Together Patient Advocates Blog

A slice of good news found within the COVID-19 statistics is that the majority of people with the virus are not sick enough to warrant hospitalization. Johns Hopkins estimates about 80 – 90% of COVID-19 cases are “not severe and many may be asymptomatic.”  Even though people experience varying levels of symptoms and recovery times, there are things that patients or their caregivers can do at home to manage mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms and help the recovery process.

If shelter-in-place seemed to come with a road map (what to do, not to do, and how to stay reasonably safe), the re-opening feels a bit more like the early days of Google maps.  You can see your final destination, but the suggested route seems to have you driving all around it, leaving you uncertain as to the best path for getting there.   

If you missed medical appointments due to COVID-19, it's time to consider rescheduling them as doctors’ offices and health care facilities are re-opening in accordance with state and local guidelines. While it might be tempting to avoid the doctor's office during the pandemic, you'd hate to suffer the consequences of missing treatment for a preventable condition when safe care can be obtained.  Here are some changes you should see in medical offices and tips to help you minimize risk while resuming your health care.

Thanks to Advoconnection for posting my article on how to prepare for the hospital, especially during the COVID pandemic. There are specific steps you can take TODAY to prepare.

We're familiar with the concept of packing a "Go Bag" in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, or if serving as active duty military. If you're someone with chronic illness who may need an emergency trip to the hospital, or someone who is at increased risk of hospitalization during the COVID 19 Pandemic, it's a good idea to pack a "Go Bag" now.

If you have a loved one in a long-term care facility, you want to stay connected with them while also making sure the facility is doing all they should to keep their residents and staff safe.  Here are some suggestions for both of those goals:

Most of us are unable to join the ranks of doctors and nurses working on the front lines of the highly contagious COVID 19.  We are left to wonder what we can do to help these brave, selfless people risking their lives to save others.  As it turns out, there are a number of things each of us can do.  

It’s frightening to be a patient, especially now. We turn to our clinicians to  deliver the medical care we need and to be our calm, informed leader guiding us through our healthcare challenge. Right now the COVID 19 virus is challenging those very clinicians due to the lack of equipment and overwhelming number of people seeking help in emergency rooms and treatment in intensive care units.