President’s Message

A Message from the President

by Cindy L. Russell, MD

SCCMA President

Here We Go Again

The super spreading delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is brazenly mutating to provide us with yet another surge of cases this winter of 2021, with effects significantly more dangerous in unvaccinated people. Omicron, a new South African variant of concern, has more than 30

variations of the spike protein that could not only increase the transmissibility but also evade the immune system, even in vaccinated individuals. A domino of lockdowns and travel restrictions are now being implemented, once again in many countries, while manufacturers are testing the current vaccines and boosters against Omicron. The Omicron variant has not yet been identified in the U.S. but scientists think it is only a matter of time. Uncertainty continues.

Cats with Covid

There have been a total of 777,000 COVID-19 deaths so far reported in the U.S. since beginning of the pandemic January 2020. COVID-19 is reaching endemic levels, continuing to spread and mutate. The virus has now been found in dogs and cats whose owners had COVID-19, however, there is no evidence to date that pets can transmit the disease. Surprisingly, COVID-19 from humans has also been found in 40% of white-tailed deer in four states – Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania – although the deer exhibit no symptoms and in general the disease is milder in animals.

Mink are one species that appear to spread the virus and pass it back to humans. These animals

could serve as a reservoir for mutants which may impact efforts to check the virus. Sewer systems, which have identified and monitored COVID worldwide, may also prove to be reservoirs of newer viral mutants that can be transmitted to animals. “Not to sound any alarms, but everything we don’t want to see with this virus seems to happen,” said Arinjay Banerjee, coronavirus researcher at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.

Healthcare Workers Need a Break

As we know, the pandemic has stressed the medical profession with a fresh and painful loss of healthcare workers. A Morning Consult report states that almost 1 in in 5 healthcare workers have quit their jobs during the pandemic, citing poor pay and burnout as the primary reasons.

There have been a total of 777,000 COVID-19 deaths so far reported in the U.S. since beginning of the pandemic January 2020.

Wellness and Mindfulness

Although physician burnout was described

decades ago, physician wellness has become a central focus for healthcare systems and individual practices in this challenging time. The SCCMA has a new Resilient MD program which combines mindfulness practices with peer discussions and support. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese monk and the Father of Mindfulness, reminds us of the interrelated nature of all living things and how to deepen our physical connection with the earth. One of his lessons…“We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the Earth. Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation” (UNEP 1992). It means that once we find there is a reasonable amount of evidence that something is harmful to the environment, and indirectly to us, then we step away from it, study it more and look for safer alternatives.

We might think about extending this principle to adequately pretest manufactured products before they are placed on the market, adding a carbon footprint to the data. We may consider shifting from the economic model of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to what Rethinking Progress calls the GPI (Genuine

Human innovation and creativity have helped our species develop very convenient tools to advance our society.

We have a duty to follow the Hippocratic Oath to, “First do no harm.” This will mean focusing on sustainability as other businesses have done.

Reflections: Science, Innovation, Precaution

Human innovation and creativity have helped our species develop very convenient tools to advance our society. The invention of the wheel, which allowed us to more easily connect with each other, evolved into the invention of the cell phone that allows us to connect with almost anyone in the world anytime.

Despite the supreme usefulness of these novel wireless gadgets, we are identifying troubling issues which have developed as a result of this technology, with the realization that there are privacy issues, data mining violations, surveillance questions, psychological addiction and dysregulation in children with a “disconnect” among adults and kids who overuse the technology, as well as an exponential increase in energy consumption due to a technology which we now depend upon to the navigate our modern world. We need to be thoughtful about the indirect consequences of innovation.

Industry Accountability

Like tobacco, asbestos, Teflon, lead in gasoline, pesticides, factory farming, clear cutting, the internal combustion engine, nuclear power, to name just a few, we have not thought clearly about the long-term or indirect effects such as the erosion of human health, loss of biodiversity and climate change when we develop a new product. We have also now learned that in some cases corporations knew about the harmful effects but hid them from the public (Tobacco Papers, Monsanto Papers, Teflon Papers, Petroleum Papers). Progress Indicators), which goes beyond just the exchange of money to measure economic success, instead calculating education, health, environment and equity in a circular economy equation without waste…an economy of forethought and prevention.

COP 26 Glasglow Conference 2021

Leaders at the Glasgow, Scotland COP 26 revisited pledges from the Paris Agreement of 2015. Greta Thunberg, the now 18-year-old internationally known climate activist, spoke at the COP 26 summit on climate change. She, along with the IPCC scientists, give us 9 years to change our habits to reduce the chance we will land above 1.5 degrees Celsius, when irreversible feedback mechanisms will operate to rapidly warm the planet. Some people think we are already there. CO2 lasts 100-1000 years in the atmosphere, so each individual’s (yours and my) carbon footprint long outlasts themselves and their grandchildren. The CO2 levels in 2021 have reached 419 ppm in our atmosphere when the upper limit should be 350 (350. org). Greta has called the COP 26 climate summit a “failure” and a “PR exercise.” Others call it a COP OUT. Greta, who is not known to be shy about her views on climate change previously said, “We don’t just need goals for just 2030 or 2050. We, above all, need them for 2020 and every following month and year to come.” U.S. Healthcare’s Role in Addressing Climate Change The U.S. healthcare system is responsible for about 10% of our country’s

The Precautionary Principle and Unintended Consequences

Our society works on the principle of invent now, increase profits and study harmful effects later. Europe still operates that way but has incorporated the Precautionary Principle in its deliberations. The Precautionary Principle states, “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for total carbon emissions and about 25% of all global healthcare emissions. We have a duty to follow the Hippocratic Oath to, “First do no harm.” This will mean focusing on sustainability as other businesses have done. Practice Green Health along with Healthcare Without Harm are already establishing best practices for large healthcare systems so they can remain high performing and sustainable for the long run.