Scope Summer 2020

To start off 2020 I had the chance to go on a mission trip to Roatan, Honduras. The organization that I traveled with is known as Health In Sight Mission. Health In Sight is a non-profit organization that has been serving the people of Honduras for the past 16 years. What makes Health In Sight unique is the long term care that they provide. Most mission trips really only provide a bandaid for chronic medical conditions. Health In Sight provides care to the same patients in the same community in the same location and has done so for over 16 years. Health In Sight has a full time local primary c...

So far, 2020 has been the year of uncertainty to say the least. The last few months have challenged everyone to adjust to a new way of living, as well as a new way of thinking. The key to surviving these unpredictable times comes through acceptance and adaptability. Instead of feeling like you are constantly treading water when it comes to life, find new ways to enjoy our new normal.

What does this mean for your overall health? How do you find the motivation, or even the tools to keep yourself healthy? So many people’s routines have been disrupted, whether it’s gym closures, employment disrupt...

Dear Colleagues, for many of us these past several months have been stressful, not just personally but professionally. Many of our friends and colleagues have been on the front lines providing care to patients during this pandemic. Also, so many of our practices came to a halt and caused financial uncertainty. There have been some answers over the last few months, but we are still uncertain as to what the future may bring. I wanted to share some tips and links to sites that I hope you may find useful. It’s important, now more than ever, that we focus on our well-being and health so that w...

My first response to the Scope topic of COVID-19 is to disclose what I have experienced after nearly 2 months of unemployment. What effects has the COVID-19 had on your practice?

Multi-specialty offices have several physicians with multiple staff. Did you keep all your staff or furlough some employee’s?

As a solo practitioner, my staff were cancelling 30- to 40 patients a day and seeing only zero to two emergency patients daily. I had to furlough all my staff. I was not interested in a loan from the government, not knowing when I would receive the money and would have had to pay salaries ou...

To me, it is amazing how life is so different now then when I wrote my last article for the scope. That was back before the ACA was cancelled, and seems like years ago, though in reality it was only a few months ago. Let me start off by saying that I have been lucky. I live in an area that did not have extremely high numbers of COVID-19, and thankfully the infections and deaths have been low. I want to acknowledge that each death from this disease was a person who had family and friends. Their loss has touched the world and is devastating. My thoughts and well-wishes go out to their family an...

I would like to take a moment to respond to this time of racial turmoil, civic unrest, and the Covid-19 pandemic. As the country is going through all these stressors, I want to see our college united in striving for inclusiveness. As healthcare providers, it is engrained in our training to treat all people with the respect and dignity they deserve. Patients turn to their physicians for support and guidance especially during times like these.

Over the past several months, the Covid-19 pandemic found most of us scrambling to find a new normal. I know my practice volume diminished drastically du...