It’s Tuesday and time for your Monday NCMS Morning Rounds.
Sept. 15, 2020
Support for Those in Quarantine or Isolation Due to COVID-19
The NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has a new fact sheet outlining the benefits of the COVID-19 Support Services Program and Community Health Worker Initiative announced last month. These programs are designed to ensure individuals who have tested positive or been exposed to COVID-19 have the necessary support while safely and effectively quarantining or isolating themselves. NCDHHS is urging physicians, PAs and others to familiarize themselves with this information and pass it along to their patients when necessary.
Anyone who tests positive for or has been exposed to COVID-19 needs to quarantine or isolate for as long as 14 days, meaning that they need to separate themselves from others, including anyone in their household. Many North Carolinians struggle to safely quarantine and still meet basic needs. The COVID-19 Support Services program is a new effort to provide the supports needed so anyone who needs to isolate or quarantine can do so. This effort is slated to run through late 2020 when NCDHHS will assess its impact.
The Community Health Worker Initiative connects North Carolinians affected by COVID-19 with medical and social support, including diagnostic testing, primary care, case management, nutrition assistance and behavioral health services.
The fact sheet just released offers an overview of NCDHHS-covered services and the community health worker program in target counties, including:
• What support services are available at no cost to individuals;
• Who is eligible for support services;
• How you play a role in connecting residents to support;
• Who to contact for more information.
Physician Well-Being in a Stressful Time
The American Medical Association (AMA) invites you to join its upcoming fall webinar series focusing on physician well-being, practice redesign and implementing telehealth during COVID-19. Programming will focus on resources and solutions to help alleviate stress on health care systems, teams and staff during the pandemic and guide systems through telehealth integration.
The first webinar, ‘Telehealth and Team-based Care: The Shift to Telemedicine and Navigating Through Potential Pitfalls,’ will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 6 from noon to 1 p.m. Future webinars include ‘Caring for Health Care Workers During a Crisis,’ and ‘Physician Stress During Times of COVID.’
Learn more about each of the webinars and register here.
Longtime NCMS Member Featured in TV Report
A founder of the Kernodle Clinic in Alamance County and living legend in the area, Charles Kernodle, Jr., MD, 102 years old, recently was featured on WRAL-TV. Dr. Kernodle served as team doctor for the Williams High School sports team for 70 years, retiring only last year.
In the profile, Dr. Kernodle recalls his life as part of a family of physicians – as a boy he went on house calls with his father in a horse and buggy – his service in World War II and caring for the Williams High School athletes and their families and residents in and around Burlington over the years.
Today, all of the more than 50 physicians and PAs in the multi-specialty Kernodle Clinic are NCMS members.
Watch the inspiring report on Dr. Kernodle.
In the News
How Do Pandemics Usually End and How Will This One Finish?, ABC News, 9-9-20
Learning Opportunity
Southern Regional AHEC is offering a webinar tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on ‘Optimizing Telehealth for the Geriatric Population.’ NCMS Strategic Planning Officer and Raeford family physician Karen L. Smith, MD, FAAFP will explore the use of televideo and telephonic options in the geriatric population. This group often is perceived to have challenges restricting their active participation with telehealth services, which will have an impact on their overall quality of care. The discussion will review challenges and encourage ideas to assist with geriatric utilization of telehealth. Learn more and register here.
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