Health professionals continue managing USN’s COVID mitigation, response

Health Team Director and Registered Nurse Jennifer Aaron shares an update on the school’s COVID-19 policies and wellness reminders.
By Jennifer Aaron, RN, MSN, Health Team Director

The USN Health Team is gearing up for what we hope is a healthy and less unprecedented school year for all. I know there are questions about how we will continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic, and I am happy to report that life on campus will look and feel much like a pre-COVID school year. We will be welcoming more visitors to campus, resuming class retreats and trips, and generally enjoying a renewed sense of community that we have all missed over the past couple of years.

That being said, we realize that COVID-19 infections persist and will present ongoing challenges. We continue to benefit from the guidance of our esteemed Medical Advisory Board as we aim to make data-driven decisions about COVID-related practices at USN. At this time, and due in large part to our high rate of vaccination across the school, we have decided to keep our mask-optional policy in place. We will continue to update the COVID-19 tracker, which we use to report the number of active cases in the USN community, that is accessible at usn.org/coronavirus. As always, we support anyone’s decision to wear a mask and will continue to have them on hand. 

We will continue to follow the CDC’s recommendations for managing COVID-19 infections, which means the Health Team nurses and doctors will be testing for symptoms, sending sick people home and isolating individuals with COVID-19. You can help us immensely by monitoring your students for symptoms each morning and keeping them home when in doubt, even if the symptoms are mild. Please continue to communicate with the Health Team; we can help with decision-making and provide rapid antigen and PCR tests. Email covid-alert@usn.org for COVID-19-related issues, testing arrangements, and email healthroom@usn.org for routine matters. Continue to update your student’s pertinent medical information in Magnus, including COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters.

Lastly, with fewer of us wearing masks, prevention of illness will be especially important. We strongly encourage everyone to get flu shots this season, any available COVID-19 boosters and, again, stay home when sick. Please have a plan in case your student becomes ill during the day so that they can be picked up promptly. We want to avoid the transmission of illness at school, COVID-19 or otherwise.

The well-being of the USN community is our top priority, and we will continue to adapt our practices as needed with this in mind. Thank you for all you’ve done to partner with us over the past couple of years to get to this point, and we look forward to a new year caring for your Tigers.
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University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.