In order for Kirkwood to implement appropriate quarantine and isolation measures, and to support on-campus contract tracing, all campus community members are expected to self-report COVID-19 symptoms, exposure, and/or diagnosis.
If you are an employee or student that has been exposed to COVID-19 or experiencing similar symptoms, please use this link to start a case file:
COVID-19 Reporting FormKirkwood COVID-19 Data
Please use the link above to begin the COVID-19 reporting process. Your case will be dispatched in the order it was received and a case manager will follow-up with phone calls and email correspondence within the next 24 – 48 hours.
If you have any general questions about the hotline, please send them to covidhotline@kirkwood.edu. The hotline can be reached by calling 319-784-1650. It will be staffed during normal business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) Monday through Friday. Voicemail messages left outside of business hours will be returned as quickly as possible.
Kirkwood’s COVID-19 Hotline will remain active between the fall and spring semesters and during the holiday closure. Any questions or reports specific to COVID-19 can be found on this page or by calling 319-784-1650.
Until recently, the protocol for students and employees returning from abroad was to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival without COVID-19 symptoms. Current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), and Linn County Public Health (LCPH) no longer calls for a 14-day self-isolation unless the student or employee has:
For these reasons, we will now only require that those returning from abroad make contact with the hotline to answer a short series of questions. Depending on their answers, the student or employee may or may not be cleared to return to campus activities. Please note: This change will be reflected in the COVID-19 response guide online and not in the hardcopy guides in classrooms.
The IDPH has announced new guidance for businesses and schools stating that a 14-day quarantine was no longer recommended for individuals who had been in close contact with a person with COVID-19 as long as both people were properly wearing face masks during their contact. This new guidance will have no effect on Kirkwood's current COVID-19 protocols. Hotline case managers will continue to inquire about face coverings, social distancing, and length of time with a COVID-positive person. All close contacts not consistently and correctly wearing face covering will still be required to complete a 14-day quarantine away from Kirkwood and are encouraged to test 48 hours after exposure.
The hotline team is working hard to protect the privacy of information shared with each case manager. If a person is quarantined, they will receive multiple communications over the course of their case.
At the end of a student quarantine, the individual will receive a final phone call from a case manager to confirm they are no longer experiencing symptoms. If symptoms have ended, a Return to Class letter will be issued. This information is routinely only provided to the individual. Case managers will encourage students to share their return letters with faculty and supervisors. If a student fails to provide Return to Class documentation to an instructor or supervisor, they may be turned away until proper documentation is provided. All letters contain case manager information should faculty or staff need to contact the hotline regarding that student.
Kirkwood can now coordinate asymptomatic COVID-19 testing through our MercyCare partnership. This type of testing will be coordinated by the hotline committee for the purpose of determining exposures of students or employees. Logistics are still being developed and more information will be posted to the COVID-19 reporting page soon.
Many Kirkwood personnel are involved in various roles with the COVID-19 Hotline. A complete list of employees and their responsibilities is as follows:
Personnel | Department | Responsibility | |
---|---|---|---|
Troy McQuillen | Facilities | Committee Chair | |
Caitlyn Miller | Student Services | Case Manager | |
Emily Grace | Student Services | Case Manager | |
Jon Buse | Student Services | Case Manager | |
Beth Schrader | Student Services | Case Manager | |
Margorie Gutierrez | Student Services | Case Manager | |
Kathy Dolter | Nursing | Nursing/Allied Health Case Manager | |
Seth Vander Tuig | Student Services | Case Manager | |
Stephanie Bredman | Continuing Education | Case Manager | |
Amanda Weeks | Continuing Education | Case Manager | |
Zach Johnson | Continuing Education | Case Manager | |
Randy Knudson | Continuing Education | Case Manager | |
Stephanie Ferguson | Academic Affairs | Case Manager | |
Shelley Milks | Student Services | Case Manager | |
Katie Anderson | I.C. Student Services | Case Manager | |
Kim Wagemester | Student Services | Case Manager | |
Andrew McPherson | Public Safety | Case Manager | |
Wes Fowler | Human Resources | HR Committee Chair | |
Sheri Hlavacek | Human Resources | HR Case Manager | |
Chessa Loushin | Human Resources | HR Case Manager | |
Linda Arens | Human Resources | HR Case Manager | |
Sue Bennett | Human Resources | HR Case Manager | |
Betty Haar | Facilities | Intake Specialist | |
David Wandrey | Facilities | Intake Specialist | |
John Henik | Academic Affairs | Academic Affairs Admin Rep | |
Jolene Bruno | Facilities | Case Dispatch | |
Laura Wheeler | MercyCare | COVID Nursing Consultant | |