2628 Wilhite Court, Suite 201
Lexington, KY 40503
PH: (859) 278-0569 FAX: (859) 277-3919
|
|
|
James Borders, MD
LMS President 2021
|
|
Reliable Internet Information
James Borders, MD
|
The Lexington Medical Society has chosen to promote COVID-19 vaccination as our top public health priority. As of this writing, approximately 40% of Kentuckians have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine injection and just under 18% have been fully vaccinated compared to 16.9% of Americans, placing Kentucky #22 in states’ ranking for those vaccinated. However, we are vaccinating at a more rapid pace than that of any of our 7 border states. It is widely believed that we need to achieve 70-80% vaccination rates in the general public to achieve herd immunity. A major obstacle preventing more widespread acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination is what has been termed “the social disease of disinformation”.
Those battling the largest Ebola outbreak in history in West Africa in 2014 encountered opposition to scientific advice due to false and misleading information spread through social media. The same is now true for COVID-19 as conspiracy theories abound involving such notions that receiving a mRNA vaccine alters DNA, causes infertility, or allows the government to implant a tracking device.
|
|
|
Please join us for the LMS Virtual Meeting on Zoom as we hear a report on KMA's highly successful 2021 legislative season from Dale Toney, MD, KMA President, and Cory Meadows, KMA Deputy Executive VP/Director of Advocacy. James Borders, MD, LMS President, will then present the Jack Trevey Award for Community Service to Kraig Humbaugh, MD, MPH, our Lexington-Fayette County Health Department Commissioner of Health, for his incredible leadership during one of the most difficult public health crises in our nation’s history. Dr. Humbaugh calmly guided our community through the COVID-19 pandemic from the first indication of the virus to the vaccination efforts. His efforts represent the best in the practice of medicine and an inspiration to us all. |
|
Pandemic One Year Later:
What Works for Our Practice
By Allison Cook, MD
|
|
|
|
COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on the health care system since early 2020. Almost one year into the Covid-19 pandemic we still feel the stress daily.
The pandemic has changed how we interact with patients and each other, as social distancing guidelines have led to a more virtual existence at work and at home. We have staff and provider meetings via zoom instead of in the conference room. The only thing we are missing is the bagels! I have noticed that Zoom makes the meetings more efficient and not as time consuming as an actual face to face meeting. I think more and more people will continue to utilize Zoom or other virtual platforms for meetings even after the pandemic is over.
|
|
|
We Are More Than the Sum of Our Fears:
Revisited
By Hope Cottrill, MD
|
|
|
|
We can finally breathe a sigh of relief: 2020 is over! Healthcare providers don’t struggle for PPE, Kentucky’s positivity is declining, and vaccinations are becoming more and more available. Remember when waiting for a COVID-19 test took days?
However, these positive steps are bittersweet. As I write this, we have lost almost 6,000 Kentuckians and 2.75 million people worldwide to COVID-19. Further, 2020 was a year of reckoning for society and medicine. The challenges faced in society are being reflected with increasing attention in all aspects of medicine: access to care, patients choosing not to obtain care when it is available, inherent bias and prejudice, and leadership on the local and national level.
|
|
Update on My Experience with Telemedicine
By Charles Papp, MD
|
|
|
|
Last year, I wrote an article about my early experiences with telemedicine. Back then the lockdown was restrictive, patients were afraid, and physicians were struggling to find protective gear, meet guidelines, and keep their practices afloat. To help deal with these difficulties, we began offering telemedicine services. Federal and state governments eased restrictions, allowing physicians easier access, and simplified billing for these services. At one point, I was offering telemedicine services one to two days a week. Now the lockdown restrictions are easing, a large and growing proportion of the population is getting vaccinated, and patients and doctors alike are starting to breathe a sigh of relief. Many of us are finding that our offices are brimming and the pent-up demand is starting to show up on our doorsteps. The temptation, especially for certain specialties, is to drop the telemedicine option. I would strongly encourage reconsideration of that decision.
|
|
|
For More Information about the Physician Wellness Program CLICK HERE
|
|
THANK YOU TO OUR ADVERTISERS:
Central Bank
Kentucky Women's Cancer Screening Program
MagMutual Insurance
Republic Bank
State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
