“…As an Emergency Physician, I have trained my whole career for this. ‘What would I do in a pandemic’ has actually been a tangible, logical thought process in my day-to-day work in the Emergency Department, just mostly theoretical until now. I've been involved in malaria outbreaks in Liberia, post-earthquake care in Haiti, gang shootouts in Honduras, but I've never been involved in a public health crisis like this at home. And so here we are…
“We are
only two days in to our surge plan; our command center has been operating for
more than 10 days. I feel we are just starting to scratch the surface. Our
forward triage unit is screening dozens at this very moment, and we've already
had to take physicians out of service due to exposures and quarantine, already
limiting our pool of emergency physician expertise. Even with massive
preparations and an entire hospital pivoting its resources with top-to-bottom
buy in, I fear we will be shortly overwhelmed.
“And I work in an institution that was literally built for this. After 9/11 Rush became Chicago's center for emergency preparedness. We designed our very buildings to be ready for a viral pandemic. This is what we have been preparing for, always knowing it was just a matter of time before an event like this would happen. It's one of the reasons I wanted to work at Rush, and I continue to be proud that we are leading the way against COVID-19. But I can already feel it - we won't be able to do this for very long. I look at the same maps as you all do. And I am, for one of the only times in my career, nervous.
“Here are my recommendations for those of you out in your communities, wondering what you should do. I won't go over the obvious, just my thoughts from a week on the inside. Hopefully there's something useful in here:
1. “None of you should want to come to get a coronavirus test. Simply standing in line puts you at risk. Especially if you are currently healthy and don't need to be there. Getting a test shouldn't change anything about how you prepare or act in the next few weeks.
“And I work in an institution that was literally built for this. After 9/11 Rush became Chicago's center for emergency preparedness. We designed our very buildings to be ready for a viral pandemic. This is what we have been preparing for, always knowing it was just a matter of time before an event like this would happen. It's one of the reasons I wanted to work at Rush, and I continue to be proud that we are leading the way against COVID-19. But I can already feel it - we won't be able to do this for very long. I look at the same maps as you all do. And I am, for one of the only times in my career, nervous.
“Here are my recommendations for those of you out in your communities, wondering what you should do. I won't go over the obvious, just my thoughts from a week on the inside. Hopefully there's something useful in here:
1. “None of you should want to come to get a coronavirus test. Simply standing in line puts you at risk. Especially if you are currently healthy and don't need to be there. Getting a test shouldn't change anything about how you prepare or act in the next few weeks.
2. “Don't come to the ER unless YOU ARE HAVING AN EMERGENCY. That means you are having difficulty breathing or you can't keep down any food or water. If you have a cough, sore throat, or feel crummy, you already know what to do. You don't need an ER for that. Call your doctor. Better yet, call your Mom.
3. “If you do have concerns or questions, do a video visit. Many large medical centers are doing these now. Your local public health office likely already has a hotline or process for fielding questions. Use them.
4. “Stop buying toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and Clorox wipes in bulk. Someone else needs those, and it's probably not you. If you have a sink and soap, you have all you need.
5. “Rethink your flu shot for next year. Chances are, if you have a cough, you may actually just have the flu, which is still widely present. You might have not had it altogether if you'd received your flu shot. And next year's flu may be worse than this year's coronavirus. We never know, that's why we keep on working to make these better, every year. Whatever you are afraid of by not getting the flu shot is nothing compared to this.
6. “Have honest, open discussions with your children, family, older parents, etc. I've found that some of the best conversations I've had about the current pandemic have been with my kids. And we all need each other right now, especially when we're asking everyone to shrink their community to the bare minimum. Make sure your kids are reassured. Check on your older relatives and make sure they have food.
7. “Buckle up for a longer period of uncertainty than you are used to. I don't know what next week will look like. It might be better. It might be worse. It will be like trying to buy the right stock right now. Just relax, slow your life down, enjoy the moments you are having with your loved ones or simply at home. Read a good book.
8. “If you get
seriously ill, we are here for you. But the only way I do my job at the top of
my abilities is if you are truly sick. If I'm spending most of my day
counseling you on why you don't need a coronavirus test, then I'm not helping
the ones who might be standing behind you in the screening line with an oxygen
saturation of 79%.
“Ultimately, I hope that we can at least all agree that emergency preparedness is something that should get more funding and attention by our decision makers. This is not the last time we will deal with something like this. The next one might be worse. I hope that in the future all hospitals and medical facilities will feel prepared enough to address public health emergencies, not just the ones that have been thinking about this for years. Take care of each other, take care of yourselves.”
-Braden Hexom
“Ultimately, I hope that we can at least all agree that emergency preparedness is something that should get more funding and attention by our decision makers. This is not the last time we will deal with something like this. The next one might be worse. I hope that in the future all hospitals and medical facilities will feel prepared enough to address public health emergencies, not just the ones that have been thinking about this for years. Take care of each other, take care of yourselves.”
-Braden Hexom
(The above letter was posted on Facebook)
So if you are sick, better yet, "Call your mom"? A little flippant.
ReplyDeleteHe does not address the issue of those who have been exposed to the Coronavirus. Thinking of the NBA basketball player who HAS the virus but NO symptoms, so was a walking "Typhoid Mary" withough knowing that he might be infecting people. How many others are out there like that?
More than we can possibly imagine; thus, what can we do? Social distancing and stopping our impulsive shopping panic. Stay home if we are sick. Use common sense. Practice good hygiene: stop handshaking; avoid touching the face; disinfect table tops, kitchen counter tops, desks, doorknobs, light switches, computers, iPhones...; open windows; scrub our hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and often. Reduce our time watching or reading the news; instead, listen to music; play a musical instrument; read books; keep a journal; take walks; exercise; get plenty of rest and stay calm.
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