Posts Tagged: Policy

Employee Comment: Presidential Policy Seismic Safety

The University of California Office of the President invites comments on a proposed Presidential Policy Seismic Safety. The policy is proposed to be revised and includes the following key issues:

• Replace the 2030 deadline with a continual improvement requirement for each location to achieve a minimum 4% per year reduction of non-compliant space above the established 2022 baseline square footage averaged over a three-year period. Note that any improvements completed in compliance with state-mandated requirements for critical care facilities will count towards the 4% reduction goal.

• All currently occupied Seismic Performance Rating VI facilities, shall be given the highest priority in capital planning and allocation decisions and brought into compliance with policy no later than Dec. 31, 2037.

• Existing leases for certain non-compliant UC-occupied facilities may be extended through 2037.

The proposed revisions are posted here: https://ucanr.edu/sites/PCPA/Revisions/.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment on this policy revision, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than Nov. 1, 2024. Please indicate “Seismic Safety Policy” in the subject line.

Employee Comment: PPSM-84 Employee Consultation (Accommodations for Nursing Mothers)

The University of California is proposing revisions to PPSM-84 (Accommodations for Nursing Mothers), which applies to staff employees in the Professional & Support Staff, Managers & Senior Professionals, and Senior Management Group personnel groups.

This draft of PPSM-84 has been updated with technical and clarifying edits for compliance with legal requirements. 

The proposed revisions are posted here: https://ucanr.edu/sites/PCPA/Revisions/.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment on this policy revision, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu no later than Sept. 20, 2024. Please indicate “Employee Consultation Policy” in the subject line.

UC seeks toddler volunteers for milk study

UC researchers will study effects of whole milk and low-fat milk on toddlers' health and development.

Researchers to study whether whole or low-fat milk is best for toddlers

San Francisco Bay Area toddlers who drink cow's milk are being sought to participate in a 12-month study by UC Nutrition Policy Institute, a part of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Milk will be provided for free to participants.

Milk provides children with calcium, protein and vitamin D, which are essential for health and brain development. In the U.S., the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children switch from whole milk to low-fat or nonfat milk after age 2 to reduce their intake of saturated fat and calories.

“The purpose of this UC study is to see how the type of milk toddlers drink affects their health, growth and development,” said Kassandra Bacon, NPI project policy analyst.

Researchers with the Nutrition Policy Institute are recruiting children ages 23 to 30 months old. The 625 toddlers will be randomly assigned to drink either whole fat or 1% fat milk starting at age 2. The scientists will assess diet, health and developmental outcomes.

“We will follow each participant for one year, collecting baseline and follow-up data,” said Ryan Williams, a NPI project policy analyst and registered dietitian who is involved in the research.

For 12 months, the scientists will measure each child's height, weight, waist and head circumference. At the beginning and end of the study, parents will be required to take their children to a local lab for a blood draw to assess lipids, cholesterol, insulin resistance and vitamin D status, as well collect a sample of their child's stool so the scientists may analyze the gut microbiome. During a home visit, researchers will also interview parents about their child's development.

Benefits to participants

The assigned milk type will be delivered to participants free of charge via a grocery delivery service. Participating parents will receive advice from a registered dietitian to support healthy milk consumption as part of a balanced diet. The Nutrition Policy Institute also will send the parents monthly newsletters with general health tips. Participants also may earn up to $275 in gift cards by completing the study.

Requirements to participate

Participants for the milk study must meet these requirements:

• Child must be 23 to 30 months old and have public or private medical insurance
• Child's parent/legal guardian must be 18 years or older
• Child must live with the participating parent/legal guardian in the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Francisco or San Mateo counties)
• Child's parent or guardian must speak English

Children are ineligible for the study if they are:

• a WIC participant
• lactose intolerant
• allergic to milk protein

Lorrene Ritchie, NPI director and registered dietitian, and Anisha Patel, pediatrician at Stanford Medicine Children's Health and professor in the Division of General Pediatrics at Stanford University, are the principal investigators for the study.

For more information about the research and to sign up for the study, visit https://npi.ucanr.edu/milk.

Employee Comment: Proposed Presidential Policy – Externally Supplied Medications in UC Outpatient and Clinic Settings

The University of California Office of the President invites comments on a proposed Presidential Policy Use of Externally Supplied Medications in UC Outpatient and Clinic Settings. The policy is proposed to be revised and includes the following key issues: 

• The Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) is a federal law that requires UC to be able to track and trace all medications given to patients. Currently, there are medications coming into our UC system that we can't track and trace because they are externally supplied by outside pharmacies. This policy would ban the use of medications that were externally supplied outside of our contracted distributors.
• UC has identified that externally supplied medications not only go against the DSCSA, but also lead to gaps in patient care and wastage of medication.
• Rare exceptions to this policy exist in cases of first-time patient education and in patient assistance programs.

The proposed revisions are posted here: https://ucanr.edu/sites/PCPA/Revisions/.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment on this policy revision, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than Oct. 31, 2024. Please indicate “External Medications Policy” in the subject line.

Employee Comment: Proposed revisions to Program Attachments #3-7 to the Policy on Vaccination Programs

The University of California Office of the President invites comments on proposed Program Attachments #3–7 to the Policy on Vaccination Programs. The policy is proposed to include the following key issues:

• Students will be required to be Up-To-Date on their MMR, MenACWY, Tdap, and VZV vaccinations, provide proof of immunity for those diseases, or obtain a University-approved exception, as a condition of Physical Presence at a University Location or in a University Program. 
• Students may request exceptions to any of these vaccination requirements premised on medical contraindications, religious objections, or disability. There are no exceptions permitted for students' mandatory completion of a tuberculosis screening questionnaire to evaluate their risk of latent tuberculosis. 
• In the event that applicable law or public health orders impose stricter vaccination requirements, students would be required to comply with those stricter requirements.
• Students who are not Up-To-Date with the relevant vaccination requirements (which includes those who have been granted exceptions) or who have not satisfied the tuberculosis screening requirement may be subject to Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (e.g., masks and testing) above and beyond those who have demonstrated compliance and may be excluded from the Location or site of an outbreak.
• Additionally, students who are not compliant with the vaccination programs and/or screening program must participate in any Vaccine Education required by their Location Vaccine Authority (LVA). Additional Vaccine Education may be required by the LVA in the event of an outbreak or consistent with applicable federal, state, or local laws, regulations, or accreditation standards.

The proposed revisions are posted here: https://ucanr.edu/sites/PCPA/Revisions/.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment on this policy revision, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than Oct. 25, 2024. Please indicate “Vaccination Policy Programs” in the subject line.

 

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