COVID-19, Health, and Wellness
REMINDER: Masks to be worn at all times in buildings and outside across the academic and residential areas of campus
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Campus surveillance testing information
Fredonia will continue surveillance testing as soon as students return to campus, pursuant to the previous testing plan incorporated into the campus reopening plans and SUNY’s Mandatory COVID-19 Testing Program as announced on September 4, 2020. All students, faculty and staff who live on campus and/or plan to be on campus for any reason (e.g., instruction, co-curricular activities, and meetings) shall be tested bi-weekly.
The campus has developed a plan consistent with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Phase 4 reopening blueprint for higher education institutions. An important part of our plan is surveillance testing. Surveillance testing serves as an early warning system to assist with prevention and spread management of COVID-19.
- In an effort to focus prevention activities and target potential areas of concern, SUNY Fredonia will implement a testing protocol using a surveillance tool for COVID-19 provided by SUNY Upstate Medical University.
- Fredonia will conduct pool test samples of students and employees at the 95+% confidence level regarding the presence of SARS-COV-2 in saliva samples.
- All residential and non-residential students will be required to be pool tested every other week (unless there seems to be a major increase in "events" - at which time the samples will be conducted more frequently).
- The testing will be coordinated and administered through the Environmental Health & Safety & Sustainability Office in coordination with SUNY Upstate Medical University.
- Students who are scheduled for pool testing will receive an email from Environmental Health & Safety & Sustainability with instructions. To understand what to expect during the pool testing process, students, faculty and staff are invited to watch this brief video.
A bi-weekly pooled surveillance testing schedule will be developed to ensure all members of the campus community are included. Everyone on campus will be scheduled for testing every other week based on:
- each residence hall (for on-campus students), or,
- the first letter of their last name (for off-campus students).
- Employees are also participating in testing every two weeks, and are scheduled according to the first letter of their last name.
Students and employees will be sent an email prior to their scheduled date with detailed information and location to report for testing. Reminders are also provided indicating that testing is mandatory for students, and that SUNY-wide sanctions are in place for non-compliance. A plan is also in place for students to get a text daily, if necessary, until they are tested prior to departure (primarily an issue for off-campus students).
The campus continues to send pool samples to SUNY Upstate Medical University and has pre-authorized Upstate Medical to conduct reflex testing if positive pool test results occur. The procedure to notify individuals of positive test results remains the same. Participants whose results are positive will be contacted, by phone, directly by the Student Health Center. For employees, the notification comes from Human Resources.
The campus will only notify those who test positive from surveillance pool testing. If the student or employee does not receive a follow up phone call within 3-5 days of their testing, they should presume that their test was negative. There is no formal notification of these presumed negative results. Unfortunately, this testing cannot be used for the purpose of travel, pre-employment or return to work.
Fredonia has established a pool testing “hotline” to answer questions about the process. That number is (716) 680-6073 or emails can be sent to pooltesting@fredonia.edu (students) or epooltesting@fredonia.edu (employees). Pool testing protocols continue to be conducted in coordination with Upstate Medical.
Wellness resources
Take care of yourself physically and mentally
This is a stressful time, but we are all in this together! Fredonia has services available so students can talk openly and confidentially:
- Counseling Center continues to provide individual and group counseling via telemental health services; same-day services are available and in-person services provided as needed. Peer Support Communities are under development for the Spring 2021 semester
- MyStrength: Everyone at Fredonia has access to a free online tool to help manage stress, anxiety, depression and other common mental health issues associated with stress resulting from the pandemic. Visit myStrength.com: click “Sign Up,” and enter the access code "FredoniaBlueDevil" (no quotes, all one word) for unlimited access to personalized help, including tracking your mood, managing depressive and anxious thoughts, and accessing and sharing inspirations.
- Crisis services are available 24/7/365 through the Chautauqua County Crisis Hotline (1-800-724-0461) and includes the Mobile Crisis Team providing telephone or face-to-face response to mental health crises.
- Free online QPR suicide prevention training for students, faculty, and staff.
- ReachOut SUNY: Fredonia will continue to share ReachOut SUNY to the campus and has embedded this in campus resources.
- Thriving Campus: Fredonia is in the process of collaborating with Thriving Campus to support students with off-campus referral management tools that they can use on their own or with Counseling Center staff.
- Middle Earth: Peer assistance program from the University at Albany.
- New York State Office of Mental Health Crisis Text Line: Text GOT5 to 741741.