Letter from the President

A Message From MCMS President

by Jennifer Lorine, DO

Recent events have me thinking about the big picture. There’s often so much more than one side to an issue, and it is difficult to gauge long-term consequences without approaching issues with an open mind.

Let’s start with mandates. Many have expressed concern over the repercussions of a COVID vaccine mandate. We are beginning to see increased shortages of healthcare and emergency workers. In addition, conflicting guidance from Washington – and indeed, mixed messaging over the scope and even existence of exemptions from the federal mandate, as well as a lack of guidance on testing – have increased the burden on already-overstretched and burned-out physicians. A conversation over the value of natural immunity has also been sorely lacking, adding to polarization surrounding this issue. Even free speech has come under attack from COVID as licensing boards and credentialing organizations have issued threats against physicians for saying anything that may be perceived as ‘misinformation’, without any attempt to separate valid debate from outlandish conspiracy theories.

At this juncture, we are unlikely to change many minds, and may indeed harden positions if we come across as judgmental or attempting to pursue a political agenda. It may also lead patients to question our motives, and certainly won’t inspire confidence. Instead, it’s important to provide our patients with options, then engage with them on a solution that best suits their needs. And that leads me to my next point: the underlying cause of many poor outcomes due to COVID. Obviously, this is a contagious disease, but it’s one which is correlated with many of the chronic lifestyle-related illnesses that plague Americans today. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease – all lead to poor outcomes and death, both from the virus and on their own. Yet we locked down, closed the gyms, and told people to stay at home. The result was an increase in sedentary behavior, poor dietary choices, and the gaining of weight. Logic dictates that we should be at the very least talking about this, if not taking active steps to promote better management of our patients’ overall health. Encouraging exercise, eating a healthy diet, getting adequate sleep, and engaging in stress management would pay dividends, even with only small changes over time.

So where am I going with all this? Once COVID has calmed down, will we be left with the respect of our patients, or further ‘muddied the waters’? Will we have engendered trust, or simply more suspicion towards physicians and medical science in general? Some of you may recall that I’ve pressed to make our organization as apolitical as possible, but that seems a bit of a stretch of late. Hopefully, we can again work towards that goal as we move forward to strengthen the patientphysician relationship that is the foundation of our oath.