Hello Readers --
This morning when I checked FB I was immediately hit with a FB post from a HS friend of mine from an eastern state, my home state. I officially met this friend when she and I were freshmen in HS band together. We both played flute and she, being very outgoing, initiated visits to her house within weeks of meeting. She and her mom would host movie nights for 10-15 our teenage girlfriends (at the time I remember thinking how odd to have a video player, VHS, in your house? that's silly there are only a few videos you could ever find to watch...this was a relatively new technology at the time and pre-Blockbusters --what's Blockbusters? ---pre-- pre-Netflix...lol). My Dad liked to ask me about this friend 'CR' --he would ask about her and her parties which were mostly us getting scared over Hitchcock (dated films in the mid-'80s) where we literally ran out of the room at the end of Rear Window--- but I digress-- CR was first chair in our HS's top concert band-- a qualifier for the State Band in both her Junior and Senior years, class president freshman and junior year, and our 1986 Valedictorian (a class of about 300 members). As we neared the end of HS --CR would not share her ACT score (I asked her is it bc it's low or bc it's high? --- "high" was the answer) -- I teased her when she said it was difficult being ranked first in the class --that she got rude remarks about it...to which I let her know the troubles of being 63rd in the class!--- my ranking-- (Yes I was and still am a real pill!). One thing that she said to me has stuck with me and in many ways inspired my own career path --when talking about her plans after college she shared "I don't know exactly...but whatever I choose I'm going to take it all the way to the top"-- by top, she didn't mean money-- she meant she would study it all the way --as far as she could.
And she has--as she is currently Board Certified Family Physician and she has her own private pracitce. She has returned to the same area where we met (in order to be close to her parents) and has a practice that she started a couple of years just North of the town where we graduated from HS together. After researching her practice's FB page I was heart struck and inspired by the way it is set-up-- she has a membership fee that is payable by the month--it is a Direct Primary Care Practice. Her mission statement (my title for it) is VERY patient first- --"no rushed appointments" etc.
This morning Dr. CR posted a lengthy FB post in answer to people asking her how things are going.
Here are some quotes:
- How can I explain the terror and sleeplessness that haunt me with the knowledge that 10% of my elderly patient population will not be here by the end of the summer?
- ...the fear that I must rely on ONE 3-year old N-95 mask to last through the months ahead because my supply order was cancelled without notice?
- How will I endure not seeing my elderly parents for months because I cannot risk transmitting the virus?
- We [doctors/nurses] didn't have time to stock up on TP, or even the next night's meal because we were scrambling to find non-existent public health plans or masks.
- We [doctors] are studying late until the wee hours scavenging limited studies and reports of hopeful treatment options.
- ...[we are} cramming computer courses to transform our care into virtual telemedicine visits overnight.
She pleads for us to---offer our local physicians a roll of TP or a meal (especially on March 31st Doctor's Day)
Thanks for reading.
Stay well,
Amy BH
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