My clinic is functioning as well as it can, consistent with keeping almost everyone out of our waiting room. We have agreed to keep meetings to no more than 10 people with everyone at least 6 feet apart. We have all been instructed to self screen every morning for new significant cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or fever over 100. Most of my patients have been phone visits rather than in person but I saw a few. I do a better job in person, but spending a good amount of time with someone on the phone is not without its benefits. The counselors and psychiatric nurse practitioners will be working from home until this is over. They had one day to figure out how to do this. Their patients are kind of reeling. Nobody had typical coronavirus symptoms. Things are kind of slow right now.
Thoughts:
One good thing: Our patients at the clinic where I work are often grindingly poor. No insurance, no income, burned bridges everywhere. I have no idea how they afford the cheap hotel room where they sleep or any food at all. The government--not just Andrew Wang or Bernie Sanders, but even conservatives--are talking about giving all US citizens a check for maybe $2000 as an economic stimulus. This would be amazing for our patients. It would make all the difference in the world. And not just because of coronavirus. They could fill up the tank of the car that they call home, buy shoes, maybe pay a bill or two. There are patients for whom the safety net provides no safety at all.
A few bad things:
- "Thank god we have our phones." The internet is becoming the source of all joy. AARRGH! Yay Zoom conferences. Computer games. YouTube videos. Endless memes. I don't recall saying this was OK.
- Unintended pregnancy: people talk about how they wish they'd gotten a haircut before all of these businesses closed their doors. What about an IUD or other long term birth control device? All this being cooped up with ones near and dear ones with nothing to do will lead to little unintended bundles of joy. I see so clearly in the office how much of being unhappy comes from having been born to a family that didn't really want or need a baby. Family planning is a gift. I wish we'd gotten more birth control done before we went to telephone visits!
- Xenophobia=fear of the other: We're mad at all the countries that caused us to have an epidemic by having as little foresight as we do now. Everybody else shoulda known. We were getting more adversarial with other countries before this happened which is part of why this whole epidemic mess was not contained to a few areas. Finger pointing seems to be one of our most entertaining hobbies. Really understanding our shared humanity is one of the most effective ways to prevent war.
It's weird to be a doctor who isn't busy, in a time when globally my skills are needed. If I were a plane I'd be in a holding pattern.
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WB