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I have to start this newsletter with an acknowledgment that the COVID-19 epidemic is having on all us and will for some time to come. Missouri ACP has pulled together a COVID-19 Resource web page with a list of national and state resources to find the most current information. Additionally, ACP specific resources to the pandemic and resources for online learning are available at the end of this update.
Here in St. Louis, as I write this, we have 172 cases, including two physicians at Washington University. All of us are scrambling to create and implement plans to minimize the spread of the epidemic and to care for the very sick patients we anticipate we’ll see.
At my institution, we have canceled all elective procedures and surgery and are converting as many of our routine new and return visits to telehealth as we can. All those entering our building are screened – patients, visitors, and employees. The patients have melted away, hopefully to shelter in place. ED visits are down 60%. By next week I anticipate that many/most of our clerical personnel will be working from home.
For our students, it has meant interruption of their education. All six Missouri medical schools have dismissed 1st and 2nd year students in favor of on-line learning. The AAMC has recommended that all 3rd and 4th year clerkships be suspended, and as I write this, both Washington University and St. Louis University have done so. Their Match parties have been canceled, as has Commencement.
For our residents, it means elective rotations are nearly empty of patients. For those holding visas, it means uncertainty and the inability to visit their homes and families. For those about to join us after the Match, it means likely delays in starting and, for those coming from overseas, the possibility of not getting here at all.
For the ACP, it has meant canceling the IM 2020 meeting in Los Angeles; canceling Leadership Day; and in Missouri, canceling membership events in Kansas City and possibly in St. Louis.
For all of you, it means dealing with your usual workload as well as those who are anxious, even terrified. It means worrying about taking home the virus to your family, and about your own health and mortality. It means working long hours without clear respite for an unknown length of time. It means working with equipment shortages which increase your personal risk.
When I was young, one of my teachers was Louie Weinstein. He was arguably one of the two most dominant ID doctors in Boston, and had been a wunderkind, enrolled in medical school at 18. As a consequence, he had worked as a student delivering care during the 1918 influenza epidemic. His stories matched up with the books I later read in terms of the tragic deaths and breakdown of the health system, right down to the bodies left on the curbs for the wagons to pick up. His stories were also filled with the heroism of doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, and Red Cross volunteers. None of them thought of themselves that way at the time, and many probably never did. Louie was a hero to me, for that and many other reasons. You are the heroes that students and residents will one day talk about when tales are told. I am proud to be associated with you.
I want to provide a few chapter updates before signing off from this spring newsletter:
Missouri ACP had a successful Advocacy Day on February 26 with more than 30 members in attendance. Thank you to all that took time out of your busy schedules to join us, it was a great event.
The Missouri ACP Chapter Scientific Meeting will be September 10-13, 2020, at Margaritaville Lake Resort, Osage Beach. We have an excellent group of speakers lined up for you, and hope you will save the dates and plan to attend. We are excited to announce that Ernie-Paul Barrette, MD, FACP, has been selected as the Missouri Laureate Award recipient to be honored at the awards reception this year. Congratulations, Dr. Barrette!
We have a MO ACP I.M. at the Zoo scheduled for May 31 at the Saint Louis Zoo. At this time the Zoo is not canceling events past April, so we ask that you plan bring your family and enjoy a great day at the Saint Louis Zoo, and stop by our Missouri ACP room to network with your peers. You can find more information and RSVP here.
The Awards Committee has worked hard and narrowed potential nominee categories to four. We anticipate nominating Missouri members for the
- Jane F. Desforges Distinguished Teacher Award
- Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell Award for Outstanding Contributions to Advancing the Careers of Women in Medicine
- Samuel Eichold Memorial Award for Contributions in Diabetes
- Harriet Pl Dustan Award for Science as Related to Medicine
My thanks goes out to the awards committee for their work on this project. I will provide the list of nominees and their biographies in our summer newsletter.
Please be safe,
Daniel Goodenberger, MD, MACP
President, Missouri ACP
Resources:
ACP's Comprehensive Coronavirus Resources:
ACP is committed to doing everything possible to help internists prevent and slow the spread of COVID19 virus to ensure that our patients get the care they need.
The resources on our regularly updated webpage include:
These resources are meant to assist internists seeking to prepare and manage their response. ACP will continue to update this page with resources developed by ACP and other organizations.
Online Learning:
As many of our Missouri institutions switch from in-person to online trainee education and CME, I want to remind you of a few of the many educational resources available through the ACP, which may make these transitions smoother.
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