Page 10 - Delaware Medical Journal - September/October 2020
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PRESIDENT’S PAGE
and superintendents, as well as other stakeholders are making attempts to best serve our students, taking into consideration the educational experience, safety, and their behavioral health. Medically, we need to continue to follow the data and assess the ever-changing information about the medical education. I expect these discussions will continue, with MSD and our School Health Subcommittee actively involved.
Our students have also experienced the sudden halt and/or restriction of sports and recreational activities. Most extracurricular activities were paused in March as COVID-19 reared its head. Many athletes As we start the process of re-opening our state, schedules for the upcoming high school, college, and even professional sports of this article, the Big Ten and Pac-12 college conferences have decided to cancel fall football. I suspect more will follow suit.
in the economy for not only Delaware, but around the world. Most, if not all, physician practices were able to obtain loans to protect employees and continue to provide services to their patients during this unprecedented time. However, businesses must also plan and prepare for any unforeseeable circumstances that may result from the effects of COVID-19.
A positive result of the virus is that telemedicine use has exploded and become a lifeline during this pandemic as well as a more integral part of routine care. Experts
REFERENCES
predict that telemedicine will evolve after the pandemic fades.
It is essential that we continue to provide care for all of our patients as we move forward during this pandemic. Continuing to remain open for preventive and mental health services, optimizing telemedicine services to communicate with patients, as well as working collaboratively with sectors of addiction medicine and behavioral health, will allow us to provide the best care for our
We as physicians can be instrumental in the education of and messaging to our patients and communities regarding continued
proper mask wearing (#MaskUp), social distancing, hand hygiene and, basically, the continued need to take this virus seriously. Use of masks should be part of our patients’ screening process, just the same as a history they are uncomfortable. Mask wearing is similar to putting on a new article of clothing: it feels different and may be uncomfortable
used to it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated information on the types of masks that should not be worn, such as those with valves3 and those with only one layer of fabric. Physicians are positioned to help patients understand their risks for transmission through clear and in science. Mask wearing is not only for their health, but the health of others.
to continue to support a safe return to all activities, including sports, community
programs, and businesses as we continue to monitor the data associated with COVID-19.
A safe return to the full re-opening of our state is also needed from an economic standpoint. Those businesses and restaurants that are hanging by a thread look to us on how to safely keep their businesses operating as they struggle to make ends meet. Please continue to support these business to drive Delaware’s economy forward.
With my involvement in COVID-19 activities in the state through MSD, to me, the future looks bright. We will continue with plans
to get back to a sense of normalcy, and we will be prepared for a resurgence/return of COVID-19 should that happen in the future. At the time of publication, the Governor’s Pandemic Resurgence Advisory Committee recommendations. Thank you to all who served on the PRAC, as well as those who provided comment on the Interim Report.
We are all “Top Docs.” Our profession has been, and will continue to be, held as the foremost authority and will be looked upon for guidance and direction. As leaders in the medical profession, our voices are heard and people listen. Management of this disease
is an evolving science. MSD will continue to be actively involved and advocate for our physicians and patients to make Delaware a healthier place.
Joseph J. Straight, MD
President, Medical Society of Delaware
1. Washington Post, August 9, 2020, Derek Hawkins, Marisa Iati, and Jacqueline Dupree. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/09/coronavirus- covid-updates/?utm_campaign=wp_to_your_health&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_tyh&wpmk=1&pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1 QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJjb29raWVuYW1lIjoid3BfY3J0aWQiLCJpc3MiOiJDYXJ0YSIsImNvb2tpZXZhbHVlIjoiNWViZGQyMzM5YmJjMGYzYTc4NGVkNmFhIiwid GFnIjoiNWYzMWIxMGVmZTFmZjY1ZTExN2I3YTk2IiwidXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL25hdGlvbi8yMDIwLzA4LzA5L2Nvcm9uYXZ pcnVzLWNvdmlkLXVwZGF0ZXMvP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj13cF90b195b3VyX2hlYWx0aCZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ3cG lzcmM9bmxfdHloJndwbWs9MSJ9.KEMQRCewDTrNSZlukW5gwG7C69Hk_lDbJooU_q-pXeo
2. Children and COVID-19: State Data Report; A joint report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. Version 7/30/2020. https://downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/AAP%20and%20CHA%20-%20Children%20and%20COVID-19%20State%20Data%20Report%207.30.20%20FINAL.pdf
3. About Masks. CDC; August 6, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html
202 Del Med J | September/October 2020 | Vol. 92 | No. 5
