The following communication was sent to the entire Fairfield University Community on October 16th, 2014, related to the Ebola issue :

Dear Fairfield University Community,

Yesterday, the media reported a possible case of Ebola at Yale-New Haven Hospital which has subsequently been confirmed to be negative. However, in light of all the recent reports and news around Ebola, we would like to take this opportunity to assure you that Fairfield University's campus community is not at any unique risk of exposure to the virus.

Fairfield University's School of Nursing has a strong clinical partnership with Yale-New Haven Hospital as well as many other hospitals in the local area. While there has been no exposure to our students, our School of Nursing will be taking the proactive step of temporarily suspending clinical rotations at Yale New Haven Hospital and altering emergency room rotations at other area hospitals. This is done solely as a precaution to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff, and allows us to learn more about the external situation. We are confident that these temporary, proactive measures will not negatively impact the learning experience of our students given the abundance of alternative clinical experiences we have available.

In our previous communication on September 5th, we shared that earlier this year Fairfield University had conducted a review of records for our current student and employee population for risks of exposure and ruled out any risks. Nonetheless, we will continue to monitor the situation and have taken additional steps in various areas, including our student health center and public safety office, to take advantage of training, and to adopt preventative measures and heightened information collection practices. We are staying on top of all recommendations by local and state agencies as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We will continue to do so until such time as we believe it is no longer warranted.

The CDC's website remains one of the best sources for comprehensive and up to date information about Ebola: The CDC website may be accessed at www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola . Fairfield University faculty and staff are collaborating to prepare an educational forum on the Ebola virus to be made available to our campus community.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. While Fairfield University is fortunate not to be experiencing this disease, please remember the victims of this illness, as well as their families, medical professionals and care givers in your thoughts and prayers.

Regards,

Dr. Thomas C. Pellegrino
Vice President for Student Affairs

and

Dr. Lynn Babington, PhD, RN
RWJF Executive Nurse Fellow
Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs

Posted On: 10-16-2014 03:10 PM

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