Medical Examiner 5-15-20 by Daniel Pearson

MEDICALEXAMINER

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MAY 15, 2020

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The coronavirus COVID-19 has cases (top number). The Indian spread to 212 countries around the chart is flipped: its top represents world. Its effects vary from one its population, a whopping 18% nation to the next like a patchwork of the world’s total. The bottom quilt made of denim here, fine number reflects India’s share of all silk there, and crude burlap in yet confirmed COVID-19 cases in the another place. world, a mere 1.5%. The two bar graphs on this page Does that surprise you? Logic illustrate the disparities around the might suggest that a country like world that are currently leaving India with its high population public health officials scratching density would be a fertile breedtheir heads for answers. ing ground for viral transmission. On the left, the red bar repIndia’s landmass is only a third of See page 2 resents the United States. For comAmerica’s, yet a billion more peoparison, the blue bar on the right ple live there than in the U.S. represents India, the only country in the world It’s easy to shrug off such disparities, and (other than China) with a higher population many do. This country is under-reporting its than the United States. cases. That country is covering up the scope of The U.S. has only 4.3% of the world’s their outbreak. But such comments are based population (bottom number), but slightly on national pride and prejudice more often more than 33% of the total global COVID-19 than facts and research.

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Even the graph below (Source: the web search engine Bing) suggests the U.S. is in a class by itself compared to Spain, the U.K., Italy, Germany, France and other countries. Again, some might be surprised. Is the U.S. claim to having the best healthcare system in the world inaccurate, our own national propaganda? If not, why do Spain and Turkey and for the most part all other countries have lower COVID-19 statistics than we do? We posed that question to Dr. Arni Rao, director of the Laboratory for Theory and Mathematical Modeling at Augusta University, part of the MCG Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases. First, he notes that China

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THE FIRST 40 YEARS ARE ALWAYS THE HARDEST

MAY 15, 2020

SUPERNURSES

We recently reached out to our area hospitals asking about nurses working on the front lines of coronavirus treatment who deserve to be recognized. We heard from Augusta University, the epicenter of treatment for this area. Here are a few of the people who deserve our thanks.

PARENTHOOD by David W. Proefrock, PhD

Your 15 year-old son is doing very poorly in school. He’s never been a particularly good student, but he has been able to pass with mostly C’s. This year, however, has been different. Before the pandemic struck he was failing three classes on his latest progress report. He will be 16 in a few months and has been looking forward to getting his driver’s license. Your spouse says he shouldn’t be allowed to get the license until he is passing all of his classes. You know how disappointed and angry he will be if you impose this punishment. What do you do? A. Compromise with your spouse. Tell your son he can take the test and get his license, but he won’t be allowed to drive until his grades have improved. B. Driving and school work are not related. Let him get his license and work with him on other ways to bring his grades up. C. Your son might get so angry that he won’t try at all in school if you don’t let him get his license. Let him get the license and tell him you expect him to improve his grades. D. Your spouse is right. Tell your son that he will not be allowed to take the test and get his license until he is passing everything. If you answered: A. This is a time to stand firm. Work with your spouse, but you should both agree that he needs to have his priorities in line before he can be trusted driving a car. B. Driving and school work are related. Both are responsibilities. You can’t expect him to be a safe and responsible driver if he is not a responsible student. He should be passing all of his classes before he is allowed to get his license. C. This decision is too important to be based on the possibility that he might get angry. Of course he will be angry; but if he handles his anger by doing even worse in school, it only proves that he is not ready to be a responsible driver. D. This is the best response. Driving is a big responsibility. He should show he’s being responsible in all aspects of his life before he is allowed to drive. Driving a car is not a right that should be given to everyone who turns 16 years-old. It is huge responsibility that includes not only his own safety, but the safety of others on the road. If he is not handling his other responsibilities, he’s not ready for this one. + Dr. Proefrock is a retired clinical and forensic child psychologist.

Sandra Clay is the Nurse Manager for the Medical ICU (MICU) at AU Medical Center. This is a 24 bed ICU that was turned into the primary location for the most critical of COVID patients. Sandra has worked tirelessly to turn her ICU into a top-notch and efficient COVID care center. She and her team have used new and emerging evidenced-based tactics for not only how to Sandra Clay advance the treatment and care of a person with COVID but also how to set up and stage the ICU in a safe and efficient way for the protection of the staff. Sandra also worked on and was a key contributor to the overall hospital COVID surge plan as it relates to where other ICU patients go once her MICU is used only for COVID care. She was instrumental in setting up her other unit, a 15 bed Intermediate Care Unit, into a full-fledged ICU. Her biggest concern was the safety and education of her staff there so they could be comfortable with taking care of a more critical patient. Sandra worked night and day to ensure that the right people were there to help train that staff to care for ICU patients. Her staff on both units look up to her and know that with her leadership and strong resolve, they would survive these unusual times. Sandra is a great “process person” and keeps quality and safety in the forefront of everything she does and her staff, along with hospital leadership respect her highly for that. The changes she has instituted during this crisis will last well beyond this current pandemic to make improvements in the years to come. Mary Ellen DeLoach works in the Surgery Subspecialty Practice Site in Ambulatory Care. When faced with the national dilemma that we are experiencing, she was ready to do her part to ensure that patients as well as staff were kept safe. She worked in a vari-

ety of locations as part of COVID staffing plan. Some of the areas worked were the Covid-19 Call Center, Patriot’s Park testing area, Emergency Room testing tent, Christenberry Field testing, 7 South and is now deployed to train the Mary Ellen DeLoach National Guard to perform testing for the next two weeks. Even though she typically works days Monday through Friday, she has volunteered to work weekend and evening hours. No job was too much to ask for her to do. She even came into the practice site to follow-up on a few patients to ensure they were taken care of in her absence. Her co-workers were very supportive and encouraged her involvement in making sure AU Health was meeting the community needs. She has been enthusiastic, flexible and willing to go where the mission of healthcare led her. She is a true shining light in why we do what we do as nurses. There have been a large number of changes over the last 45-50 days in practices all over the hospital. 5 West was the first unit in the hospital to care for known positive Covid-19 patients. To say that flexibility has been important during this time is, as you can imagine, quite an understatement. With the Please see SUPER NURSES page 3

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MAY 15, 2020

SUPER NURSES… from page 2

volume of changes happening daily, hourly and sometimes by the minute, it is important to be able to adjust on the fly. This is what Maria Johnson, RN, has been able to do for her team on 5 West Medicine since Day 1. Maria has been a Registered Nurse for 23 years. She has been employed by Augusta University MedMaria Johnson ical Center for more than 6 years and has been on the 5 West Medical Surgical unit for over 3 years. She is currently serving in a charge nurse role for the 5 West team on day shift. She has been invaluable to her co-workers and management team during the Covid-19 pandemic response. We developed a plan for adjusted nurse-to-patient ratios that would allow for the appropriate amount of time to care for these patients. In addition to the staffing ratios we freed our charge nurses of a traditional patient assignments. In normal times the charge nurses on this unit would typically carry 4-6 patients in addition to their charge nurse responsibilities. Maria, along with our other charge nurses, has all been able to perform more in-depth chart audits to ensure patient order accuracy. She has been a literal life saver in these actions finding missed opportunities for the most therapeutic treatments. One example would include ensuring that patients have Incentive Spirometry ordered which is used to help patients focus on taking slow, deep breaths to prevent other lung problems. Another would be to ensure that the appropriate blood thinning therapies were ordered to prevent blood clots from forming anywhere in

the body. As a charge nurse and leader during this time Maria has been on top of checking the accuracy of isolation orders and making changes in collaboration with the respiratory, nursing, and physician teams. She has worked side by side with the Case Management and Social Work teams to ensure that the patients have everything they need for a safe and on time discharge. The dedication to her team has been clearly shown in how she assisted the unit leadership in running shift change huddles. These have been used increasingly to review numerous practice alerts and changes that have been and are still occurring due to shifting dynamics of the overall pandemic response. Maria has stepped up to help educate any and all staff who may float or rotate into 5 West to help care for COVID-19 patients. One of our most satisfying opportunities is being able to connect our patients with their loved ones. It is very difficult to have the repeated conversations with not only patients but also their families about why they cannot come into the hospital to see their loved one. One way around this issue is using video conferencing. Maria and the team have been on top of identifying patients who really need that outside encouragement. In this way they have been able to provide some sense of connection for our patients and their families who want to see each other so badly. Maria Johnson is the epitome of what it means to be a Nurse, as a compassionate caregiver, a fierce patient advocate and a most helpful co-worker. Thank you Maria, and to all of our hard working staff who have contributed to the success of 5 West during this busy time! +

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Bats... why is it always bats? Bats have been at the center of a number of viral outbreaks around the world in recent years, and they’re on the short list of leading suspects in the launch of this latest coronavirus outbreak. If you missed the news, bats have been implicated or suspected of participation in starting and/or spreading Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and now, SARS-CoV-2 and the illness it causes (known to us all as COVID-19). If bats are indeed carriers of these deadly viruses, why doesn’t it kill them? Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan conducted an in-depth study (published in Scientific Reports) which reveals that bats have a “super immunity” to coronavirus strains. Even months after being infected in laboratory settings, bats are healthy even though their immune system does not destroy the virus, and even though the virus does not shut down the bats’ immune system, as it does in humans. Instead, virus and host adapt to each other and settle in for what could be a cozy long-term relationship, cozy because it’s very private, just between bat and virus, and isn’t contagious. Scientists are still trying to figure out what upsets the balance between host and virus, making the illness contagious, but that discovery may lead to strategies that prevent contagion and confine the virus strictly to bats. +

DEARREADERS

Many of you have contacted us to ask when the print edition of the Medical Examiner will return. We are as eager for that day as you are, but when it happens will be dictated by conditions largely beyond our control. We’d love to resume with the first issue of June, but it’s not certain at this time if that will be possible. It will happen as soon as it is practical and safe to do so, that’s for sure. In the meantime, thank you for continuing to support this online version. +

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MAY 15, 2020

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

#115 IN A SERIES

Who is this? ON THE ROAD TO BETTER HEALTH A PATIENT’S PERSPECTIVE Editor’s note: Augusta writer Marcia Ribble, Ph.D., is a retired English and creative writing professor who offers her unique perspective as a patient. Contact her at marciaribble@hotmail.com by Marcia Ribble

ere is a story that perfectly exemplifies this feature of the Medical Examiner: a brief profile of someone who has made a crucially important contribution to the field of medical science, yet is almost invisible on the pages of medical history. As you may be able to see above, this man’s name is LienTeh Wu. He was born in Malaysia in 1879, and died in the same town where he was born in 1960 at age 80. Despite those bookends he traveled far and wide, and is actually a central figure in the healthcare landscape of the year 2020. In 1894 he won the Queen’s Scholarship and traveled to Cambridge, becoming the first medical student of Chinese descent to study there since the university’s founding in 1209. His academic excellence won him virtually every prize and scholarship available. After completing his undergraduate clinical studies he returned to Malaysia in 1903. In the winter of 1910, however, Wu, by now working for the Chinese government at Tianjin’s Army Medical College, was ordered to investigate a disease outbreak in Manchuria that was killing 99.9% of its victims. Going against the prevailing wisdom of the day, Wu established through an autopsy of one of the victims (a practice that was not accepted in China at the time) that the Manchurian plague was transmitted through the air, not by rats or fleas as many believed. Nor was it the culprit of “miasma,” another strongly-held fable of the day, that bad odors carried disease. In response to his findings Wu, described by one historian as “completely unimportant” among the many doctors who had arrived from around the world to investigate and fight the plague, developed an improved version of the surgical masks he had seen in the West. It was not an immediate hit. Wu told one prominent French doctor about his theory that the plague was airborne and pneumonic (affecting the lungs) and of the subsequent benefits of wearing the mask. The doctor rudely dismissed Wu’s opinion in racist terms, reportedly saying, “What can we expect from a Chinaman?” To prove his point, the French doctor attended patients in a plague hospital and was dead within two days. Despite that doctor’s skepticism (or perhaps because of it) Wu’s mask quickly gained favor among medical personnel. It was constructed of multiple layers for greater effectiveness, was made from cheap materials in abundant supply, and was light and easy to wear. Best of all, it was useful in helping to slow the spread of the plague that killed some 60,000 people in Manchuria between August of 1910 and the spring of 1911. Wu’s invention marked the first time an effective mask was used as an epidemic containment measure. Today it’s known by a familiar name: we call it the N95 mask. +

When normal functioning stops, what are our options? I am quite accustomed to staying in place; however, there are certain essentials that I’d be lost without, major among which is being able to order groceries online. The other day my comfortable world was upended when I could not order anything from Kroger. No matter what I tried to order there is nothing available. Zero bread. Zero blueberry muffins. Zero chocolate cake. Nothing for my Mother’s Day dinner. I am feeling quite bereft. I am used to some things being nonexistent, but not everything. Fortunately, that angst was shortlived since I was able to order groceries today. What a relief! Now all I have to be concerned about is the cold spring weather which is making me shiver. With the conservativeness of my age, the heat is off so my little house radiates the frigid temperatures outside. It’s not low enough to be dangerous, just low enough to be uncomfortable, 65 degrees instead of the 75° I feel comfortable with. I hear that by this weekend we may finally be in the 90s. It’s really quite funny because in my younger days I kept the house at 65 degrees and everyone else complained. Between my vision, which isn’t what it used to be, and the difficulty of reaching the thermostat from a walker or wheelchair, changing the thermostat is quite challenging. Right now it is off and neither heating nor air conditioning will come on. I once lived in an apartment where the

owners decided when to turn the heat on and off. There I remember the early spring and late fall months as never being warm enough. That was when I began to realize that my internal thermostat was no longer functioning as well as it had when I was younger. Knowing that, I learned to listen to my body complain when it was either too hot or too cold. As we age staying warm enough can be a challenge, and the aches that come with being too cold are actually helpful in preventing hypothermia. I know from my stay in rehab that I am much better off than many seniors who almost never feel warm. Some of them have chattering teeth when the room temperature is 75 degrees. They wrap up in blankets and put on multiple layers when I am still in a short-sleeved t-shirt. They sleep with layers of blankets when I have only my sheet and a light blanket on. Their discomfort is real. Their aches make even thinking difficult. Their joy in living can be challenged every single day. So while folks are checking on their elders in this pandemic season, we need to also make sure they are warm enough, that they have the food they need, that they haven’t slipped into depression from the isolation, and that they are reassured of the loving connections they need to feel safe and secure. A small amount of reassurance can mean so much to our seniors who are isolated, whether at home or in a nursing home or rehab facility. As the song says, “Love is all we need.” Love makes sure everything else is in order. +

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

ADVENTURES IN

Middle Age BY J.B. COLLUM

I’m writing yet another column from my office here at home as we all, or most of us anyway, are cloistered away like monks on the lam in a place that is teeming with gestapo. I look forward to it ending, but I must admit to having some thoughts about missing it once it is over. Not the CoVid-19 pandemic, of course, but some aspects of our response to it. Yes, it’s true that we don’t get to go out to eat, or to the beach or Disney World or on a cruise, or shopping for frivolous things, or… wait a second! Where was I going with this? What could I possibly miss about being stuck at home during a pandemic?! Oh yeah, I think I’ll miss having time to get all of those projects done at home. All that back-breaking work is really rewarding and… hold on! Yeah, that is rewarding, but this stuff is hard! I’m not really sure I’ll miss the hard work, but maybe the accomplishment though. I know there was something else I was thinking that I would miss when this is all over... Oh, now I remember. I’ll miss the time I’ve had to ponder the meaning of life and the pointlessness of it all… Nope. That wasn’t it. There has to be something I’ll miss. Well, there is the fact that I can go to work in my pajamas and if I need to “dress up,” it only has to be from the waist up. That’s good. And I can even attend worship services without having to drive anywhere and without having to get dressed up, at least as much as usual. I admit to skipping shaving a lot lately too, so there is that. I’m saving a lot on gas and not eating out has been a big boon to the budget, though the grocery bill, along with my waistline, has grown some. Alright, alright, they have grown considerably. My wife made me put that last part in there. She thinks she’s being funny. That reminds me of another thing I’ll miss; all the extra time with my wife. We have grown closer and I think that once this is over and she calms down, she won’t really go see the divorce lawyer after all. However, I did order her the fancy new kitchen appliances she’s been wanting for a few years as insurance. I hope they arrive soon. But seriously though, I know that this column is usually mostly about the humor of aging and the health issues that come with it, but even sitcoms make us shed a tear once in a while. Spoiler alert: Get your tissue box ready. This crisis has made me be more thoughtful. I think especially so since we have experienced it with my parents in the house with us. While we, citizens of the earth, have collectively been going through this global pandemic, we as a family have been going through our own little crisis here with my father the past few years as he is slowly slipping away from us due to Alzheimer’s. Being home all the time I see what my mother and wife have to go through every day with him as he continues to decline. The only good thing about it is that he doesn’t really know what is happening and when some particu-

larly embarrassing thing happens because of his declining health, he will forget about it shortly thereafter. He asks me every day when we can go to the flea market, or camping, or to worship, or fishing, or some other thing he loves to do. We’re fortunate to live on some land with beautiful woods, trails, fields, and a nice creek, so when he is up to it, I sometimes load him up on the golf cart and take him down to the creek to sit on the deck and let the therapy of sights, sounds, scents and a nice breeze soothe us both. Of course, an hour after we get back he will ask me if we can go to the creek because he hasn’t been in so long. Yes, he forgets, but I’ll take him again, as long as I can. When you are a little kid, all you want to do is be a big kid. When you get to be a teenager, you can’t wait to be a grown up so you can do whatever you want. Wow, what a fallacy. If you are a particularly thoughtful teenager, you might notice how aging is affecting your grandparents, but you probably won’t. It’s not a concern, yet. At that point, to you, they are “old people” and always will be, though what old age is will prove to be a moving target. When you finally do become an adult and see all of the responsibility that comes with it, and how much it costs in money and time, you can’t wait to get old enough to earn enough money to be able to take it easier. Life is harder than you thought, but you see those forty-year-olds with the nice house and cars and taking expensive vacations and you want that. By now, unless you are a completely selfish person, you see the ill effects of aging on your grandparents. If you are a good person, you worry about them, but you don’t dwell on it, and you shouldn’t. You should enjoy life. They want that for you. Somewhere between becoming an adult and becoming an experienced, respected fortyyear-old, you will see the terrible toll that aging has taken on your grandparents and you very likely will have lost them by then or soon thereafter, unless you are very fortunate. That’s when you wish you could have slowed down and spent more time with them instead of pursuing comfort and entertainment. When you reach middle age, you look at your parents and you see yourself in the notso-distant future. But you tell yourself that you’ve still got time. You probably do, but you are coming to the end of your life budget and, hopefully, you spend your time wisely. Maybe this crisis will teach us to appreciate every single day that we have with our friends and family. If you would like to share your experiences from the pandemic, feel free to drop me a line at the email address at the end of the article. Until next time, stay safe, my friends, and enjoy life. + J.B. Collum is a local novelist, humorist and columnist who wants to be Mark Twain when he grows up. He may be reached at johnbcollum@gmail.com

A TALE… from page 1

and India wouldn’t necessarily have more cases than the U.S. simply because they have more people. “An infectious virus or highly infectious pathogen does not have to spread in accordance with the population size of a country,” Rao said. There are a number of other factors involved that could have varying degrees of influence in different parts of the world. “Pathogen spread and infectivity depend on various factors,” says Rao, including “population density, natural immunity, age-distribution of a population, herd-immunity factors (if applicable), social structure network behaviors, health system preparedness,” and others. It’s also worth noting that charts and graphs, although intended to accurately convey information more clearly and understandably, can (accidentally or deliberately) be constructed in a way that skews the information in one direction or another. The same data set can be given a positive spin or a negative one through the bias of the presenter, or by simple oversight. The link following this article explains how charts and graphs can be read more carefully to avoid getting inaccurate impressions from the data they present. In the final analysis, charts or no charts, COVID-19 continues to be a pandemic that has not yet been brought under control. Until it is, cooperation with recommended guidelines is vital. + https://www.vox.com/videos/2020/4/28/21238769/coronavirus-covid19-chart-data-misleading Headquarters for the well dressed man since 1963

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GARDENVARIETY

I bet I can get you to like eggplant! This easy baba ganoush recipe is a delicious traditional Middle Eastern eggplant spread with a fun name that means pampered papa. The taste might surprise you; it is super creamy, slightly sweet, and the perfect balance of savory and tangy from the lemon and tahini. It can be served as a creamy dip or a spread that you will hardly believe is vegan and doesn’t require a lot of oil. The main ingredient in baba ganoush is eggplant that has been roasted on a hot grill or under a broiler to the point of withering. The flesh of the eggplant is then combined with tahini, garlic, olive oil and other spices to create this wonderful spread. You can serve it as a cold side dish or as a dip with pita bread or crusty french bread. It’s also great as a dip with cut fresh veggies or a sauce for sauteed vegetables. Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe Ingredients • 2 medium purple or 8 long white eggplant • 1/4 cup tahini • 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice • 3 cloves garlic • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin • 1 teaspoon of sea salt • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves • 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil

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CRAVING THE WING? YOU ARE HUNGRY!

Gina Dickson photo

Easy Baba Ganoush Instructions Place whole washed eggplant on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place whole unpeeled garlic on the same pan. Roast at 350° for 20 minutes, or until shriveled and skin is browned Allow eggplant and garlic to cool to touch Scrape inside of eggplant into a bowl. Trim tip of garlic and squeeze bulb into the bowl. Add remaining ingredients into the bowl. Blend all

contents with a stick blender until smooth. You could also do this in a food processor. Chill and serve. +

by Gina Dickson, an Augusta mom to six and Gigi to ten. Her website, intentionalhospitality. com, celebrates gathering with friends, cooking great healthy meals and sharing life around the table. Also on Instagram @ intentionalhospitality

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This pandemic, or pandemonium, or whatever this thing is called that we’re going through is uninvited and unwelcome to everybody but manufacturers of toilet paper and masks. In particular, people suffering from addiction and alcoholism are hard hit with not only joblessness and being cooped up but because their lifeline, their very support system to live alcohol- and drug-free, was shut down overnight. I mean, imagine your pharmacy being shut down like that! That’s what support groups such as AA, NA, CR, et al are for the addict in recovery. They have come from isolation into fellowship and are now back in isolation, a breeding ground they have fought with for years. A Nielsen survey discovered that alcohol sales were up 55% last month over the month before! Whoopee, it can even be brought to the door by couriers! Who needs to drive while intoxicated to get booze! And for those on probation, whoopee again! No visits from the probation officer and no drug screens either! Pedal to the metal! Such is the thinking of the newly recovering at least. Most of us know someone who is struggling with some form of chemical dependency and we feel powerless to help. They have cut us off and shut us out and they won’t come to the door. For a minute let’s try to understand them. Isolation is often comforting for many who drink. They can drink when

they want to, as much as they want to, and nobody is there to stop them or judge them or tell them to get a grip. They are depressed (here meaning not clinically, but “situationally”) and aren’t exactly reaching out for socialization. On the one hand they are afraid of dying and on the other hand they aren’t exactly living – not suicidal, just would rather not be facing life on life’s terms. Alcoholics often suffer from social anxiety and would rather drink than be sociable. 20% of alcoholics suffer from social anxiety! Fully 50% of alcoholics suffer from some other mental health diagnosis! You see, alcoholics aren’t just people who drink too much. It is often a mask for issues that even they themselves don’t see and that are not on the surface but, like an iceberg, lie under the surface – often very far and very deep under the surface. It’s not like they don’t have anything to feel sad about. Like the rest of us right now, they are living day-to-day not knowing where their next meal or paycheck is coming from or if their landlord really is going to evict them or is just threatening to do so. Who wants this hanging over their heads 24/7? Welcome, alcohol! At least they won’t have to think about it while intoxicated! A temporary reprieve is better than none at all. You may feel like you can’t do anything about it for them. But you can! What? Do something! At least, something. Humans are social people – even introverts need interactions with others. First, pray for your friend suffering from excessive drinking. Deepak

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Chopra, in his book How To Know God, cited a study done in which a group of people prayed for patients on one wing of a hospital floor for two weeks and did not pray for those on the other wing of the same floor. At the end of the two weeks those who had been prayed for had measurable improvement, and they didn’t even know about their praying friends! Second, be the kind of friend to them that you want others to be to you. Find a way to help them socialize, even via facetime or a phone call, and often at that. Practice social distancing and go for a walk…it “milks” dopamine and serotonin into the brain for that warm and fuzzy feeling! Third, enjoy feeling better yourself! It’ll do more for you than for them! +

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DON’T LICK THE BEATERS Useful food facts from dietetic interns with the Augusta University MS-Dietetic Internship Program

Other nutrients that may play a role in immune support include folate and iron. Overall, it is important to eat a variety of foods to promote optimal immune function. Food is the best primary cheapest source for obtaining these nutrients and supplementation should always be discussed with your health care provider or a registered dietitian nutrition before taking them. +

NEED A BOOST? by Hannah Strickland, MS-Dietetic Intern During these uncertain times, many Americans are searching for ways to boost their immune system to help combat illness. Nutrition is a key component to build and maintain a strong immune system that may withstand and fight illness. Vitamins and minerals serve vital roles in the human body. No single vitamin or mineral is necessarily more important than the others, however, there are specific vitamins and minerals that play a role in fighting illness by supporting the immune system. Vitamin A is not only beneficial for vision, but also in regulating the immune system. This vitamin is also known for its anti-inflammatory roles that also contribute to immune health. Foods that provide a good source of vitamin A include dark green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, corn, eggs, and milk. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and the immune-boosting properties of vitamin C is well known. It also plays a role in protein metabolism, wound healing, and regeneration of other antioxidants. Daily intake of vitamin C is essential because the body does not produce or store it. The vitamin is abundant in a number of foods, so supplementa-

tion is usually not necessary. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of vitamin C, and some of these include citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, and strawberries. Vitamin E is also an antioxidant that may help support immune function as it helps to fight infection. Antioxidants protect cells from damage caused by free radicals that may lead to the development of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Some foods that are a good source of vitamin E include nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, leafy green vegetables, and fortified cereals. Zinc is necessary for normal immune function and can be found in many foods, including chicken, beef, yogurt, milk, cheese, almonds, and cereals. It is also found in many cold lozenges and overthe-counter medications used to treat colds and provide relief of mild symptoms. Selenium has also proved to be of importance for a healthy immune system as it plays a critical role in protection from oxidative damage and infection due to its antioxidant properties. The most common foods in which it can be found include seafood, organ meats, nuts, grains, and dairy products.

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Drinking a Green Smoothie can be a simple, fun, and delicious way to increase your intake of powerful nutrients to support your immune system. Recipe: Green Smoothies Prep time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 2 ripe bananas 1 ripe pear or apple peeled or chopped 2 cups chopped kale leaves, remove stems ½ cup of orange juice ½ cup of water 1 – 1 ½ cup ice cubes 1 tbsp of ground flax seed Directions: Place bananas, pear or apple, orange juice ice cubes, water, and flaxseed into a blender. Pulse a few times and puree until smooth. Enjoy! +

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CRASH

COURSE

More Americans have died on US roads since 2000 than in World Wars I & II combined

lease don’t be offended by the sight of a dummy in this column’s header. Unfortunately, though, it is a fact that many crashes are caused by driving behaviors that aren’t simply illegal. They’re also incredibly stupid. Among the many ways aggressive driving can manifest itself, one of the most unsafe (and idiotic) is tailgating. Let’s paint a realistic scenario that includes a tailgater driving a huge, ladder-worthy pickup truck, one that shines its 1000-watt headlights into the rear view mirror of every car he tailgates. Having met the tailgater, we should also introduce the tailgatee. Let’s assume the lead car is being driven by a complete stranger to the tailgater. Despite that fact, the tailgater trusts this unknown person to the extent that he is following so closely that he can’t even see the car’s back bumper or most of its trunk. The car is kind of a clunker. It doesn’t go too fast. It’s in the left lane, the fast lane, not because it’s going fast, but because the driver will be turning left just ahead.

In fact, the driver of the clunker is currently unemployed, and is returning from the 78th place he has applied to for work in the past month. This one, like the others, did not seem promising. Driving back home he is very discouraged. His situation has been desperate. Now it’s beginning to look hopeless. Ah, but wait! There is an answer! Help has arrived! His financial problems are soon to be over! All our unemployed friend needs to do is slam on his brakes to avoid hitting that dog in the road. He definitely saw a dog in the road. Absolutely. No question he saw a dog in the road. Soon after the ensuing rear-end collision, which is 100% the tailgater’s fault, the ambulance arrives to transport the innocent driver to the nearest emergency room. On the way, a phrase suddenly pops into his head. “One call, that’s all.” He heeds the call as soon as he can, which is a good thing, because he suffered debilitating whiplash that simply will not go away despite months of physical therapy. He also suffers much pain and

anguish and mental distress. He’s almost afraid to leave the house anymore, his attorney tells the court. Not that he is physically able to do so. But if he was able. He can’t even look for work anymore in his condition, but with the size of the settlement, he really doesn’t need to. If he plays his cards right, he’s financially set for life. And he feels sure that his neck and back pain will get better any day now. It mainly hurts only in court anyway. As for the pickup truck driver, he paid a huge fine for speeding and tailgating, lost his truck because he couldn’t afford the astronomical new insurance premiums (it cost his insurance company over $300,000 to close the case, so our hero is relegated to insurers of last resort), and he now drives a car that’s a lot like the one he rear-ended. Yes, every time someone tailgates, it’s like giving a total stranger a blank check good for all the money you currently have and a sizeable chunk of your future earnings too. How trusting and generous of you. +

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MAY 15, 2020

HUMAN BEHAVIOR You work together in the same office day after day with a person who is a nightmare, a bully, a gossip, and who gets under your skin every day. You look down the road and envision years of daily torby Jeremy Hertza, Psy.D. ture. Assuming you don’t want to or can’t leave this job, how do you handle this? First, take a deep breath, wipe down those sweaty palms, and calm down your heartbeat. Then ask: What’s the bigger goal here? It’s to have the best workplace you possibly can. Here’s exactly how you can make that happen. • Identify the problem. Start by tackling this like any other assignment at work. Figure out what’s really bothering you. Is this person abusive and bullying? Is this person the worst kind of malicious gossip? Or is this person just annoying? • Don’t be surprised. Once you’ve identified what’s going on, don’t be surprised when the person acts that way. In other words, you know it’s going to happen—it’s inevitable. So don’t let yourself react emotionally (“I can’t believe he just did that!”) when, really, you kind of expect it. • Come up with a plan. Keeping in mind your goal of having a great workplace, figure out what will get you there. Maybe it’s watching your coworkers and how they interact with that person: Can you mimic their style or get insight on conversation starters? Maybe it’s making sure your interactions are always limited by time, and aren’t open-ended. Or maybe, right now, it’s just simple avoidance, until you can get to a place where you can revisit how to make this relationship better. Just be careful of ignoring the situation altogether because that’s how emotions can start to fester, making it worse. • Figure out what you want to say. If you decide that a heartto-heart is the answer, think about exactly what you want to say so you can offer up solutions, in a tactful way. Your coworker might not react the way you want, so think about that too, and what you might say in response. Just stay professional, calm and tactful and remember that your goal is to make the workplace better. If it helps, write down what you want to say and practice beforehand. And don’t feel like you have to do this alone: You don’t have to make a formal complaint, but HR can give you tips on how to interact with this person. • Don’t contribute to the problem. People always say this and you might hate hearing it, but you can control only your own actions. So make sure that you’re not making the situation worse. For example, don’t think that you have to win, like you have to make that snarky remark and hear your coworkers laugh in support. Because it’s really hard to change other people, but if you change how you react to them, guess what? Their behavior will likely also change. • Stay calm. If you start feeling overwhelmed, give yourself a break: Take a sip of water, use positive self talk, and breathe. There’s actually huge value in a good yawn to draw in oxygen to your brain. Try it. • Give positive criticism. As you communicate with the other person, remember that sometimes the person may not even realize they’re being rude or bullying. So instead of being defensive, you could try saying something like, “That was hurtful; I wish you had said that differently.” It’s easy to assume that you know why someone is acting a certain way (“Because they’re just a horrible person!”), but maybe it’s because they are dealing with a loved one who’s sick or they’re really insecure. When you react, maybe they think you are the one who’s coming across as nasty or aggressive. • Get help. If none of this works, then it might be time to bring in HR in an official capacity. Sometimes, there’s only so much you can do on your own before you need help to make sure your workplace is a fulfilling and happy place to be. +

THE CO-WORKER YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT STAND

Jeremy Hertza, Psy.D., is a neuropsychologist and the executive director of NeuroBehavioral Associates, LLC, in Augusta, on the web at http://nbageorgia.com. Contact him at 706-823-5250 or info@nbageorgia. com.

MAY 15, 2020

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The blog spot From the Bookshelf — posted by John F. McGeehan, MD on May 6, 2020

NOT VISITING YOUR LOVED ONE IN THE HOSPITAL IS AN ACT OF LOVE I spent many weeks as a patient in the hospital a few years ago. My wife was at my bedside daily and made every decision during that horrible time, and she guided me to wellness. She was more than a visitor. COVID-19 has taken away visitors from the hospital. Throughout the country, people lie in beds, alone, for what is often the singular, most challenging time of their life. Families are forced to stay home wondering how their parent, spouse, child, or friend is doing. The nursing staff and others at the hospital are given the added task of being family to each patient. At a time when they are already burdened by what this terrible virus is doing, they now must take on this new role. Finally, people are seeing how amazing health care workers are. In the absence of family at the bedside, they are bringing family into the room through FaceTime, using phones and computer tablets – even showing patients how to Zoom, Google Meet, and so many other forums that have risen up to help us fill the social needs we all seek. What is obvious to those who treat people in the hospital now is that everyone is very ill. COVID has stopped elective surgeries. People do not even come to the emergency room now for fear of exposure unless they are seriously ill. The nonCOVID patient is getting little attention from the media in this pandemic. They lie in beds in every hospital fighting to recover without visitors while fearing they will get the virus and bring it to loved ones once discharged. The COVID patient in the hospital presents yet another challenge. Not only can they not have visitors, but all those they see are stripped of humanity. It is a nightmare. Each encounter is a vivid reminder of how serious what they have is. The many tales of those who treat these patients going above and beyond are both heartbreaking and enlightening. So why not open the doors and let those who want to visit come? Isn’t it their right? Shouldn’t it be up to each patient to have a willing visitor come to see them? Autonomy means that the patient has the right to choose as long as they are informed and have the capacity to understand. Autonomy now has yielded to justice – the principle that must guide us in a pandemic. Our decisions must be focused on the good of many as well as the one. Every visitor to a hospital right now must be treated as a possible vector who can carry this horrible virus to and from the hospital. Allowing visitors is likely to continue the spread of COVID-19, and in doing so, continue to fill our hospitals with patients who are alone. These are horrible times. Science fiction is now reality. The reality of the patient who is in the dying stage of COVID-19 is that they are sedated, unable to talk; they are unaware. The visitor may want to say goodbye and know they were there. The patient will not know. The fact that someone wants to visit despite the risk shows the incredible love that they have for this dying person. Part of love is protecting. The last thing I would want if dying of COVID would be to have those I love risk getting this disease or bringing it to others. We owe it to those we love, as well as to those we do not know, to do our part to control the spread of this heartless virus. Not visiting a hospital right now is an act of love for all. +

The last thing I would want if I had COVID would be to risk giving it to my loved ones

John F. McGeehan is an internal medicine physician

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Lots of people love spicy food, but that doesn’t mean a full cup of black pepper or garlic on their favorite food would make their dining experience better. Just the opposite would be true. In a similar vein, lots of doctors (and their patients) love antibiotics. Their emergence was a game changer in world health: 100 years ago the average life expectancy in the U.S. was 52 years. Today it’s that plus another 30. So the war on germs is a good thing. Or is it? As the authors of this book point out, it’s a war we will never win, nor would we want to. Bacteria outnumber us by astronomical proportions. There are far more bacteria on planet Earth than there are stars in the universe. For each and every one of the trillions of cells in the human body there are about ten bacterial cells sharing the same space in our bodies. We’re more bacterial microbes than we are human beings. In other words, avoiding bacteria is literally and physically impossible. But the common wisdom is that the

only good bacteria is dead bacteria. Germ-free is good. Sterile wipes keep our kitchen surfaces clean, and more significantly, antibiotics enter our bodies in ever-increasing amounts at younger and younger ages. As the authors state, antibiotics may be the greatest medical advancement of all time, but they kill bacterial microbes indiscriminately, good and bad alike. The overall effect of our collective prevention efforts, ironically enough, is an increase in some allergies and diseases. Dubbed the “hygiene hypothesis,” the

general idea is that exposure to various germs, microbes and antigens results in a stronger immune systems, especially in children; conversely, trying to live in as sterile a world as possible results in an immune system that is ill-prepared for battle, doesn’t know or recognize the enemy, and is anything but combat-ready. The hypothesis, which gains more research support all the time, may explain why autoimmune diseases are on the rise in developed countries where antibiotics and strong emphasis on sterile conditions are common. For the record, this book is not suggesting that readers (parents especially) take its title literally. But it might make each of us stop and think each time a label shouts out the word “antimicrobial” as a good thing. Maybe it is sometimes. But sometimes it might not be at all. + Let Them Eat Dirt; Saving Our Children From an Oversanitized World by B. Brett Finlay, Ph.D., and Marie Claire Arrieta, Ph.D.; 448 pages, published by Penguin Press in 2015

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The Examiners +

Ever notice that everybody who wins the lottery is broke five years later?

by Dan Pearson

I think it makes perfect sense.

It makes no sense.

I have.

Ok, explain why only people who can’t Because only people who manage their money can’t manage their money buy lottery tickets. win the lottery.

MAY 15, 2020

THE MYSTERY WORD O The Mystery Word for this issue: ELLBIRA

N ACAthen begin exploring Simply unscramble theVletters, TIONspelled word our ads. When you find the correctly hidden in one of our ads — enter at AugustaRx.com

EXAMINER CROSSWORD

PUZZLE ACROSS 1. Shrimp 6. Minimalist IV 9. Streetcar 13. Walker lead-in 14. Screen symol 15. Male lead in a book or movie 16. Office of a bishop 18. Place to make bread 19. Waist band 20. Abnormal breath sounds 21. Monthly expense 22. Type of balloon 24. Top book club leader? 25. Write hurriedly 28. Shoulder bones 31. Similar 32. Support 33. Eisenhower, in brief 36. Main part of a church 37. Lying face down 38. Not up yet 39. Coloring material 40. Augusta college 41. Angered 42. Fenway team 44. Only just 45. “The Blue Goose” 47. Uterus 48. Having wings 49. ______ Park Ave. 52. First word of many a tale 56. Baseball glove 57. Brawl 59. Speed relative to the speed of sound 60. Surrounded by 61. Accustom 62. Wan; pale; gray 63. Nevertheless 64. Flexes

14 17

23 28

30 33

40 42

E X A M I N E R

S U D 9 7 O K 4 U

5 3 2

6 7 4 2

8 1

9 3 7 5 8 2 8 9 6 2 1 9

DIRECTIONS: Every line, vertical and horizontal, and all nine 9-square boxes must each contain the numbers 1 though 9. Solution on page 14.

DOWN 1. Derogatory term for an ordinary person 2. Forced intercourse 3. Indigo dye 4. Gated area neighborhood 5. Site of WTC 6. Unit of energy 7. Indicate a political preference 8. Singles 9. Jim, noted athlete 10. Like some jackets 11. Large performance venue 12. One of twelve 14. Apple product 17. By mouth 23. Female sheep 24. Lyric poem 25. Soil component 26. Soil component 27. Major area traffic artery 28. Northern borough of 5-D 29. Division of 27-D

We’ll announce the winner in our next issue!

30. Bandage type 32. Vigor in style or performance 34. Brooks of local note 35. Whirlpool 37. Ballet step 38. Aloft 40. M.D. reference book 41. Male counterpart to 23-D 43. Unrefined; natural; plain 44. Student ______ 45. Third letter of the Greek alphabet 46. Assumed name 47. Green energy source 49. June 6, 1944 50. Capital of Italy 51. Single entity 53. Part of speech 54. Thin rope 55. Just manages to get by 58. Front part of an apron Solution p. 14

9 7 1 5 8 2 6T 9 7 4 R 5 3 4T 8 2 6 3 1

— Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997)

DIRECTIONS: Recreate a timeless nugget of wisdom by using the letters in each vertical column to fill the boxes above them. Once any letter is used, cross it out in the lower half of the puzzle. Letters may be used only once. Black squares indicate spaces between words, and words may extend onto a second line. Solution on page 14.

Use the letters provided at bottom to create words to solve the puzzle above. All the listed letters following #1 are the first letters of the various words; the letters following #2 are the second letters of each word, and so on. Try solving words with letter clues or numbers with minimal choices listed. A sample is shown. Solution on page 14.

A 1 2 3 4 1

’

R 1 2 3 4

N 1 2 5

1 2 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A I 2 3 4 5 1 2

8 9 10

— Salvador Dali

1.PHOFINNRY 2.FEEEETOOA 3.RAAVVU 4.CLFEER 5.RHEL 6.C 7.T 8.I 9.O 10.N

SAMPLE:

1. ILB 2. SLO 3. VI 4. NE 5. D =

L 1

O 2

V 3

E 4

I 1

S 2

B 1

L 2

I 3

N 4

D 5

WORDS NUMBER

Click on “MYSTERY WORD” • DEADLINE TO ENTER: NOON, June 1, 2020

4 3 6 2 1 8 5 9 7

1 7 5 4 3 9 2 8 6

8 4 9 7 2 6 1 3 5

6 2 3 5 8 1 7 4 9

MAY 15, 2020

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AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

THEBESTMEDICINE ha... ha...

he coach of the Detroit Lions had put together the perfect football team. But his star quarterback got blindsided and was out for the season with a knee injury. Then the second-string QB went down with a concussion. The coach pursued trade options, free agents, but nobody good was available. One evening while watching a news story from the Middle East he saw a young Iraqi soldier with an amazing arm. The soldier threw a grenade on a perfect arc into a 4th story window from 100 yards away. Bam! He tossed another directly into a tight group of 12 enemy fighters 80 yards away, ka-bam! Then a Humvee passed going 60 kph, boom! Right into the window. Another perfect shot! “I got to have this guy,” said the coach. “He’s got the best arm I’ve ever seen!” He manages to track the soldier down and gets him to Detroit even though he knows hardly anything about American football. But the kid is a coach’s dream, catches onto the game overnight, learns all the plays and, long story short, the Lions win the Super Bowl. The former Iraqi soldier is now the MVP of pro football, and a huge story. But when the

media tries to interview him right after the Super Bowl win, all he wants to do is phone his mother. “Mom,” he yells into the phone, “We just won the Super Bowl!” “Don’t talk to me,” she replies. “You abandoned us! You’re no longer my son.” “But Mom,” he pleads, “You don’t understand! This is the biggest game in the U.S.and we won! Millions of fans are screaming for me. The President is going to call me!” “I don’t care,” his mother snaps. “You know what I hear outside my window every night? Gunfire. Our block is like a war zone. Your brothers were beaten half to death last night, and your sister was nearly raped.” And then she says, “I will never forgive you for making us move to Detroit.” Moe: Did you get your stimulus check yet? Joe: Not yet. Which is ok. I haven’t figured out how I will spend it anyway. You? Moe: Same here. But I know this chicken farmer who got his check. He used it to increase the size of his flock. Joe: So he got money for nothing and chicks for free. Moe: Which reminds me, it took me two hours to grill a chicken the other day. Joe: Well, I bet it was worth it. Joe: It wasn’t! Even after all that he still wouldn’t tell me why he crossed the road. Moe: This friend of mine holds a Ph.D. in the History of Palindromes. Joe: That makes him Dr. Awkward. +

Why subscribe to theMEDICALEXAMINER? What do you mean?

Staring at my phone all day has had no Effect on ME!

Because try as they might, no one can stare at their phone all day.

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By popular demand we’re making at-cost subscriptions available for the convenience of our readers. If you live beyond the Aiken-Augusta area, or miss issues between doctor’s appointments — don’t you hate it when that happens? — we’ll command your mail carrier to bring every issue to your house! NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP Choose six months for $20 ____ or one year for $36 ____. Mail this completed form with payment to Augusta Medical Examiner, PO Box 397, Augusta GA 30903-0397

The

Dear Advice Doctor, Since when is EVERYTHING political? Things that have NOTHING to do with politics are debated as though they are political issues. This pandemic is a perfect example, although it’s far from the only one. People’s opinions about the virus depend to a large degree on whether they’re Republicans or Democrats. What difference could that possibly make in evaluating or treating a disease??? Republican or Democrat is six of one and half a dozen of the other as far as I’m concerned. Please tell me you agree. — Let’s Get Real Dear Let’s Get Real, Your concerns are noted, and I couldn’t agree more: whether you call it six feet or half a dozen, either way, “social distancing” is considered to be a simple but vitally important means of limiting the spread of coronavirus (and many other diseases). You might be interested to know that the World Health Organization (WHO) — you know, the sinister organization that communist China controls and which covered up COVID-19, yes, that WHO — says social distancing is the wrong term; it’s not what we want to do. We should be reaching out in social ways more than ever to make sure that elderly relatives are well and are being taken care of. We should regularly contact friends, neighbors, coworkers and fellow students to help combat feelings of loneliness, isolation and depression. We need to be social more than ever as a means of promoting mental, emotional and spiritual health. So what term does WHO prefer? The much more accurate and descriptive phrase “physical distancing.” Makes sense, doesn’t it? Do not practice social distancing. Do practice physical distancing. Incidentally, cultural anthropologist Edward Hall may be the person who originally coined the term. In a 1963 article about personal space which Hall dubbed proxemics, he defined four zones of space in social interactions (not medical distancing): Intimate distance (less than a foot or two), such as in giving or receiving a hug. Personal distance (about 3 feet), usually reserved for family or good friends. Social distance (6 to 10 feet), when meeting strangers. Public distance (more than 12 to 15 feet), such as in public presentations. It should be noted that many people vehemently disagree with the steps taken to fight this pandemic. They’re marching on state capitals to demand immediate reopening of the economy; they refuse to wear masks in public; they think “social distancing” is ridiculous and unnecessary. What about those people and their opinions? Here is my suggestion, and remember, I am The Advice Doctor; I am an advice expert. Whenever anyone tells you the scope of the virus is overblown, when they tell you it’s no different than ordinary flu, when they say masks are unnecessary, do this: ask them where they got their training in medicine, public health policy, epidemiology, virology, and communicable diseases. Where did they get their degree? You’re likely to find that people with strong opinions that disagree with recognized scientific and medical principles are beauticians, car salesmen and house painters, not doctors, researchers and epidemiologists. Listen to the experts! I hope this answers your question. Thanks for writing! + Do you have a question for The Advice Doctor about health, life, love, personal relationships, career, raising children, or any other important topic? Send it to News@AugustaRx.com. Replies will be provided only in the Examiner.

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THE MYSTERY SOLVED N

THE PUZZLE SOLVED

O I T A in the p. 16 ad for ...cleverly hidden on a windowframe C A AUGUSTA WEST V CLEANING CO. N O

SEE PAGE 12

The Celebrated TheSUDOKUsolution MYSTERY WORD CONTEST 9 7 4 1 8 6 5 3 2 1 8 6 7 5 4 2 3

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Love to stare at your phone? Visit issuu.com/ medicalexaminer and stare away.

— Mother Teresa

WORDS BY NUMBER “

THE WINNER: WE STUMPED THE PANEL! NO WINNER! Want to find your name here next time? If it is, we’ll send you some cool swag from our goodie bag. The new Mystery Word is on page 12. Start looking!

SEVEN SIMPLE RULES: 1. Unscramble and find the designated word hidden within one of the ads in this issue. 2. Visit the Reader Contests page at www.AugustaRx.com. 3. Tell us what you found and where you found it. 4. If you’re right and you’re the one we pick at random, you win. (Winners within the past six months are ineligible.) 5. Prizes awarded to winners may vary from issue to issue. Limited sizes are available for shirt prize. 6. A photo ID may be required to claim some prizes. 7. Other entrants may win a lesser prize at the sole discretion of the publisher. 8. Deadline to enter is shown on page 12.

QuotatioN QUOTATION PUZZLE SOLUTION “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”

The Mystery Word in our last issue was: PANCREAS

...wherein we hide (with fiendish cleverness) a simple word. All you have to do is unscramble the word (found on page 12), then find it concealed within one of our ads. Click in to the contest link at www.AugustaRx.com and enter. If we pick you in our random drawing of correct entries, you’ll score our goodie package!

MAY 15, 2020

AUGUSTAMEDICALEXAMiNER

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Have no fear of perfection. You’ll never reach it.” — Salvador Dali

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MAY 15, 2020

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PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY +

ACUPUNCTURE

Dr. Eric Sherrell, DACM, LAC Augusta Acupuncture Clinic 4141 Columbia Road 706-888-0707 www.AcuClinicGA.com

ALLERGY Tesneem K. Chaudhary, MD Allergy & Asthma Center 3685 Wheeler Road, Suite 101 Augusta 30909 706-868-8555

CHIROPRACTIC Evans Chiropractic Health Center Dr. William M. Rice 108 SRP Drive, Suite A 706-860-4001 www.evanschiro.net

COUNSELING Resolution Counseling Professionals 3633 Wheeler Rd, Suite 365 Augusta 30909 706-432-6866 www.visitrcp.com

DENTISTRY

Jason H. Lee, DMD 116 Davis Road Augusta 30907 706-860-4048

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Floss ‘em or lose ‘em!

Steven L. Wilson, DMD Family Dentistry 4059 Columbia Road Martinez 30907 706-863-9445

DERMATOLOGY

Everyday Elder Care LLC Certified Home Health/Caregiver 706-231-7001 everydayeldercare.com Zena Home Care Personal Care|Skilled Nursing|Companion 706-426-5967 www.zenahomecare.com

LONG TERM CARE

Georgia Dermatology & WOODY MERRY www.woodymerry.com Skin Cancer Center 2283 Wrightsboro Rd. (at Johns Road) Long-Term Care Planning I CAN HELP! Augusta 30904 (706) 733-3190 • 733-5525 (fax) 706-733-3373 SKIN CANCER CENTER www.GaDerm.com

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Karen L. Carter, MD Medical Center West Pharmacy 1303 D’Antignac St, Suite 2100 465 North Belair Road Augusta 30901 Evans 30809 706-396-0600 Your Practice 706-854-2424 www.augustadevelopmentalspecialists.com www.medicalcenterwestpharmacy.com And up to four additional lines of your choosing and, if desired, your logo. Parks Pharmacy Keep your contact information in this 437 Georgia Ave. ARKS convenient place seen by thousands of HARMACY N. Augusta 29841 patients every month. Steppingstones to Recovery 803-279-7450 Call (706) 860-5455 for all the details! 2610 Commons Blvd. www.parkspharmacy.com Augusta 30909 706-733-1935

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Georgia Hospitals: Open for ALL Care situation in every community is different, but we have seen one constant: The outpouring of support from volunteers, businesses and friends of the hospital community has been second to none. As always, your hospitals are here to support you, and they are open and safe for serving all the health care needs of their communities. Key Messages: Hospitals are open for treating all patients for all their health needs. Hospitals are coordinating and collaborating with public health departments, community groups and federal agencies for the safety of all patients, staff and visitors. Hospitals are following safety measures from the CDC, Public Health and other expert guidance. Testing of patients, staff, and visitors for indications of COVID-19 will continue to ensure the safety of everyone. Hospitals are carefully evaluating the acuity and urgency of each case and are prioritizing elective surgery based on individual patient care plans. + Earl Rogers President and CEO Georgia Hospital Association

Daniel Village Barber Shop 2522 Wrightsboro Road

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VISIT OUR WEBSITE (DANIELVILLAGEBARBERSHOP.COM) OR CHECK US ON FB: FACEBOOK.COM/DVBSAUGUSTAGA1 We’re on Wrightsboro Rd. at Ohio Avenue. DANIEL VILLAGE BARBER SHOP

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cally necessary care that should not be delayed any longer. For their safety and health, as well as the safety and health of others, Georgians should not postpone care due to fear of the COVID-19 virus. Hospitals are taking every precaution to keep patients, staff, and everyone in their facilities safe. Hospital employees are extremely diligent about practicing rigorous infection controls and following updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health. Screenings, visitor restrictions, and proper isolation of patients infected with COVID-19 ensure the health and safety of all individuals in these facilities. For surgical procedures in particular, hospitals are following expert guidelines for safely resuming elective surgeries from the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). No matter the type of care needed, hospitals are ready to resume treatment for every patient for all their needs to ensure optimal wellness for their communities. The COVID-19

Voted “BEST BARBER SHOP” in Augusta Magazine many times!

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As the presence of the COVID-19 virus became a daily reality for all Georgians, our state’s hospitals took the voluntary step to temporarily halt all non-emergent, non-COVID-19 care. This drastic measure was necessary at the time in order to ensure there was sufficient bed capacity and enough personal protective equipment (PPE) for a potential surge of COVID-19 patients. Encouragingly, the number of documented COVID-19 cases in Georgia have begun to plateau, and in some cases, decline. Around the state, elected leaders and business stakeholders are carefully weighing how to re-open their communities. Georgia’s hospitals are also prepared to open their doors for treating patients whose health and quality of life depend on receiving timely treatment through elective and medically necessary procedures, including cancer care, orthopedic surgeries and other critical treatments. Georgia’s hospitals have been a reliable and safe source of care for their communities. The current COVID-19 pandemic is no different. While these are unprecedented times in health care and our country, hospitals are ready and able to treat patients who need medi-

MAY 15, 2020

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