Thank You! NCMS Senior VP for Advocacy and Advancement Chip Baggett, JD, wants to thank you for the selfless work you are doing to keep our communities safe and healthy. And he describes how the NCMS is working behind the scenes to help ensure collaboration and coordination with state and federal agencies and promote legislation protecting you and your practice. He also reminds you to be sure to take care of yourself during these stressful times. The NCMS is developing tools to help.
Here is a suggestion for a proactive measure, that hopefully, won’t be needed, but might be easy to accomplish in case a shortage of healthcare manpower arises. My office, ophthalmology, is closed for at least two weeks, and probably more per AAO recommendations that only emergent/urgent patients are seen – which we will be screening via telephone calls. There are many MD’s like me, who will be free to help with any manpower shortages, and even though we may be in different specialties, are easily and quickly trainable to assume some non-critical duties. Perhaps, having a list already prepared of those who would be willing and available to help, as well as making that known to other members/hospital systems would be of benefit?
Thank you, Dr. Hampton, for your willingness to help out! The state has just released information on how medical volunteers may sign up. Please visit https://www.ncmedsoc.org/ncdhhs-calls-for-medical-volunteers/ for more information.
I think thats an excellent idea.