Physician-in-Chief's Message
April 8, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
 
I have enjoyed the virtual meetings with the divisions over the past two days and look forward to completing these meetings this week. Many of you have asked great questions! Please keep these questions coming. 
Carol Lewis is leading a group in charge of PPE. She reached out about pediatric face masks because we have had low supplies, especially in the ER. Benny’s son served as the model for these masks (see photo).  He commented that the mask worked very well! If you are receiving emails or donations about PPE, please reach out to me or Benny Joyner.
UNC COVID Updates
Ambulatory Care
  • Please see UNC Pediatric COVID site for the most up-to-date information. 
  • Remember that the default for out-patient visits will be a virtual visit via video
  • If you need assistance with video visits contact American Well by phone 866-822-3656 or via UNCHCSTelehealth@americanwell.com  
  • Thank you to everyone for making a smooth transition out of Chapel Hill and into Raleigh/Virtual clinics
Your COVID-19 Questions & Answers
Response from Tom Belhorn

Q: I have heard the virus causing COVID-19 is present in stools of infected patients. Is this also a way the virus is transmitted to others [fecal-oral transmission]?
 
A: Like other coronaviruses, COVID-19 has been detected in stools via PCR assays. There is much debate, though, whether coronavirus detected in stool is whole infectious virus (vs inactive virus particles / nucleic acid). There have been a few papers in the literature (and thank you to Dr. Sylvester for sharing some with me!) that have looked at this issue. It seems most likely the virus present in stool is not infectious, but further studies are underway to confirm this. The main route of transmission is definitely respiratory (droplet spread) – but the same strict hand washing and usual precautions should be maintained to prevent transmission from any source.
Letter from the Office of the Dean to SOM Researchers

Dear Colleagues,
The life of an academician in research and education is incredibly demanding under normal circumstances. Of course, our current situation is far from normal. Read More...
Nutrition & Food Department Offering “Essential Grocery Packages”
  • There is an now Employee Grocery Store set up in Corner Café. It is available for all UNC Medical Center staff members including SOM employees.
  • These options are intended to help provide you and your family some of the essential supplies that we see a shortage of in our local grocery stores.
  • The packages will be pre-packed so we can ensure a quick and easy process.
  • See the Intranet site for more details.
Wellness Matters
We have created a Wellness Instagram account! To protect our privacy, the account is only accessible after you request access. You will find the account to follow in Instagram by clicking our logo on the right or by searching for “ UNC Children's Wellness ”. Send your photos, favorite quotes, and other posts that inspire you and encourage wellness during this difficult time. Items to posts can be sent to unc_childrens@med.unc.edu - including 'Instagram' in the subject line would be a real help.
Jennifer Goralski shared these beautiful stories written by a colleague of hers and his child. The books are about children of healthcare workers. I really enjoyed reading it as a mom of three boys! It is really applicable to all healthcare workers. Just click on the images below to see each book as a PDFs.
Gratefully,
919-417-3130 (cell)