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Happy Thanksgiving!!

Preventive Care in a Pandemic by Katie Dias, DO, FAAFP I recently had the pleasure of completing a quality improvement project for maintenance of my board... certification with the American Board of Family Medicine. As my project, I chose to focus on breast and colon cancer screening in my patients. Did you know that breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in American women? This data comes from the CDC (www.cdc.gov). Yet, in 2018, only 65% of women in America had their mammogram. There are many things that affect this data, not just a woman’s choice to have the test or not have the test. In my own patient population, I found that only 61% of women had a mammogram in the past two years. When we dug deeper into these numbers, it became clear that some women were putting off their screening mammogram because of fear of entering healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. I found the same issues when looking at rates of colon cancer screening. Nationally, in 2018, 68% of Americans had completed their colon cancer screening, despite colon cancer being the third leading cause of cancer. In my own population, that number was only 62%. Once again, some people were putting off their colon cancer screening examinations due to the pandemic. Being over six months into this pandemic, I have noticed that people are becoming more comfortable with seeing their healthcare providers. I would like to give you an overview of what it means to be a caregiver in our local facilities. Each morning, we are asked to self-screen before we even leave our homes. If I have a sore throat, nasal congestion, changes in taste or smell, cough, etc., I am to stay home. If I am feeling well, I get to work and undergo screening at the clinic or hospital, whichever location I land at first. In these locations, I check my temperature, obtain a clean mask, clean goggles, and undergo another symptom screening. I sanitize my hands and begin my day. It is not uncommon for me to travel between care settings, starting at the hospital and finishing at the clinic. At each location, I wear my standard personal protective equipment and am subject to the same screening processes. We use approved sanitizers in the rooms between each patient. We sanitize our hands before and after each patient, as well. Patients, themselves, are screened at the door and given a clean mask to wear. We use technology to help us, performing Zoom visits and telephone visits for anyone who needs to stay home. At the end of the day, we remove our PPE and sanitize again. We have been instructed on everything from how to clean the bottoms of our shoes at the end of the day to washing our work attire. At this point, we caregivers feel like well-oiled machines. I would argue that you are safer entering one of our healthcare facilities than you are entering a public place of business. Back to screenings and checkupsat this point in the pandemic, I hope you will feel more comfortable getting out and having your preventive cares completed. Cancer doesn’t stop for a pandemic. I think we will see more and more data in the next few months to years regarding the deferred care of screenings during the pandemic, especially when it comes to cancer. If you have questions or concerns about ways to access preventive care, call your primary care doctor or nurse practitioner/physician assistant. If you are between care providers, we have a Community Health Line, staffed by trained nurses, ready to answer any questions you may have. Call 1-800-452-2476 to access this service. Stay safe and stay well! See more

Grant City/Worth County Flu Clinic that was scheduled for October 27th has been rescheduled to November 3rd from 2:00 pm until 6:00 pm at the Senior Center in Grant City. Thanks

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