Over the summer, Annenberg Media met weekly with Dr. Van Orman, USC’s Chief Health Officer, to chat about student health and safety. She shared her biggest areas of concern, what patterns she sees and what resources USC has to keep Trojans healthy.
We’ve compiled a list of the five topics that came up the most in conversation with Van Orman, and what resources USC has to go along with each potential concern. Here’s what students should be aware of, so move-in stress can be limited to landlords and class schedules, not health and well-being.
1. COVID-19
Yes, COVID-19 is still a concern in the latter half of 2024. Earlier in the summer, we reported that the FLiRT variant was causing a significant spike nationwide, specifically in the L.A. area. Over a month later, this is still true, and numbers are still steadily increasing. According to L.A. County wastewater data, the average number of daily cases last week was 413; When we last reported on COVID-19 in late June, the daily average was 154.
“Unlike other respiratory viruses that we know follow certain patterns, we’re still learning COVID’s pattern,” Van Orman said. “We don’t know yet what the seasonality of it is going to be, but we have seen over the last four or five years, these periods where we have increased activity [are] usually related to the emergence of a new variant.”
Van Orman predicts a USC-specific spike related to move-in, much like what we’ve seen in previous years. She recommends those who are immunocompromised get last year’s booster vaccine if they haven’t already, and for other populations to wait until the newest booster to come out, which will likely be more effective against newer variants. If students do come down with COVID, she said to isolate and mask up.
2. Air quality
From frequent fires to city smog, L.A. isn’t known for having the cleanest air—our baseline is in the yellow zone, or moderately poor. Even beyond the city, Trojans in California have most likely experienced some form of bad air quality due to an accelerated wildfire season, including the ongoing Park Fire, the fourth largest blaze in the state’s history. Van Orman warns that people with preexisting health conditions can be affected even by low levels of poor air quality, and everyone is impacted when conditions worsen.
USC’s Children’s Health Study is a well-known ongoing project looking into the long-term impact of poor air quality on children’s respiratory health, involving over 12,000 subjects in Southern California. It has found links to increased respiratory infections, asthma and lung damage, and its findings led to changes in state and federal air quality guidelines.
“When we do have periods of poor air quality, [pay attention] and modify your activity,” Van Orman recommended. That includes “staying indoors, avoiding strenuous activities during periods of low air quality, looking for places that are air conditioned” and using an N95 mask if you have to be outdoors.
3. Extreme heat
You’ve likely seen it on the news this summer—the U.S. is experiencing extreme heat waves. Across the nation, advisories warn against spending prolonged periods outside, and some regions reached their highest temperatures ever in recent months. July 22 was Earth’s hottest day on record, according to NASA.
While Los Angeles doesn’t get as hot as some parts of inland California, heat-related illness is still a risk, especially in the latter summer months and early fall.
“In young adults, the dangerous parts of heat tend to be when people are engaging in strenuous exercise during heat warning periods,” Van Orman said. “Stay hydrated, really avoid physical activity between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., take heat warnings seriously. Because even if you’re the healthiest, fittest person, you can be overcome by heat exhaustion, and more seriously by heat stroke.”
Van Orman also recommends students remember that it takes roughly two weeks to acclimate to a hotter climate, and to take things easy for those first 14 days back in L.A.
4. Mental health
The beginning of the school year is undeniably a stressful time for students. Whether it’s returning Trojans struggling with new classes or freshmen trying to adjust to the second biggest city in the U.S., all USC students should be aware of the resources available to them through the school.
“I encourage people to take a look around the resources we have. Everything from just an online chat, where you can get a little bit of support, to our ‘Let’s talk [sessions],’ which are really just drop-ins to have a casual conversation, to a single session to talk to a therapist about a concern you might be having, to actually kind of going through the process and getting started with full mental health [programs],” Van Orman said. “There’s lots of ways to enter and options, and so don’t hesitate to look at those and think about which one might be right for you.”
Van Orman also emphasized that USC’s mental health programs typically don’t have a long wait time, and students can secure telehealth or in person appointments in less than a week.
USC’s counseling and mental health services are listed on their website. The school also has a 24/7 crisis intervention text and phone line: Students text TROJAN to 741741 or call (213) 740-9355.
5. CARE-SC
This year, USC’s Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention program has a new name. Formerly RSVP, the program’s acronym is now CARE-SC, standing for Confidential Advocacy, Resources and Education Support Center. The program still offers the same resources to students who have experienced relationship violence and sexual assault, but changed its name after focus groups revealed that students didn’t know what it was.
Van Orman pointed to CARE-SC’s 24/7 advocates as a unique resource for those seeking harm-based support.
“Any student who has experienced gender or power based harm can reach out to us at the same number, 213-740-WELL, and be connected to an advocate that can assist them with truly confidential resources and support while they understand their options for reporting, for talking to law enforcement, for talking to campus, to getting medical care.”
These resources are available to all students at no cost. For more information on what CARE-SC does, visit their website.