Happy Friday! Enjoy your NCMS Morning Rounds.
April 17, 2020
The Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership’s ‘Power Hour’ is today, Friday, April 17 from 1 to 2 p.m. Join us for a conversation with colleagues and psychiatric experts on the actual and potential mental health toll the pandemic is exacting in the health care profession and beyond. Learn more and sign up.
Next Steps in the State’s COVID-19 Response
On Wednesday, Governor Roy Cooper reviewed the actions taken thus far in response to COVID-19 and shared that those actions had begun to ‘flatten the curve’ in North Carolina. He and NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Secretary Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH also laid out a path for moving forward to protect North Carolinians and help recover our economy.
Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen stressed that the next steps, as were all previous actions, will be driven by science and data. Chief among those new steps will be widespread testing, aggressive contact tracing and data-informed policy decisions.
The next steps depend on progress in:
• Testing or identifying who has COVID-19: Working with private and public partners to increase testing capacity, expand testing sites and address supply challenges.
- Acting quickly to stop spread through tracing: Ramping up staffing and technology to determine who has been exposed when someone tests positive.
- Knowing when to dial up or down social distancing through data trends: Analyzing new data, including number of new cases, hospitalizations, deaths, protective equipment, supplies, hospital capacity and more.
State officials are terming this phase of the COVID-19 response “staying ahead of the curve.” Learn more by downloading their presentation, reading the accompanying press release or watching the press briefing in which they outlined the next steps.
National Physician Support Line
If you need a little extra support as you respond to the unprecedented public health crisis we’re facing, a group of volunteer licensed psychiatrists are standing by to listen and provide that support.
The Physician Support Line (1-888-409-0141) is available 7 days a week between 8 a.m. and 3 a.m. and offers psychiatric help to physicians navigate an immediate stressor. The support is not given as part of a doctor-patient, therapist-client relationship, no medications will be prescribed and no payment is accepted. It is a friendly and professional ear to help you through an immediate tough spot. Learn more here.
The NCMS’ Emotional Supports webpage offers a number of ways to access support services and resources during this trying time.
In the News
A War for Medical Supplies: States Say FEMA Wins By Poaching Orders, NPR, 4-15-20
Learning Opportunity
The 157th National Academy of Science Annual Meeting, to be held online April 25-27, will include a late-breaking session on COVID-19 to provide deeper insights into the latest developments in the COVID-19 response. A diverse panel chaired by National Academy of Medicine President Victor Dzau, MD, and featuring the Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci, MD and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta, MD, and others will speak to the whole experience on dealing with this pandemic—from US to international, to the state of diagnostics, treatment and vaccine development, to the importance of communication. Register to watch the panel.