Spring 2020
Since Monday, March 23, 2020, St Louis has been under a stay-at-home order, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has, as of this morning, taken the lives of over 80,000 worldwide. No one could have anticipated this was how we would be spending the first part of 2020.
For my patients, I have transitioned to virtual visits as much as possible, saving in-person visits for when only absolutely necessary, in order to minimize potential exposure for me and my patients to SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus which causes COVID-19.
One of the benefits of Direct Primary Care is patients can still reach me through email, phone call, and text to address their health needs and concerns. While I am still taking new patients, the registration and the first visit process are a little less conventional, but we make it work, and I appreciate patients’ understanding and flexibility. Virtual visits are more limited than what can be done at in-person visits for some conditions, but we’ll do what we can with the available resources and conditions.
Most people are adjusting to the change in work and home routines, and these times can definitely be anxiety-provoking, so I encourage my patients to be mindful of the following to stay safe and well:
Take precautions to minimize risk and stay safe, but don’t be overwhelmed by anxiety. If you have questions about COVID-19, please ask me, and I’ll do my best to answer them. If you feel overwhelmed by all the news and deaths, make sure you only check the news once a day for applicable updates but probably stop following any social media and resist the urge to check the news multiple times a day.
Focus on the good things that have come out of this so far. For some patients, it was having more time with their family and actually enjoying family dinner again. For others, it was not eating fast food for 2 weeks and finally not having craving for sodas, as well as having the time to walk or exercise daily. Especially when the world changes and things are uncertain, our priorities are challenged and evaluated, so don’t let this time of trouble be wasted. If this difficult time has taught you what you really value in life, use the extra time now to plan for how you might live differently even when the pandemic is over and the world recovers to “business as usual”.
Think about how you can help or encourage others. Whether it is ordering take-out or buying gift cards to help a local restaurant, dropping off food or sending a card to friends and neighbors, or using technology like video call or social media to stay in touch with loved ones, physical social distancing calls for social connecting in other ways to help one another get through this.
Take time for yourself, especially if you’re taking care of immunocompromised or elderly family members, helping children with their online school work, or working longer hours because “working from home” now means “work around the clock whenever the internet reaches you.” Schedule time for yourself and maintain some healthy boundaries as best as you can.
May God bless you and protect you and your family, as we get through this pandemic as a city, a nation, and humanity. May God comfort us and strengthen us, as we grieve the loss of loved ones and healthcare workers and many others in this fight against COVID-19. As Christians celebrate Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday this coming weekend, the sobering paradox and mingling of sorrow and hope, of pain and praise, is not unfamiliar to us. We do not always know the reasons for suffering on earth, but we know God is good and works for good even through sadness and loss. After all, who could have known on the day Jesus Christ died on the cross that such suffering and death would later be followed by his resurrection, for the good and hope of all mankind? Even in the pain and sorrow of the cross that was very real, God was good and present and in full control, just as he is with us all today. May God’s peace be with you through Jesus Christ today.
Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”