Physician-in-Chief's Message
March 29, 2020
Good evening friends,
 
I hope each of you have had some time to relax with your family this weekend and that you have done something to take care of yourself. 

Self-care is really important during this time of ambiguity. For me, it is going for a jog and listening to music, hanging out with my husband and sons and calling friends on the phone. 

For Ceila Loughlin, it was taking out the baby pool and hanging out with her children as she and her husband put their feet in the pool. Melanie Dawes hung out, relaxing in her back yard, Mike Steiner bought a puppy and Stuart Gold worked in his beautiful garden.
Anxiety and depression are normal emotions during such unprecedented times. We have lost normal social connections, separating us from friends and some family members. Many of us are trying to maintain a schedule at home for our children who are participating in on-line classes. Some of us have friends or family members who have lost jobs. Still, others have lost friends or family members due to COVID-19. 

Given this, many of us are feeling the stages of grief as highlighted in the NPR article below. I found this article very helpful as well as the short podcast, Accepting And Dealing With Grief In The Time Of Pandemic.
As one of our faculty members told me this weekend, we are definitely a family within UNC Children’s. We are here to support one another. I am so proud to be part of Children’s. We may be physically distant, but let’s not be emotionally distant. We will be identifying ways to support each other in the next few days and welcome ideas for ways to do this!
 
Together, we will get through this.
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Taking Care of Our Own
  • We are seeing an increased need for formal mental health services. Therefore, to better assist our physician faculty connect with mental health services effective immediately, FP Physician Faculty can access UNC Taking Care of Our Own Program AND use their UNC health care insurance and FP supplemental wrap around.  

  • We believe this will be a great improvement. This is now offered via TELE-PSYCHIATRY services. The entire UNC outpatient psychiatry program is now via telehealth.

  • While this has been planned for some time, it is being rolled out now to respond to the distress associated with COVID-19. (Note: Housestaff have always been able to use their insurance and all policies around them are unchanged).
Other UNC Support Resources
  • In addition to the Taking Care of Our Own Program for physicians, we have developed an extensive number of emotional support services to serve ALL UNC Health employees broadly - described here on the UNC Well-Being Program. 

  • This includes completely free of charge telephone support, hotline and a long list of resources (app based, web-based and other).


  • Please let me know if there are specific needs you are encountering or if you have any questions.  We want to be as responsive as possible to help those who need emotional support during this most difficult time. 
Articles, Podcasts, and Webinars
  • Psychologists say that what a lot of us are feeling these days is, in fact, a form of grief. Here's how to honor that feeling and regain equilibrium as we face an unknown future.

  • NPR's Michel Martin shares her thoughts on coping with the grief people are feeling over their losses big and small because of the coronavirus.

Parenting Strategies for Challenging Times
  • The WCM/NYP Youth Anxiety Center and Pediatric OCD, Anxiety and Tic Disorders Program (POCAT) at Weill Cornell Medicine have put together a series of free webinars to help parents during this challenging time.

  • It is open to the general public, but the program wants to ensure that families currently receiving services through the pediatrics department have the opportunity to attend. 

  • Please visit the POCAT website for more information and registration details.
  • Scheduled on these dates from 8:00-8:45p, topics include:
  • 4/1: Parenting Strategies for Healthy Coping
  • 4/2: Creating Structure During Unstructured Times
  • 4/6: Incorporating Validation into Parenting
  • 4/7: Coping and Conflict Management
  • 4/8: Making Meaning of Difficult Times

  • Please feel free to pass along to families you are working with!