To our team members who celebrate, we wish you a very Happy Hanukkah.
What You Should Know This Week:
- New Jersey today reported another 2,471 COVID-19 cases as positive tests continue to climb following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The state’s seven-day new case average hit its highest point since April. Statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen 50% since November 1, 2021. To read more click here.
- Yesterday, a federal judge ordered a preliminary injunction to temporarily block enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers. This preliminary injunction is temporary and may be reversed. As a result, we encourage all team members to get a vaccine or request an exemption as soon as possible as the deadline is fast approaching. We will continue to track this case through the legal process and provide updates. Please note that the State of New Jersey mandate requiring health care workers to be vaccinated or tested is not impacted by this legal case. Therefore, all Cooper team members must receive a COVID-19 vaccine or continue be tested weekly.
- Cooper’s Emergency Medical Services recently received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Achievement Award for implementing quality improvement measures to treat patients who suffer severe heart attacks. Join us in congratulating the EMS team. Click here to read more.
- Don’t miss the deadline for flu 2021 vaccination compliance – December 6, 2021. Please review the information here to ensure you are compliant. Click here for the schedule. Flu shots are not being offered in the Kelemen tent or booster pop-up clinics, which are exclusively for COVID-19 vaccines.
- The Holiday Virtual Tree Decorating Contest is BACK! For details click here, and don’t forget to post to Pulse+.
- COVID-19 booster eligibility has expanded: Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J boosters are available to all Cooper team members at the Kelemen Circle tent, ambulatory offices, and retail locations. To schedule your booster shot, visit myCooper. Vaccines and boosters are also available at The Camden County Health Hub in Blackwood on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can also be scheduled on myCooper.
- In partnership with the Camden County Coalition, Cooper will continue to host a COVID-19 Pop-up Vaccine Clinic at the Cherry Hill Mall. The clinic will be open the second weekend of every month, through April 2022, on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Food Services product unavailability and shortages are often the result of labor challenges. We know that not all production issues can be fixed and our Food Services team is continuously working on alternate solutions. You may notice a product has changed in some way; however, rest assured that we are doing everything we can to meet the expectations of our patients/customers while still providing the variety of options that our customers expect and deserve.
- The newest episode of Out in the Crowd With Mazz and O’Dowd features two Cooper physicians who have recently been on the Today Show and Good Morning Philadelphia. Click here to listen to the episode.
- Join Cooper’s Department of Surgery on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, for a Surgery Grand Rounds event, “The Tragedies of Life Are Largely Arterial.” Click here for more information.
- Click here to read today’s Daily Dose, “Dialectics for the Holidays.” As always, you can view the Daily Dose archives here.
- We love to hear patient feedback about their excellent health care experience at Cooper. Kudos to all who are making The Cooper Experience a reality. Click here to read more.
- Topic of the Week – Omicron – No, it’s not the newest villain in Star Wars. Omicron, is a new variant of COVID-19. Experts don’t yet know if this variant is more or less transmissible or if it causes more severe or milder disease. The vaccines are expected to still be effective, but this is also not yet known. However, the first U.S. case of Omicron infection was found today in California. Accordingly, we ask you to stay vigilant about masking, distancing, and hand hygiene. We know everyone is tired of COVID-19, but with the holidays approaching we want to keep everyone safe and healthy to see an end to this pandemic. For safety tips and reminders during this holiday season, please click here.
- Movie Quote: “Traditions, traditions. Without our traditions our lives would be as shaky as… as a fiddler on the roof!”
We appreciate your ongoing hard work and commitment during these challenging times.
Please email CEOQuestions@CooperHealth.edu with any questions or comments.