Announcements

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination, COVID-19, and other Respiratory Illnesses

As we enter the influenza season, we strongly recommend that all USC students, faculty, and university staff receive vaccinations for the 2022-2023 influenza season. Getting your flu vaccination will help mitigate the potential simultaneous impact of flu and COVID-19 during the seasonal respiratory illness timeframe in the fall/winter months. Exact timing of flu season may vary, but activity often begins to increase in October; flu activity typically peaks between December and February, although activity can last as late as May. Learn more key facts from the CDC.

MHART pilot program launches to help students experiencing mental health crises

Counselors and officers together in front of a health care building.

When the Dept. of Public Safety are called to respond to mental health calls, a licensed mental health clinician will be part of the response team—Mental Health Assistance & Response Team (MHART). “The impetus for the program is that we want students in crisis — or potentially in crisis — that are having mental health issues to interact primarily with mental health clinicians as an alternative to law enforcement,” said Steven Siegel, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine. “Mental health providers will be with the officers when there’s a call, and the mental health providers will ultimately be front and center interacting with the student to help them through the crisis, while public safety is there to support that.”

Student Mental Health and Well-being

Sept. 6, 2022—As an academic institution that prides itself on intellectual rigor, USC brings many opportunities for tackling challenging work; this can sometimes also carry unintended stressors. Over the course of this year—or several years, as is the case for students who are pursuing degrees—it is reasonable to expect that at times, we may feel overwhelmed, and even disappointed; or feel the weight of other troubles from different aspects of our lives. We want you to know that USC values the health and well-being of our community members as our highest priority, and when you need help, resources are available to support you. As we acknowledge the upcoming World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10, we are sharing some of these resources below, so our entire community can serve as a better-informed safety net for our students, and each other.

CDC makes recommendation on bivalent COVID-19 boosters

Sept. 1, 2022—CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendations for use of updated COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for people ages 12 years and older and from Moderna for people ages 18 years and older. Updated COVID-19 boosters add Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein components to the current vaccine composition, helping to restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination by targeting variants that are more transmissible and immune-evading. Read the full CDC announcement. USC Pharmacies has temporarily suspended its booster clinic with the previous booster formulations. Pending new clinical guidance, booster vaccination will resume with supplies of the new bivalent formulations.

Message to University Faculty and Student Services Colleagues

Fall 2022 Message to Faculty and Student Services Colleagues—We hope you have had a restful and restorative summer. As we begin the 2022-2023 academic year, we are sharing with you some updates on services for students that may be useful for you to keep in mind as we return to our busy academic pursuits. This year, our clinical faculty in Counseling and Mental Health are moving to increase access to and ease of mental health support for students by moving to a “stepped care” model, one that incorporates tools, support services, and clinical care to address the range of experiences and needs of students. Our goal is to deliver the right care, at the right time, by the right person, for the best outcomes for our patients.

Going Out and Safety

8/2 As there are many opportunities for social activities both on campus and off campus, we would like to share reminders for staying safe when you go out.

• The university’s safety website contains resources for students, including tips for going out safely (also available in Chinese and Spanish)

• The mobile app (powered by LiveSafe) provides additional ways to look up information and contact the USC Department of Public Safety (DPS) and other campus resources. Please add the 24/7 phone numbers for DPS to your mobile phone: 213-740-4321 (University Park Campus) and 323-442-100 (Health Sciences Campus.)

• Monkeypox has been identified as a public health issue in the U.S. and in LA County; it is being transmitted primarily through close intimate contact; we encourage you to read about ways to prevent transmission and protect yourself if you are in a population at higher risk of exposure.

• A County Dept. of Public Health also issued an advisory earlier this summer on fentanyl, which is still a public health concern. Anyone who has access to drugs that are not prescribed to them, and not directly dispensed to them through a pharmacy, should be advised to have Narcan, also known as naloxone, available and test any drugs for fentanyl. Narcan is a covered benefit of the Student Health Insurance Plan/Aetna and is available at the USC Pharmacies.

• USC Transportation also provides the rideshare program via Lyft, which further extends safer travel after hours.

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