Volume 8 | Issue 2
April 2020
The Latest News and Updates from the SED
Dear Colleagues,

We continue our traditional Washington Update issue.

Of course, this year, we have all been turned upside down by the Corona Virus Pandemic. We are all moving along together and successfully. We provide links below to the Web Pages you probably already know, but just want to make sure you do have access to them. We include a Specialty Society Web Page as well with permission.

We are resilient, we are patient, we are over-comers; we are America's Physicians.

We hope the “Beyond the Stethoscope” column can provide some relief.

As of this publication, the AMA Annual June meeting scheduled for Chicago June 6-10  is CANCELLED with alternatives still to be announced; stay tuned.

Stay healthy and safe,
Claudette Dalton, MD – Chair
John Poole, MD – Chair-elect
S. William Clark, MD – Immediate Past Chair
Stephen A. Imbeau, MD – Newsletter Editor
LINKS TO INFORMATION ON COVID-19

An Important JAMA Update Issue from March 20, 2020, used here with permission (see also - read.alerts.jamanetwork.com for other JAMA updates)











WASHINGTON UPDATE
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Coronavirus has confronted our nation with a challenge like few others in memory. 

Schools are closed with no timeline for reopening in sight. Millions of Americans are out of work through no fault of their own. And those on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 are worried about the availability of personal protective equipment to protect themselves.

These are difficult times and tough days remain ahead, but America has overcome challenges in the past and will do so once again.

Congressman Tom Rice (R-SC-7th)

Renegotiated Trade Deals and Workforce
Development Will Keep the Economy Booming


As a Congressman, my biggest priority is to cultivate American competitiveness and create opportunities for families and workers. The Trump Administration’s and Republicans’ pro-growth policies are working for Americans from all walks of life. I am proud of these policies that have allowed Americans to prosper and compete globally. 



AMA Response to COVID-19
Todd Askew
Senior Vice President, Advocacy

As one might imagine, much of AMA’s advocacy efforts in recent weeks have been focused on the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic represents an enormous threat to public health and an extreme challenge to physicians. Now, more than ever, physicians need a powerful ally in patient care. Our AMA is fulfilling that role by providing clear, evidence base guidance through the online COVID-19 resource center and comprehensive information, including epidemiology, infection control and prevention recommendations, from the JAMA Network . Our AMA is also providing a critical interface between physicians on the front-line of this crisis and their colleagues and policymakers. 



BUSINESS CORNER
A Hospitalist's Initial Experience with COVID-19
Ilse R. Levin, DO, MPH-TM

I have been privileged to work in a variety of settings as a physician, from some of the best hospitals and healthcare systems in the world with Kaiser, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins, to some of the poorest and least equipped in places like Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, and Uganda. But my experience with the past few weeks has been something different entirely. I thought I was always prepared, wherever I worked, for the conditions that lay ahead. This last month working as a Hospitalist and primary admitter in Maryland hospitals I found my world of medicine turned upside down. 

BEYOND THE STETHOSCOPE
And here is some social separation - play Golf
Stephen A. Imbeau, MD
Editor, Southeast News
Reprinted from the Morning News and SCNow with permission.

Americans love golf. We have roughly 17,700 courses in the United States, which is half of the world’s inventory of golf courses. We have several Golf Channels on television and multiple magazines and even entire sports stores dedicated to golf, golf equipment and golf clothes. Indeed, golf is a big business, sport and hobby.


Robert S. Rigolosi, MD
October 27, 1935 - March 28, 2020
Served on SED Board 2006 - 2015