COVID-19, we ask that you notify UIW Health Services at (210) 829-6017.

For any travel outside of Texas, we ask all employees and students to complete this simple form summarizing your travel.

RESIDENCE HALLS

All residence halls will be effectively closed beginning Monday, March 30. Student residents should have already received specific email guidance. If you did not, please contact housing@uiwtx.edu.

Students unable to return to their permanent residences may request an exemption to remain on campus. Those who are granted an exemption will still be required to participate in their online courses. On-campus services will be available but may be significantly limited.

Please note that “student employment” will not, by itself, justify an exemption to allow a student to remain in a residence hall.

CANCELLATIONS

Until further notice, we will cancel Sunday Masses at Our Lady’s Chapel at the Broadway Campus. This will help us minimize any health risks for our liturgists, ministers, and our worshiping community.

We will continue to update the community with information and resources as they become available. Information will continue to be available on this page.

Update March 12, 2020:

Athletics Updates

Updated information as of Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 1:00 PM

All Southland Conference spring sports are suspended until March 31, 2020.
All UIW Athletics activities, practices, recruiting, etc., are suspended at least until March 23, 2020.
In the meantime, all UIW student-athletes are asked to go home if they have the ability and await further communication. If student-athletes are unable to return home, they may remain on campus until further notice. Please look for communication from UIW Residence Life regarding exemption applications.
All student-athletes, coaches, and staff should continue to monitor their emails and social media pages for updated information for UIW Athletics in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

UIW Athletics will continue monitoring the COVID-19 issue and will continue to follow university’s Emergency Response Team, conference, NCAA, and CDC guidelines and recommendations as they develop and change. We will continue to notify our Athletic community once the information had been updated.

Should you have any questions or concerns as it relates to this issue, please contact BJ Lough, Associate Athletics Director of Sports Medicine.

Update March 11, 2020:

Dear Faculty, Staff, Students and Families,

We continue to monitor the latest developments regarding COVID-19, in conjunction with the City of San Antonio, San Antonio Metro Health District, and with our sister institutions in the region.

UIW will communicate more details on Thursday, March 12, however with the concurrence of the Executive Committee of our Board of Trustees, our University leadership has made the following immediate decisions:

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS with F-1 Visas must return to campus by Monday, March 16, in order to meet with the UIW International Office for special instructions during that week.
For all other students, Spring Break has been extended one week, through Friday, March 20.
Beginning Monday, March 23, classes for the remainder of the Spring 2020 term will be held remotely online via Blackboard (or other online tools already in use).
Faculty should return to campus next week (March 16-20) to prepare their online course delivery.
UIW will otherwise continue normal administrative operations. As such, faculty and staff will continue to work from UIW locations.
This direction applies to all of UIW’s Texas locations. Our international campuses will be guided by the Vice President for International Affairs.
Dr. Denise Staudt, dean of the Dreeben School of Education, will provide guidance to St. Anthony Catholic High School.

We encourage you to visit www.UIW.edu for additional information and updates for the campus community. Check your UIW email and follow UIW on Twitter @UIWCardinals.

Your health and wellbeing is of utmost importance and at the heart of our Mission. As a community, we offer our prayers for all of those affected by COVID-19 and all those who care for them.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Evans, PhD
President

Update March 11, 2020:

On Friday, March 6, UIW held a Community Question and Answer Session for all employees, students and family members regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus). The session was led by Dr. Glenn James and Dr. Ronda Gottlieb. View the video or see below to watch the question and answer session.

Update March 8, 2020

A Special Message from UIW Emergency Management

Dear Cardinal Community,

As the situation surrounding the coronavirus continues to develop, we want to keep everyone updated as to steps being taken to keep our Cardinal community safe. UIW is aware that some Universities in areas directly affected by the coronavirus have decided to temporarily suspend on-campus classes. UIW has assembled a team that is already working on every possible contingency to keep campus life moving forward should this become a possibility.

Currently, UIW has no plans to close or restrict access to our locations as a result of COVID-19. In the event any such action is needed, UIW’s plan is to continue to deliver courses via Blackboard (or other online tools already in use) whenever possible to ensure minimal disruption to your education. Should any suspension to on-campus classes occur, the community will be notified via RAVE Alert, Special Message and announcements on the University webpage.

It is important to note, no cases of COVID-19 have been reported on any UIW campus. Furthermore, no individual on any UIW campus has even required COVID-19 testing under the CDC guidelines.

The dignity, health and wellbeing of every member of the University of the Incarnate Word community remains an institutional priority at the heart of our Mission. And, UIW is closely monitoring the developing situation.

UIW is taking all precautions directed by CDC guidelines and sharing preventative information and resources with the university community via email. All community updates are viewable here https://my.uiw.edu/safety/coronavirus.html

Update March 6, 2020:

Dear Cardinal Community,

With Spring Break upon us, we would like to take a moment to clarify and reassure everyone about what is being done at UIW in the ongoing situation surrounding the coronavirus. It is important to point out that no individual on any UIW campus has required COVID-19 testing under the CDC guidelines. No cases of COVID-19 have been reported on any UIW campus and San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is contacted regarding every individual with any possible risk factors for COVID-19.

San Antonio Metro Health continues to categorize the virus as a low-risk to all in the San Antonio community and the University urges those travelling outside the community to take proper care and adhere to the common-sense guidelines issued by the CDC. For more information regarding Travelers’ Health visit CDC Health.

As noted in a previous community message, earlier this week, an individual arrived at our Broadway campus clinic with flu-like symptoms and needed accommodations in order to self-monitor comfortably. Out of an abundance of compassion for this individual, UIW made arrangements for private accommodation for the individual to self-monitor in strict adherence to CDC guidance for low-risk illnesses. That individual has since been cleared by doctors and is no longer in need of those special accommodations.

On Wednesday, March 4, University of the Incarnate Word residents of the Avoca A student housing complex were notified of plans to consolidate student housing and relocate current residents to other residence halls.

This decision to consolidate student residents was made earlier this year, however the timeline was moved up after thoughtful consideration. UIW, like many other institutions of higher education, is preparing contingencies for alternative housing as an option to support students who may present with symptoms associated with COVID-19 to be able to self-isolate or self-monitor, in the event that such accommodations are needed.

In addition, our Health Services Clinic will be open during the Spring Break holiday and anyone with flu-like symptoms is urged to call Health Services at (210) 829-6017 to be advised on how to proceed.

UIW is taking all precautions directed by CDC guidelines and sharing preventative information and resources with the University community via email. All community updates are viewable here https://my.uiw.edu/safety/coronavirus.html.

The dignity, health and wellbeing of every member of the University of the Incarnate Word community remains an institutional priority at the heart of our Mission. UIW continues to offer our prayers for healing and support for those with illnesses and all those who care for them.

Sincerely,

David E. Garza, DO, MS. MEdL
Medical Director, UIW Health Services

Ronda Gottlieb DNP, APRN, FNP-C.
Director, UIW Health Services Clinic

Update March 4, 2020

Dear Parents and Families,

The health and well-being of our community is a priority for the University of the Incarnate Word. We are communicating with you today to share the precautionary steps the University is taking related to the coronavirus first identified in December in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

In light of updated travel advisories from the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we are advising students, faculty and staff to keep in mind the CDC’s Level 2 travel warning for Italy, Iran and Japan as well as the Level 3 warnings regarding travel to China and South Korea. More information on these warnings can be found at CDC Travel Warnings. As the COVID-19 situation remains fluid, additional countries may adopt restrictions with very little lead time. CDC country information can be accessed on the CDC website for travelers. For more information regarding Travelers’ Health visit CDC Health.

UIW has numerous health and wellness resources available to our students including flu shots which are being offered at Health Services. No appointment is needed to obtain a flu shot. For more information, please encourage your student contact Health Services at (210) 829-6017.

Symptoms of this infectious illness include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Based on current information, symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after initial exposure to the disease and can be transmitted from inhaling or touching infected droplets – usually through a cough or sneeze — from an infected person.

It’s important to note that cold and flu season is nearing its peak. In the absence of travel to affected areas in China, or exposure to a known case of novel coronavirus infection, the presence of these symptoms is likely related to a cold or flu.

The best way to prevent infection is to take precautions to avoid exposure to this virus, which are similar to the precautions taken to avoid the flu. CDC always recommends these everyday actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Please be aware that UIW is working closely with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and follows guidelines established by the CDC for identifying and managing patients of concern. We will continue to monitor and update our campus community on the coronavirus outbreak as needed.

For more information, please visit the CDC’s Coronavirus website. For more information on the University’s efforts, please visit https://my.uiw.edu/safety/coronavirus.html

Sincerely,

David E. Garza, DO, MS.MEdL
Medical Director, UIW Health Services

Ronda Gottlieb DNP, APRN, FNP-C.
Director, UIW Health Services Clinic

Update March 4, 2020:

Important COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Terms to Know

Definitions per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Self-observation means people should remain alert for subjective fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. If they feel feverish or develop cough or difficulty breathing during the self-observation period, they should take their temperature, limit contact with others, and seek health advice by telephone from a healthcare provider or their local health department to determine whether medical evaluation is needed.

Self-monitoring means people should monitor themselves for fever by taking their temperatures twice a day and remain alert for cough or difficulty breathing. Anyone on self-monitoring should be provided a plan for whom to contact if they develop fever, cough, or difficulty breathing during the self-monitoring period to determine whether medical evaluation is needed.

Self-monitoring with delegated supervision means, for certain occupational groups (e.g., some healthcare or laboratory personnel, airline crew members), self-monitoring with oversight by the appropriate occupational health or infection control program in coordination with the health department of jurisdiction. The occupational health or infection control personnel for the employing organization should establish points of contact between the organization, the self-monitoring personnel, and the local or state health departments with jurisdiction for the location where self-monitoring personnel will be during the self-monitoring period. This communication should result in agreement on a plan for medical evaluation of personnel who develop fever, cough, or difficulty breathing during the self-monitoring period. The plan should include instructions for notifying occupational health and the local public health authority, and transportation arrangements to a pre-designated hospital, if medically necessary, with advance notice if fever, cough, or difficulty breathing occur. The supervising organization should remain in contact with personnel through the self-monitoring period to oversee self-monitoring activities.

Self-monitoring with public health supervision means public health authorities assume the responsibility for oversight of self-monitoring for certain groups of people. CDC recommends that health departments establish initial communication with these people, provide a plan for self-monitoring and clear instructions for notifying the health department before the person seeks health care if they develop fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and as resources allow, check in intermittently with these people over the course of the self-monitoring period. If travelers for whom public health supervision is recommended are identified at a US port of entry, CDC will notify state and territorial health departments with jurisdiction for the travelers’ final destinations.

Active monitoring means that the state or local public health authority assumes responsibility for establishing regular communication with potentially exposed people to assess for the presence of fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. For people with high-risk exposures, CDC recommends this communication occurs at least once each day. The mode of communication can be determined by the state or local public health authority and may include telephone calls or any electronic or internet-based means of communication.

Public health orders are legally enforceable directives issued under the authority of a relevant federal, state, or local entity that, when applied to a person or group, may place restrictions on the activities undertaken by that person or group, potentially including movement restrictions or a requirement for monitoring by a public health authority, for the purposes of protecting the public’s health. Federal, state, or local public health orders may be issued to enforce isolation, quarantine or conditional release. The list of quarantinable communicable diseases for which federal public health orders are authorized is defined by Executive Order and includes “severe acute respiratory syndromes.” COVID-19 meets the definition for “severe acute respiratory syndromes” as set forth in Executive Order 13295, as amended by Executive Order 13375 and 13674, and, therefore, is a federally quarantinable communicable disease.

Isolation means the separation of a person or group of people known or reasonably believed to be infected with a communicable disease and potentially infectious from those who are not infected to prevent spread of the communicable disease. Isolation for public health purposes may be voluntary or compelled by federal, state, or local public health order.

Quarantine in general means the separation of a person or group of people reasonably believed to have been exposed to a communicable disease but not yet symptomatic, from others who have not been so exposed, to prevent the possible spread of the communicable disease.

Conditional release defines a set of legally enforceable conditions under which a person may be released from more stringent public health movement restrictions, such as quarantine in a secure facility. These conditions may include public health supervision through in-person visits by a health official or designee, telephone, or any electronic or internet-based means of communication as determined by the CDC Director or state or local health authority. A conditional release order may also place limits on travel or require restriction of a person’s movement outside their home.

Controlled travel involves exclusion from long-distance commercial conveyances (e.g., aircraft, ship, train, bus). For people subject to active monitoring, any long-distance travel should be coordinated with public health authorities to ensure uninterrupted monitoring. Air travel is not allowed by commercial flight but may occur via approved noncommercial air transport. CDC may use public health orders or federal public health travel restrictions to enforce controlled travel. CDC also has the authority to issue travel permits to define the conditions of interstate travel within the United States for people under certain public health orders or if other conditions are met.

Congregate settings are public places where close contact with others may occur. Congregate settings include settings such as shopping centers, movie theaters, stadiums, workplaces, and schools and other classroom settings.

Social distancing means remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding local public transportation (e.g., bus, subway, taxi, ride share), and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others. If social distancing is recommended, presence in congregate settings or use of local public transportation should only occur with approval of local or state health authorities.

Update March 2, 2020:

A Special Message from UIW Health Services

Dear Cardinal Community,

Today, March 2, 2020, the University of the Incarnate Word was made aware that an individual self-reported to UIW Health Services with flu-like symptoms. UIW Health Services continues to advise those with similar symptoms to self-monitor at home whenever possible. In this case, out of an abundance of caution, UIW has made arrangements for private accommodation for the individual to self-monitor according to CDC guidance for low-risk illnesses. UIW Health Services will remain in communication with the individual daily.

In addition, the University is working closely with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District who confirms that this individual has a very low health risk and COVID-19 testing is not required.

As a Catholic university community, we offer our prayers for healing and support for those with illnesses and all those who care for them.

Sincerely,

David E. Garza, DO, MS. MEdL
Medical Director, UIW Health Services

Ronda Gottlieb DNP, APRN, FNP-C.
Director, UIW Health Services Clinic

Update Feb. 28, 2020:

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

I am glad to share that the health risk for Covid19 (formerly known as Coronavirus) remains low across the U.S. In order to think ahead, UIW has formed a small incident team — which includes UIW Health Services Medical Director Dr. David Garza — who are staying current with news reports, information emerging from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and details about UIW travelers and personnel around the globe.

What should we do right now?
Continue normal business and lifestyle. Wash your hands regularly. Plan ahead before you travel out of the U.S. Make sure your family, friends and community members are well connected and have each other’s phone numbers.

The risk across the entire U.S., and especially in Texas, remains low. That means the only needed steps right now are to take simple precautions — like washing your hands — and to educate yourself on current Covid19 facts. The best resources for UIW employees and students are the CDC’s Coronavirus website, and UIW’s informational web page on Covid19. Those sites have the most current information on what to do for now. For any health-related concerns, please call UIW Health Services at (210) 829-6017.

Health Monitoring
Dr. Garza will continue to monitor and update our campus community on the Covid19 outbreak as needed. If you have questions, please call UIW Health Services at (210) 829-6017. For more information, please visit the CDC’s Coronavirus website.

International Travel
If you have any international travel planned in the next few months, please coordinate closely with Director of International Affairs Dr. Javier Lozano at 210-805-3015. He is monitoring all the guidance we need to assure safe travel and return.

Priorities This Week (Feb. 24 - 29)

The first priority the team addressed was to assure the safety of our many UIW students in clinical rotations or internships across Texas. The supervising deans and faculty have steps in place to minimize our students’ exposures to hazards of any kind, and to be alert to any student concerns.
Second, our office of International Affairs is guiding all UIW travelers and employees outside the U.S. As important precautions, some trips to high risk areas have already been canceled. Other travel is being closely coordinated and monitored.
Finally, our team recognized that Spring Break presents unique dynamics of travel to and from UIW locations. A Special Message was distributed via email today recommending specific precautions to take for everyone’s safety.

Priorities Next Week (March 2 - 6)

Business Continuity Planning On Tuesday, March 3, the President’s Advisory Council (PAC) will get an update on UIW Covid19 planning, and will begin to define the kind of steps we might need to consider if any incident would ever require us to run UIW locations on minimal staffing or close altogether. That planning for business continuity will begin next week. As they make progress, your vice presidents, deans and directors will guide that planning for all UIW locations, as well as St. Anthony Catholic High School. They will have more information about that soon.
Academic Contingency Planning If the CDC or San Antonio Metro Health (the city’s public health agency), were to recommend not meeting for face-to-face classes, our general strategy will be to continue UIW instruction online, through Blackboard. A small core team including Director of Instructional Technology Kathy Bottaro, Dean of the School of Professional Studies Vince Porter, and Center for Teaching and Learning Director Dr. Susan Hall — are beginning to gathering resources and will work with deans to develop steps we can take in order to prepare for that possibility. All faculty can watch for updates from your deans.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Evans, PhD
President

Update Feb. 28, 2020:

In light of the global health concerns over the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), we are writing to advise on any international travel plans you may have during our upcoming Spring Break.

UIW’ s, January 31^st message outlined the risk factors for and symptoms of COVID-19 infection. U.S. travel restrictions for U.S. citizens and foreign nationals remain in effect.

As Spring Break approaches, students, faculty and staff are advised to keep in mind the CDC’s Level 2 travel warning for Italy, Iran and Japan as well as the Level 3 warnings regarding travel to China and South Korea. More information on these warnings can be found at CDC Travel Warnings. As the COVID-19 situation remains fluid, additional countries may adopt restrictions with very little lead time. CDC country information can be accessed on the CDC website for travelers. For more information regarding Travelers’ Health visit CDC Health.

Members of the UIW Community are encouraged to closely evaluate non-essential travel throughout the Asia region during the Spring semester. If you are currently making plans for international travel, consider the following in making your decision:

purchase travel insurance in case of a disruption to your plans;
consider the possibility that countries you are visiting may decide to implement restrictions while you are outside the U.S.;
the potential cancellation of flights;
and the possibility of additional quarantine measures or restricted re-entry into the United States.

UIW students from China or any of the high risk countries named by the CDC who plan to travel home are advised to contact the Office of International Services to discuss international travel plans in advance at (210) 805-5705 or at intl@uiwtx.edu. If you are feeling worried or concerned for family back home, we encourage you to contact Counseling Services at (210) 832-5656. We are here for you.

Residence and dining halls will continue to be fully operational during Spring Break, and additional activities will be offered to students staying on or near campus during that week.

To repeat our general precautions for UIW, whether or not any symptoms have appeared, if you have traveled from China in the past 14 days, please notify UIW Health Services at (210) 829-6017.

Any such traveler should monitor themselves for fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Anyone with these symptoms should make a follow-up call to UIW Health Services and follow instructions to get evaluated. It’s important to call before showing up at a doctor’s office or emergency room.

We encourage everyone to continue valuable cold and flu prevention techniques. The best way to prevent infection is to take precautions to avoid exposure to any virus. CDC always recommends these everyday actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

For more information, please visit the CDC’s website here.

Your safety, well-being, and ability to continue your regular campus activities remain a high priority to the entire leadership of UIW.

Sincerely,

David E. Garza, DO, MS. MEdL
Medical Director, UIW Health Services

Ronda Gottlieb DNP, APRN, FNP-C.
Director, UIW Health Services Clinic

Update Feb. 14, 2020:

On Feb. 13, 2020, the City of San Antonio and other local, state and federal organizations held a press conference at JBSA Lackland to update the city on an individual showing symptoms of the Corona virus. That individual is being monitored at a local hospital.

During the press conference, a question was raised by a member of the local media about possible travel to China by UIW employees or their families. We would like to emphasize that UIW employees who traveled to China over the Christmas break have all self-reported. All returned to start the semester in January, all with no symptoms.

UIW has implemented precautions recommended by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. In compliance with those steps, one employee, with no symptoms, has self-quarantined as a precaution. The family member of another UIW employee — also with no symptoms — has self-quarantined according to the same city-wide protocol.

The campus community directs anyone with recent travel to China to notify UIW Health Services, who continues to screen patients for recent travel and for symptoms associated with the corona virus. No other employees or students have self-reported and zero patients have presented with related symptoms. UIW administrators are in close contact with employees to follow up on any personal travel to the area.

The University is in contact with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and will continue to promote these precautions and monitor and update our campus community as needed.

Update Jan. 31, 2020:

Dear Cardinal Community,

We are closely tracking the spread of the new coronavirus, first identified in December in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. At this point, there are no known cases of the virus in San Antonio, but there are cases in the United States. The situation is changing rapidly, and we will provide updates when new information or guidance needs to be communicated.

UIW has numerous health and wellness resources available to students including flu shots which are being offered at Health Services. No appointment is needed to obtain a flu shot. For more information, please contact Health Services at (210) 829-6017.

Whether or not any symptoms have appeared, if you are a student on and of the UIW campuses who has traveled from China in the past 14 days, we ask that you notify School of Medicine Student Health Services at (210) 829-6017.

Similarly, if you are a UIW employee who has traveled from China in the past 14 days, we ask that you notify UIW Health Services at (210) 829-6017.

Any such students or employees should monitor themselves for fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Anyone with these symptoms should make a follow-up call to UIW Health Services and follow instructions to get evaluated. It’s important to call before showing up at a doctor’s office or emergency room.

We follow guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for identifying and managing patients of concern.

During flu season, you will often see people on campus wearing masks. Please be reassured that seeing someone in a mask does not mean they have been exposed to this coronavirus. Again, we currently do not have anyone in our community being evaluated for this virus.

Members of our campus community are reminded to take precautions

The best way to prevent infection is to take precautions to avoid exposure to this virus, which are similar to the precautions you take to avoid the flu. CDC always recommends these everyday actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

For more information, please visit the CDC’s Coronavirus website.

We will continue to monitor and update our campus community on the coronavirus outbreak as needed.

Thank you for helping to protect our campus community.

Sincerely,

David E. Garza, DO, MS.MEdL
Medical Director, UIW Health Services

Ronda Gottlieb DNP, APRN, FNP-C.
Director, UIW Health Services Clinic

Important Resources

Campus Resources

Teaching Remotely