Adelphi Educates Students About the Importance of Staying Healthy

The purell hand sanitizer dispensers can be found in all residence halls and buildings around campus. Photo courtesy of Leslie Fazin

In an effort to safeguard students against the looming cold and flu season, Adelphi University installed 150 automatic hand sanitizer dispensers around the campus' most populated areas.

The decision to install these dispensers was a collaborative effort put forth by Eugene Palma,

executive director of Public Safety, Jacqueline Cartabuke, director of the Health and Services Center and Edwin Guerrero, head of housekeeping. "Due to the number of people that use populated areas over and over, it's a good idea for health and safety to provide an easy way to quickly clean your hands," said Cartabuke.

The 150 purell hand sanitizer dispensers awaited students at the start of the fall 2009 academic semester. The need to take action came in response to recommendations made by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New York Department of Health regarding the H1N1 virus - also known as the Swine Flu.

“Although washing your hands with soap and water is the best way to prevent the spread of germs, the hand sanitizer is a good resource when that option is not available,”said Palma in the October 12 issue of Adelphi's student newspaper, The Delphian.

Knowing that students are always on the run, these sanitizers make it easy to keep hands clean. Cartabuke advises not to become dependent upon these dispensers, however. At the Health and Services Center, located in Waldo Hall, she reminds students that hand washing before and after class and at the restroom, as well as before and after meals, is the best preventative measure they can take. "We highly recommend hand washing whenever possible and have provided mirror stickers to all residential halls as well as signs throughout campus on hand washing," she said.

A poster, displayed in Chapman Hall, reminds students about the importance of staying healthy on campus. Photo courtesy of Leslie Fazin.

The CDC also believes that hand-washing is the best prevention against the spread of germs and recommends running hands under soap and water for a total of 20 seconds - enough time as it would take to sing "Happy Birthday" twice to a close friend.

Beyond hand-washing and the on-the-g0 purell sanitizer stations, Cartabuke suggests receiving a flu vaccination as well. Though vaccinations come with complications, "immunization is statistically our best means of defense," she said. For students weary of the Swine Flu, Adelphi's Health Services will be releasing a limited quantity of the H1N1 vaccination, the first phase of vaccines to be available to the Adelphi community.

On a first-come, first-served basis, students, faculty and staff, who are in compliance with the CDC's "priority recipient" guidelines, will be able to receive the vaccination on Wednesday, October 28 at Adelphi's Manhattan Center campus from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Those categorized as "priority" are "pregnant women, people who live with or care for infants younger than six months of age, health care and emergency medical personnel, people up to 24 years of age and people from 25 through 64 years of age with certain chronic medical conditions or a weakened immune system," according to an e-mail sent out by the Health Services Center.

To find out how to stay healthy on campus, visit the Health Services Center in Waldo Hall, call (516) 877 - 6000 or follow the health alerts posted at www.adelphi.edu/healthandwellness.

~Leslie Fazin