As health care organizations grapple with responding to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and adapting their operations to continue to fulfill other aspects of their care mission, they must also begin to define and prepare for the future of care amid economic, regulatory, and social uncertainties. What might the post-Covid-19 landscape look like? How can health systems address a range of possible challenges? What are the opportunities to revolutionize care?

Care providers must understand the ramifications for their digital health function and agenda and how information technology can address the challenges and opportunities of their new normal. To develop this understanding, we conducted a roundtable discussion with chief information officers from leading health systems at the Scottsdale Institute, a not-for-profit organization that supports its member health systems in achieving clinical integration and transformation through information technology.

The participants agreed that the new normal digital health agenda will need to focus on three overarching areas: developing virtual care, coping with the financial impact of the pandemic, and embracing the lessons learned from managing the crisis.

The volume of telehealth visits increased dramatically as patients sought to safely obtain outpatient care. Many physicians saw their telehealth visit volume increase by a factor of 50 to 175. This increase occurred over a very short period often in days or at the most, weeks. Providers hastily constructed a temporary bridge, built with digital tools and operational workarounds that are not robust enough to sustain this level of use permanently. At the same time, patients have come to expect telehealth and many providers have become comfortable delivering care via the technology.

Because virtual care is now part of the new normal, health systems must construct a sturdy, permanent bridge that includes organizational, financial, and clinical structures and processes. The health system will need to integrate telehealth technology with the electronic health record, define clinical protocols for appropriate telehealth visits, obtain reimbursement for telehealth visits, and revamp hospital and physician practice processes to support telehealth (e.g., how should virtual waiting rooms work for telehealth visits?).

As health systems implement a permanent approach to telehealth, they should recognize that telehealth is a component of two broader digital health strategies: ensuring that care is delivered in the right setting and creating a great patient experience through a digital front door.

Delivering care in the right setting. Driven by the movement to value-based care (paying on the basis of outcomes as opposed to the volume of services), health systems must ensure that patients are cared for in the most appropriate setting. For example, how do we redirect care from emergency room that rightfully belongs in a doctors office? Can we provide chronic care management through home health services, reducing visits to the physicians office?

Virtual care can help advance efforts to manage patient care across a continuum of settings. Remote monitoring can move much of chronic disease management to the home. Telehealth can enable access to specialist consultation for a patient at a nursing home without having to transport the patient to the academic health center.

Creating a great patient experience. The pandemic has increased consumer reliance on digital technologies for many of their daily activities. People work from home glued to Zoom. Groceries arrive from Instacart and Amazon delivers household supplies. Consumers will expect that their digital health experiences will be equally effective and easy to use.

To meet these expectations, health systems will need to double down on their digital front door efforts, enabling patients to handle routine interactions such as scheduling an appointment, paying a bill, finding a doctor, renewing a medication, finding answers to health questions, and navigating the health system itself.

Many health systems nominally offer these capabilities now, through patient portals with often opaque user interfaces and erratic performance. They must improve.

Between March 1 and June 30, hospitals and health systems lost an estimated $202.6 billion as a result of forgone revenue and increased Covid-19-related costs. Patients are slowly returning to hospitals, but admissions are projected to be down 10.5% in 2020 compared with 2019.

In addition, states are grappling with Medicaid spending as tax revenues decline and Medicaid enrollment increases. The growth in the number of public payer enrollees will cause a hit to hospital revenues, which, before the pandemic, were already contending with care reimbursement that was less than their costs of care. More downward pressure is expected on Medicare rates as the federal government deals with decreased revenues and the interest payments from the trillions of dollars of Covid-19 related debt incurred from economic stimulus payments, unemployment insurance, and business loans.

To address their revenue challenges, many health systems will accelerate their movement to value-based care, and those that offer health plans will emphasize them. Health systems have been stung by the volatility of volume-based reimbursement and will attempt to move to capitation reimbursement models that enable more predictable revenue.

To support capitation, health systems will need to step up their investments in several digital health capabilities:

In addition to managing revenue in the new normal, health systems will increase their focus on reducing costs and constraining budgets.

To reduce expenses, health systems must thoroughly review opportunities to apply digital health tools to streamline clinical and administrative operations. They must also continue to improve the usability of the electronic health record to reduce clinicians frustrations and ensure that they enter information correctly. And they must enhance analytics capabilities to understand care costs and staff productivity.

During the pandemic, many health systems discovered shortcomings in their analytics capabilities. Data quality was uneven, analyses took too long, and predictive models were not sufficiently comprehensive. Managers and clinicians were often poorly trained in using the data. As they adjust to the new normal, health systems will seek to remedy these deficiencies.

At the same time, as part of reducing expenses, the digital health function itself will be under pressure to operate with fewer resources. This pressure will result in efforts to:

During the peaks of the pandemic, health systems dramatically increased the speed of their decision-making in order to contend with challenges such as shortages of personal protective equipment, the high utilization of intensive care unit beds, and protocols for safely treating patients and protecting staff.

The urgency of the crisis also led to rapid experimentation with new ways of managing clinical and operational processes. In the heat of the moment, health systems developed new ways to do telework, implemented the use of chatbots to respond to patient questions and concerns, and collaborated across organizations to coordinate care across a region.

These advances in decision-making speed and experimentation abilities should not be placed in a box once the pandemic subsides. Health systems should seek to cement these gains in organizational capabilities. Even without a crisis to drive them, health systems should review how best to quickly and efficiently identify and conduct experiments with new digital health technologies and how to make those decisions quickly while ensuring that they are thoughtful and politically supported.

Acceleration has been the pandemics most notable impact on health systems digital strategy. Prior to the pandemic, most health systems had initiatives to pursue telehealth, implement applications that support value-based care, increase integration across care settings, improve the patient experience through the implementation of a digital front door, and reduce the cost of delivering care. The timeframe for accomplishing these initiatives will now be significantly compressed; what might have taken 10 years to accomplish will now take three years. This pandemic-induced acceleration of the digital strategy has been observed across several industries.

Having earned its battlefield stripes on the front line during the Covid-19 surge, the digital health organization will become a more strategic partner to the health system C-suite. Health IT professionals had to scale telehealth and telework rapidly and provide the analytics necessary for health systems to manage the impact of the surge on clinical operations. Leadership will continue to need their support.

While this public health crisis has tragically cost us lives, livelihoods, and our sense of normalcy, we still have the power to shape what comes next. Covid-19 has forced health care leaders and clinicians to move faster, work smarter, and take a more focused approach to decision-making than ever before.

Digital health solutions and technology will play a crucial role in the difficult work of optimizing processes and systems for greater efficiency, financial viability, and enhanced outcomes. Through this unexpected disruption of the status quo, there is a tremendous opportunity to create a new normal that is a significant improvement over the old normal.

Continued here:
What the Pandemic Means for Health Care's Digital Transformation - Harvard Business Review

CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) today announced that as part of its overall commitment to recruit and develop more diverse talent to better serve customers, its Board of Directors expects to add a second Black board member. The Board of Directors collectively agreed last December to further diversify the board, conduct a search and recruit an additional Black board member.

"As the first Latino to lead a major airline, I know from experience that acompany can only truly thrive if those at the top are as diverse as the customers, communities and employees they serve - starting with the boardroom," said Oscar Munoz, Executive Chairman"It's a matter of competitiveness as well as conscience. That's why I am proud we are continuing our long-standing efforts to further diversify our board leadership to help lead United into the future."

In addition to this commitment, United today also signed on to The Board Challenge, a movement among companies looking to accelerate change. United, like other Charter Pledge Partners, currently has a diverse board including one Black board member and is encouraging other corporations to do the same. The company and its Board of Directors believe that diverse leadership improves its ability to serve the millions of customers who choose to fly United across the globe.

"Change comes from the top, and by making this commitment, we will expand and diversify the leaders that are helping to guide United forward during some of the toughest challenges we have faced," said Scott Kirby, CEO. "As our search progresses, I am reminded of the wealth of untapped diverse talent that is out there and the ongoing responsibility that we, as corporate leaders, have to confront systemic racism head-on and actively recruit this talent at all levels of our organizations."

About UnitedUnited's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines

http://www.united.com

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United Airlines Holdings Extends Leading Commitment To Diversity In The Board Room - PRNewswire

AUSTIN Back when he was at Texas, media sessions with Devin Duvernay were always accompanied by knowing smirks. Thats because most times the Longhorns wideout spoke as if on a word count, just waiting to hit the limit so he could escape the web of cameras and recorders and get back to work.

Michigan graduate transfer Tarik Black probably isnt as taciturn as Duvernay, who last season led UT with 106 receptions for 1,386 yards and nine touchdowns and is now a member of the Baltimore Ravens. But theres something similar in the DNA of two receivers, both more given to introspection and stoicism than bombast.

A quiet confidence; Tarik doesnt say a whole lot, Texas coach Tom Herman said. But he has assimilated well. The team has embraced him because of his work ethic and his contribution to the team and the offense in particular. Guy is very selfless. You know, he wants to be on all the special (teams) units, volunteering to do that.

Black might replace Duvernay as the Longhorns resident silent assassin, but Herman brought the former four-star recruit in to make up for the departure of senior Collin Johnson, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 6-foot-3, 217-pound transfer has been jostling with junior Brennan Eagles and could start at X-receiver in next Saturdays season opener against UTEP.

As you would expect with a grad transfer, he is very mature in the way that he handles his business in terms of his preparation, his attention to detail, Herman said. When it comes to watching the video, studying his playbook, as well as taking care of his body, you know, thats a guy you just really dont have to remind a whole lot to do any of those things because of his maturity level. So were thrilled to have him.

UT and new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich hope to have the veteran wideout on the field throughout this years altered 10-game regular season, never a given with Black.

There are the obvious and serious concerns about COVID-19 transmission, but Black has also been derailed by foot injuries ever since graduating from Cheshire Academy as the No. 1 player in Connecticut. He appeared in only 21 games over three seasons at Michigan, finishing his career there with 40 receptions for 507 yards and two touchdowns.

(Tariks) a guy that mentally has to get over the hump, Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis told the Detroit Free Press last year. He cant be concerned or worried about his past history as far as his injuries. Thats the thing Ive stressed with him Hey, dont worry about injuries, dont try to save yourself. Youve got to just try to apply yourself each and every day to be the best player that you can be.

But Black has looked smooth since Texas began practice early last month. No injury hiccups or setbacks, just a healthy and motivated senior looking for a bit of good fortune. One video UT posted on Twitter showed Black evading a couple defenders on a slant route, snagging quarterback Sam Ehlingers pass and evading corner Jalen Green with a lightning-quick head fake.

Given what Texas has seen so far, it seems Black is now playing free and loose, unencumbered by fear of injury. If he pans out stays healthy, emerges as a viable target split out wide and takes some pressure off the groups more unproven members Texas could boast one of the Big 12s deepest receiving corps.

Eagles showed promise last season, recording 32 receptions for 522 yards and six scores. Sophomores Jake Smith (25 receptions, 274 yards, six touchdowns in 2019) and Jordan Whittington look dynamic out of the slot, and both are prime targets for gadget plays. And others such as redshirt sophomore Joshua Moore, sophomore Marcus Washington and third-year wideout AlVonte Woodard will look to break out as senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger looks to identify his go-to wideouts.

But Black could become the critical X-factor, both on the field and off.

Is it a lot safer to have Duvernay or Collin in that room? Yeah, Herman said, and I think thats one of the big reasons we went out and signed Tarik Black as a grad transfer. Not that we are in dire straits in that room, but I do think its important.

Had we not signed Tarik there would have been literally no seniors in that room, no scholarship seniors. So just the experience alone that Tarik brings to that room I think will be very beneficial.

nmoyle@express-news.net

Twitter: @NRmoyle

Originally posted here:
Transfer receiver Tarik Black a key addition for Texas - Houston Chronicle

A virtual classroom has launched to enable surgeons to come together and take part in interactive teaching sessions and lectures remotely, from anywhere in the world.

Teaching Space' has been created by FundamentalVR to improve the way surgeons are trained. It follows on from their virtual platform Fundamental Surgery, which lets an unlimited number of users practice, learn, and teach together inside an operating room.

The addition of Teaching Space means multiple people can meet in a virtual classroom setting complete with an interactive whiteboard, where they can conduct lessons, discuss a procedure before attempting it in the virtual operating room, or debrief after practicing a procedure.

Instructors and their trainees can interact, write notes on the whiteboard and share ideas, regardless of where they're located. They can also easily transition between Fundamental Surgery's virtual operating room and Teaching Space.

FundamentalVR say that it can also benefit medical device and pharmaceutical companies, by saving time and money on bringing surgeons and key opinion leaders into the virtual room for briefings, Q&A sessions and one-on-one training without the need to travel.

Peter Rainger, Chief Learning Officer at FundamentalVR, explained that the virtual classrooms are a solution to the disruption caused by the pandemic. "COVID-19 has presented significant challenges to surgical training and in many cases completely disrupted traditional training programs, which have relied upon face-to-face events" he said.

"Video conferencing facilities have come to meet the immediate communication needs of many. However, these 2D platforms do not fully replace the teaching and learning opportunities of being together in the same room talking about a patient case pre-operatively or live in an operating room looking at the patient anatomy and handling surgical tools.

"Our new Teaching Space, which provides a collaborative environment for surgical education in VR, allows residents and KOLs from across the globe to come together for teaching sessions, to review cases and share their knowledge and skills. In our new Teaching Space, I can simply pick up a pen and draw out concepts on a whiteboard and allow trainees to annotate and write comments, all in real-time, whilst talking as if we were in the same room.The possibilities for this new flexible teaching space in the future are endless."

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New virtual classroom lets surgeons learn together remotely | Technology & AI - Healthcare Global - Healthcare News, Magazine and Website

The NY Jets have announced their five team captains for the upcoming 2020 season.

The NY Jets held their first official practice of the 2020 season on Wednesday marking what could essentially be called the start of the regular season.

And as is tradition, the team also announced who their team captains would be for this year. In total, five players were chosen to wear the C patch in a player-voted election.

Two offensive players, two defensive players, and one special-teams representative make up the Jets five captains in 2020. And while there were a couple of surprises, there were also a few obvious selections.

The Jets five captains in 2020 will be quarterback Sam Darnold, offensive tackle George Fant, nose tackle Steve McLendon, safety Marcus Maye, and backup safety Matthias Farley.

Of the five, only Darnold and McLendon return as captains from a year ago. The other five, Kelvin Beachum, Jamal Adams, C.J. Mosley, Rontez Miles, and Demaryius Thomas will all not be with the team in 2020 Mosley is under contract but not traveling with the team after his opt-out.

The inclusion of both Darnold and McLendon is hardly surprising as both were obvious picks. The same could be said for Mayes addition which is long overdue. Hell be tasked with making up for the loss of Adams in more than one way and his captainship is just another example of that.

As for Fant and Farley, their inclusions are a bit more surprising the former much more so than the latter.

Fant was signed in the offseason to compete for the starting right tackle job in camp, although it was never much of a competition. A former swing tackle in Seattle, Fant will be given the biggest opportunity of his career in 2020 as a full-time starter.

And hes clearly emerged as a locker room leader rather quickly as he was chosen over the likes of LeVeon Bell, Jamison Crowder, and even fellow offseason addition Connor McGovern to be the other offensive team captain alongside Darnold.

Thats high praise for a player who hasnt even played a game with the team yet.

Farleys addition might be surprising to some, but its ultimately not shocking. The veteran safety is a key special-teams contributor and played in 13 games with the team last year.

If not Farley, maybe a player like Harvey Langi could have been considered for the role. But Farley is a favorite of special teams coordinator Brant Boyer and clearly a respected member of the locker room as well.

Its always nice to highlight some of the more notable locker-room leaders on the team and this player-driven vote sheds some light on who the Jets really value as their team captains.

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NY Jets announce their five team captains for the 2020 season - The Jet Press

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Clean Room Robot Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Type (Articulated, SCARA, Collaborative Robots), End User (Aerospace, Electrical & Electronics, Food & Beverage), Component (Robotic Arm, End Effector), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global cleanroom robot market (including prices of peripherals, software, and system engineering) is expected to grow from USD 4.8 billion in 2020 to USD 8.5 billion by 2025; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.0% during the forecast period.

The increasing demand for cleanroom robots from the electronics & electrical industry is the main driver for the cleanroom robot market. In the semiconductor industry, thin-film technology is used to manufacture microprocessors, sensors, and flash memory. A single particle finding its way into a hard drive or a CPU during manufacturing is enough to render the product useless. Therefore, companies are eager to minimize the risk and are opting for clean rooms, which must be ISO Class 4 or cleaner. Computer processors start out as silicon wafers, which are subjected to intense vacuums, high energy plasmas, and ultraviolet light.

These processes are not human friendly; therefore, the demand for cleanroom robots is increasing in the semiconductor industry to help in moving the wafers from one processing station to another. The high installation cost of industrial cleanroom robots, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, is the main restraint for the adoption of industrial cleanroom robots. Industrial robots, along with controllers and teach pendants, are priced in the range of USD 50,000 and USD 80,000.

With the addition of application-specific peripherals, the robot system costs between USD 100,000 and USD 150,000. There are further costs in setting up the robot. Robots require heavy-duty, purpose-built pedestals, which can cost several thousand dollars. Also, with increasing hygiene standards, due to COVID-19, demand for cleanroom robots is expected to increase in industries such as food & beverages and pharmaceutical.

Many industry experts expect the COVID-19 pandemic to mainly impact supply chains. However, considering the sizable backlog that key players such as FANUC (Japan) and KUKA (Germany) have, the manufacturing and delivery of cleanroom robots are expected to slow down for the first 2 or 3 quarters of the FY 2020.

For instance, for the FY 2019, the Robotics business division of KUKA (Germany) had order backlogs worth USD 309 million (EUR 276 million). In APAC, electrical and electronics is the most important industry adopting industrial robots. However, with the adverse impact of COVID-19, the growth of the cleanroom robot market in countries such as China and India is expected to be delayed, impacting the overall growth of the market in APAC for the next 3-6 months. In February 2020, China's manufacturing PMI was 35.7 points from 14.3 points in January 2020. Meanwhile, in February 2020, its production index was 27.8%, down by 23.5% from the previous month, thereby indicating a radical slowdown in manufacturing activities. The US-China trade war also added to this decline.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Restraints

Opportunities

Challenges

Use Cases

Company Profiles

Key Players

Right-To-Win

Other Key Players

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wdd7gj

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Clean Room Robot (Articulated, SCARA, Collaborative Robots) Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis - Global Forecast to 2025 - ResearchAndMarkets.com -...

POTSDAM The village has voted unanimously to send a slate of over $19 million in improvement projects to the state for review as part of the

POTSDAM The following projects from the villages Downtown Revitalization Initiative Local Planning Committee will be sent to the state for review. The state will then decide on how to narrow down the proposed projects to allocate the $9.7 million in DRI funds.

Downtown Riverwalk Trail: Creates a walking and biking loop around the Market Street corridor, across Fall Island and back over Sandstone Drive. The project would include a new pocket park, new murals and bike lanes. Total project cost: $2,481,000; total DRI funds requested: $2,481,000

Fall Island Skatepark: Builds a skatepark, seating area and outdoor art gallery on the north side of Fall Island. Total project cost: $348,000; total DRI funds requested: $258,000

Renovation of Market Square Mall: Renovations to 20-22 Depot St., including the exterior and interior spaces. Public restrooms and office space would be refurbished. Total project cost: $666,000; total DRI funds requested: $311,000

North Country Childrens Museum Expansion: Expands the current NCCM to add room for more permanent exhibits, office, classroom, storage and program space. Total project cost: $1,900,000; total DRI funds requested: $1,400,000

North Country Arts Center: Establishes an arts headquarters on Raymond Street for the North Country Arts Council that would include spaces for artists to practice, create and display their work. Total project cost: $1,687,000; total DRI funds requested: $578,000

Downtown Streetscape Enhancement: Renovations to the Market Street and Raymond Street corridor including decorative sidewalks, ADA accessibility, benches, bike racks and landscaping improvements. Total project cost: $2,780,000; total DRI funds requested: $2,780,000

59 Market Street Renovation: Interior and exterior renovations to the current location of McDuffs Tavern. Would create a basement level multi-use space with multimedia functionality. Total project cost: $405,000; total DRI funds requested: $203,000

Potsdam Food Co-Op Relocation and Expansion: Relocates the Potsdam Food Co-Op to 63 Market St., with new facilities including a meeting space in addition to the retail area. Total project cost: $2,966,000; total DRI funds requested: $1,659,000

The Clarkson Inn Expansion: Provides for an addition onto the Clarkson Inn that would include 20 new rooms, meeting spaces and a fitness center. Total project cost: $2,500,000; total DRI funds requested: $600,000

Roxy Theatre: Gives the downtown Roxy Theatre an exterior facelift and adds an interior vestibule. Total project cost: $115,000; total DRI funds requested: $58,000

The Sandstone: Expands Scoops ice cream into a 1950s-themed diner for breakfast and lunch offerings. The project includes a new outdoor seating area. Total project cost: $257,000; total DRI funds requested: $118,000

Renovation of Damon Hall: Finishes the Clarkson University renovation of Damon Hall to provide for advanced manufacturing incubator space. Total project cost: $2,516,000; total DRI funds requested: $900,000

Rebuild Downtown Potsdam: Creates a program for the village to distribute matching grants for additional downtown revitalization projects and COVID-19 related improvements. Total project cost: $1,388,000; total DRI funds requested: $750,000

Downtown Branding Campaign: Provides for print, outdoor and digital advertising in addition to a website overhaul. Total project cost: $131,000; total DRI funds requested: $125,000

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Breakdown: Here's what proposed Potsdam DRI projects are being sent to state, how they'll enhance village community - NNY360

morgantown You go about it every West Virginia game you watch, you and your buddies, whether youre at a bar or at a watch party at home.

Third and 8, up four points, six minutes to go, West Virginias opponent has the ball on the Mountaineer 35-yard line.

Blitz! says one guy. Get them back out of field goal range.

No drop into a zone, says another. Just stop them short of the first down. Keep the clock running, get the ball back and work on it.

Whos right? Whos wrong?

You wont know until after the play. Thats the beauty of being a fan.

But what if you are a coach, especially a West Virginia defensive coach this year? How is it going to work as you have Jordan Lesley coaching the D-line and sharing responsibilities for calling the plays and setting the strategy with Jahmile Addae, who is the cornerback coach.

This became a reality when Vic Koenning, the defensive coordinator, left following a tawdry incident that led to his resignation.

The defensive situation became unhinged, with new coaches coming in and having to devise a system that worked better than a bunch of guys over pizza, pepperoni rolls and beer off in a bar or a restaurant making the calls.

On the defensive side this year Lesley and Addae are listed not as co-coordinators, as it is on the offensive side but as defensive leaders ... and they feel like theyve got things worked out pretty well so that there isnt any arguing back and forth during the game when situations come up and, worse yet, so there are no I told you sos when they disagree and a defensive strategy works or doesnt work.

The mechanics are worked out during the week. Were on the same page, Lesley said. Its just an open line of communication between both of us.

Jordan and I will meet and talk those things through before they happen. It wont be a game-day conversation. Thats where you sit down and say, OK, this is whats going to happen. You have an action sheet that tells you what you want to do in certain scenarios, Addae said.

Those conversations are going on during the week, not just between Jordan and me but the entire staff. By the time we get to game day, with Jordan calling it, hell know what I want in those situations. Weve had a few mock situations in practices where weve gone through it but you dont want me to hear whats in those conversations.

The question of how this will work is one theyve been bombarded with since Koenning left.

Thats what everyones been asking, Addae said. The main question we get is How are you guys working together?

It all really started last year when they first came together, Lesley coming up with Coach Neal Brown and Addae coming over from Arizona.

Weve been sitting in the same rooms, having the same discussions, agreeing to disagree since last year. At the end of day, we would come up with the solution that would be best for the defense and best for the program, Addae said.

Nothing has changed there. I learn something every day working with him. Not only that, Dantae Wright has been a defensive coordinator in his own right. We got Jeff Casteel, who brought me to to this place, in the room. So, to say this is going to be a dictatorship situation in this room or a two-headed horse, I think youd be lying.

Casteel has been a huge addition to the room, especially for Addae, whom he recruited to WVU when he was in Morgantown as an assistant and defensive coordinator and who he worked with at Arizona as well.

When asked about working with Casteel, Addae put it this way:

I dont know if humbling is the right word. Its been cool to turn around and see Coach Casteel in there and be able to pick his brain in there. Lord knows, I owe him a lot from my first job to my first start. A lot of firsts. Its comforting to have him there. We know hes done some really brilliant things here and in other places. Any time you can bring that type of knowledge into a room its obviously helpful. Its been awesome.

The idea is to work together, especially for Lesley and Addae as the leaders of the group.

You evaluate every day what a guy can and cant do and how it fits into your system. We talk about those things not even on a daily basis. We talk from drill to drill about that, Lesley said. Me and Coach Addae are always going What do you think here? What do you like here? What can this guy do? Do you like this package? Its starting to come together.

Getting to finally work with it for a full game, it is going to take a lot of communication.

Lesley will be his defensive line group and making the defensive calls. Addae will be with his corners and Casteel will be in the press box along with Wright, where they both can get a panoramic view of whats going on with the defense and pass their observations on down to the field.

Right now I feel we have a good handle on how were handling things and I think we will continue to grow as a group, just as we ask our kids to do, Addae said.

Follow Bob Hertzel on Twitter @bhertzel

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Questions on the defense - Beckley Register-Herald

The removal of a large sugar maple tree at the corner of Maple Park Avenue Southeast and Capitol Way South will take place Wednesday, Sept. 16, between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. The sidewalk and right turn lane on Maple Park will be closed for the day. Detour signs will be posted. East Campus tenants and South Capitol Neighborhood residents will hear noise related to the removal.

While tree is healthy, it must be removed to make room for new curb ramps for pedestrian safety at the crosswalk. The corner of Maple Park Avenue Southeast and Capitol Way South is the construction site of a new Capitol Campus childcare center for state employees. The wood will be stored and ultimately used for a design project that will be integrated into the new facility.

Ultimately, this construction project will add 37 new trees to the Capitol Campus. The mix of deciduous and flowering species are in addition to the 100 new trees being planted on the Campus in association with a National Association of State Foresters Centennial Challenge.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, trucks will be on the construction site to pour the foundation of the childcare center. Campus tenants, neighborhood residents and East Plaza tenants can expect to hear noise and see increased truck traffic related to the construction. There will be minimal impacts to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

For more information, visit the DES Capitol Campus Child Care Center project page or email childcarecenter@des.wa.gov.

Excerpt from:
Tree removal and construction will bring increased noise to Maple Park Avenue Southeast and Capitol Way South Sept. 16 and 17 - Access Washington

Over the summer I heard about NMUs plan to quarantine students in Spalding for 14 days and immediately the idea became my nightmare. To be confined in a room, alone with myself, sick, for two weeks, seven hours away from home with no power to leaveI found this way more terrifying than was reasonable.

Almost immediately when I arrived at school, however, I developed enough flu-like symptoms that the Vielmetti Health Center decided it would be prudent to isolate me. I reported for quarantine at Spalding, feeling quite upset with the general state of the universe. I was in quarantine for only one week until I received a second set of negative COVID-19 test results.

For those who also consider isolation in Spalding a nightmare scenario, let me offer some reassurance. Its not actually that bad. Its certainly not bad enough to lie if you feel ill or have a relative who tested positive, if those are options that have crossed your mind. Some of my friends have been talking that way, and frankly I dont think that shows very much foresight or consideration.

Nearly all of the 50-some people who were quarantined at the beginning of the semester are out now and have survived the experience. Only two people remain in Spalding as of Sept. 2, according to the NMU COVID-19 dashboard.

The rooms in Spalding are quite like the quad 3 residence halls, but slightly older and larger. Hot meals are delivered from Northern Lights Dining directly to your door, according to your choices from a menu. There are towels, blankets and sheets in the room when you arrive. You have a provided fridge, box fan, microwave, two beds all to yourself, cold water, and microwaveable snacks whenever you want.

Most importantly to me, the considerate doctors, Dr. Christopher Kirkpatrick and Dr. Kayleen Papin, make themselves abundantly available over both calls and texts, so there is never a time where you feel abandoned. In addition, my residence director Chad Allard began a policy of calling me (and other quarantinees) every day to answer questions and be an advocate. President Fritz Erickson also did zoom meetings with the quarantine people to check in. Thus, isolation became less isolated.

To be frank, quarantine is almost just like winter in Marquette, in that you just stay inside all the time. No one is restraining you. In theory, you could walk out and face the consequences for putting others at risk. But the lack of actual imprisonment made it seem less claustrophobic, for me at least.

You can entertain yourself with Netflix, books, homework, and video chatting friends. In some ways quarantine didnt differ very much from my usual introverted lifestyle, although I really craved a walk in the forest on many occasions. Friends often visited outside the windows while maintaining a 30-foot distance from the windows.

My biggest complaint about the provisions in quarantine was: I wished I had hot tea. Even though cough drops were kindly left on my door knob as part of a care package, I had a strong tea craving which I could not sate. Considering the severity of the problem of COVID-19, the minor inconvenience of tea deprivation was surprisingly my biggest issue, so I think we should be proud and thankful to the medical staff for their foresight in anticipating almost every other need.

Here are my suggestions for what to pack in your quarantine bag: lots of books, laptop and charger, phone and charger, all your textbooks, as many pajama pants and loose tee shirts as you own, many socks and undergarments, thermometer, shampoo and conditioner (soap bars are provided), Dayquil and Nyquil, pencils and pens, and notebooks for class.

In any case, as long as youre patient and a little prepared for the eventuality, quarantine is nothing to worry about. If it becomes necessary for you, know that youll be cared for and it will turn out just fine.

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OpinionYour guide to quarantine, it's not as bad as you think - North Wind Online