Tag Archives: masks

Keeping Everyone Safe – Fall Semester Safety Protocols

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student looking at laptop in the classroom with central Piedmont face mask on

A Message from Dr. Deitemeyer:

I am excited for the start of the Fall 2021 semester on Aug. 16. I look forward to seeing so many of you back on campus for the first time in several months and some of you for the first time ever.

The college will operate at full capacity this fall, with a majority of classes being offered on-campus as well as many online. It is our intention to begin the semester operating in a way that mirrors pre-pandemic times as much as possible. Nevertheless, we want everyone to be as safe as can be while on campus. We have looked closely at the COVID-19 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services (NCDHHS), as well as the strong communication coming from the Governor’s Office. All of these continue to stress the importance of being vaccinated.

If you have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19, I strongly encourage you to do so, if you are so inclined, at your earliest opportunity. With the increase in positive COVID-19 tests and cases due to the delta variant spreading across North Carolina and the nation, the CDC and NCDHHS recommend that everyone 12 years and older be vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccination of all eligible faculty, staff and students is the most effective strategy to ensure our normal semester operations remain on track.

The college will not ask you to provide your vaccination status, nor should anyone connected to the college inquire about your status. Again, no one at the college should ask anyone else at the college about their vaccination status. However, that should not lessen your sense of personal responsibility in getting vaccinated.

In addition to encouraging everyone to be vaccinated, the college will have the following safety protocols in place through at least Aug. 31.

Face coverings required indoors while on campus
Effective immediately, face coverings are required during instructional activities (during classes, labs, etc.); in face-to-face meetings, and whenever persons are moving through or gathering in indoor common areas, such as hallways, lobbies, stairways, elevators, our libraries, restrooms, etc. The only exception to this requirement is when employees are in their personal offices.

Our face mask requirement does not affect the expectation of a continued return to on-campus work for college employees. Until the vaccination rate in Mecklenburg gets significantly higher or the rate of positive COVID-19 cases begins to diminish, requiring everyone to wear face coverings indoors will help keep everyone safe.

Face masks and gloves remain available at building entrances to anyone who needs them. Face coverings are not required outdoors on campus.

Stay Home if You Feel Ill
Please stay home if you feel ill in any way. If your symptoms persist, please see a health care provider. Students should inform their instructors, and employees should talk with their supervisor.

Will there be opportunities for students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated while on campus during the fall semester?
YES. The college is working out the details with a local health care provider to offer vaccination clinics on multiple campuses. We will share these details as soon as possible. However, you should not feel that you need to wait for these clinics. If you have the ability to be vaccinated within the coming days, please do so.

How should students and employees report positive COVID tests?
To report COVID cases and exposures, or to ask questions about our protocols, please email wecare@cpcc.edu. Students should also notify their instructors, and employees should make their supervisors aware as soon as possible.

What will be the isolation/quarantine protocols for vaccinated and unvaccinated students and employees?
We will follow CDC protocols to determine isolation/quarantine recommendations for students and employees based on vaccination status. These will be communicated directly to persons who test positive for COVID-19 and have been in contact with positive-test persons.

Closing
As we continue to navigate this global pandemic, I send my sincere best wishes and thanks to our dedicated faculty, staff and students for your hard work, dedication and patience. Thank you for your flexibility as CDC and NCDHHS recommendations change. I know this will be a great semester, and working together, we will keep everyone as safe as possible.

Face Masks No Longer Required on Campus

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students in group sitting/standing on campus stairs

On Friday, May 14, N.C. Governor Roy Cooper announced the following changes to his previously mandated statewide COVID-19 restrictions. This relaxation of safety measures went into effect immediately on May 14.

  • No statewide face mask requirement in most settings
  • No mandatory indoor or outdoor mass gathering limits
  • No mandatory indoor or outdoor capacity limits
  • No mandatory social distancing requirements

The Governor’s new executive order is based on new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.

Effective immediately, Central Piedmont Community College will not impose any restrictions beyond those the Governor has specified. Face coverings and social distancing protocols, while still encouraged for unvaccinated people, are no longer required by the college.

Nothing prevents employees and students from continuing to wear face coverings if they so choose. Please keep in mind individuals should not be asked to disclose their vaccination status or why they are wearing a face covering. This is private information and should be respected.

During this transition time, please be understanding as our employees and students make their decisions concerning face masks on campus. Please continue to monitor yourself for any COVID-19-related symptoms, and stay home if you feel ill at all. Please report if you are exposed to, tested for, or diagnosed with COVID-19 by sending an email to wecare@cpcc.edu.

The Governor and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services strongly recommend unvaccinated persons eligible for vaccination in the state be vaccinated as soon as possible. All persons in North Carolina age 12 and older are eligible. Likewise, Central Piedmont encourages all members of the college community – students, faculty and staff – to be vaccinated as soon as possible.

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine by accessing the following resources: StarMed Health, Walgreens, CVS, Novant Health, and Atrium Health.

Atrium Health Thanks Central Piedmont

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Eugene Woods, president and CEO of Atrium Health, recently thanked Central Piedmont – in a special email communication to Dr. D – for donating 18,000 gloves, 470 N95 masks, 150 level 3 mask shields, 200 surgical gowns, and 200 bouffant caps for its staff’s use.

Said Woods, “On behalf of our more than 70,000 teammates at Atrium Health, I’d like to say ‘thank you’ for your incredible donation. Please know your generosity is making a world of difference, and we certainly would not be where we are today without your overwhelming support. We are so grateful for our neighboring institutions like Central Piedmont Community College.  Not only are you deeply rooted in educating generations of our future leaders and innovators, you have also played a transformative role in pushing our community forward and stepping up to help serve our most vulnerable in their greatest time of need. Please know your generosity is making a world of a difference, and we certainly would not be where we are today if it wasn’t for your overwhelming support.”

Read full story here.

Central Piedmont Health Programs Donate 30,000 Pairs of Gloves to Atrium and Novant Health

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Central Piedmont Health Professions and Human Services, donated more than 30,000 pairs of gloves, 670 N95 masks, 350 isolation gowns, 250 level 3 masks and 400 bouffant caps to Atrium Health and Novant Health.

All of the college’s health programs and Environmental Health and Safety department offered their supplies to meet the community needs. Although faculty from all areas were willing to come in and help pack, we limited the faculty involved for safety reasons. Here are a few of our Central Piedmont heroes:

  • Karen Summers, Interim Dean Health Professions and Human Services
  • Eileen Clark, Dental Hygiene
  • Cathy Flores, Medical Assisting
  • Mel Angelisanti, Surgical Technology

Thank you to all of the staff involved for supporting the community during such challenging times.

Community Service Project: 58 Strong in 100 Counties

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Is sewing one of your talents? Or are you looking for a new hobby? We are participating in the North Carolina Community College System Community Service Project and we want to help our medical community with the shortage of medical masks.

Atrium Health has provided some simple guidelines to sew masks. Check out this short tutorial.  Please send an email to communitybenefit@atriumhealth.org to arrange delivery. Masks will be cleaned and distributed. Extras will go to other organizations.

Anyone that makes 50 masks will get a “58 Strong” NCCCS t-shirt. You’ll need to upload pictures and or video of your masks to this FORM to receive your t-shirt. Deadline to complete masks is June 1. Your photos and videos will be shown at the NCCCS Conference in October. Contact Jesse.Bennett@cpcc.edu for more information.