Table of Contents

Upcoming Events

Focus of the Week - Community

Announcements

Frankly Speaking Podcast

Clinical Services Spotlight

Upcoming Events

FMCH Annual Awards Ceremony

Tuesday, November 15th, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, presented by M. Diane McKee, MD.

Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH

https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/91581334605?pwd=dndhY3paSmRRZ1RTQndtTEwxaWZOdz09

Psychiatry Grand Rounds

Thursday, November 17th, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, "Overlooked "Concussions+"; Examining the Intersection of Intimate-Partner Violence and Acquired Brain Injuries", presented by Eve M. Valera, PhD.

Meeting ID: 818 349 233 Passcode: PsychGR1

https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/818349233?pwd=VVRDNUxZZmF4K3NqNXppTHJiVmNSUT09

FMCH Grand Rounds

Tuesday, November 22nd, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, "Putting Antiracism Into Practice in Health Care Settings", presented by Tiffany Cook, MA.

Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH

https://umassmed.zoom.us/j/91581334605?pwd=dndhY3paSmRRZ1RTQndtTEwxaWZOdz09

We are looking for Community Health Champions from each site to join our Community Health Group to provide updates and network with each other. We will meet every-other-month for 1 hour via zoom (day of the week and time to be determined by those interested). Looking to have representation from every health center and other areas of our department to share ideas and create momentum. On alternate months we will have a Community Health Steering Committee meeting to help guide our efforts. If interested in either group, please contact [email protected].

Thanks to Heather-Lyn Haley for coordinating a successful Population and Community Health Clerkship this year and for all the involved faculty and staff. Nearly thirty options were available ranging from palliative care, living with a disability, language access, intro to MassHealth and more. Heather has shared the impressive list of the clerkships and activities at: https://sites.google.com/view/pchc22/home. As the VISTA curriculum unfolds, this clerkship will morph and shift to the third year. Stay tuned for updates!

Looking to give back to your community? The medical students are doing a Thanksgiving Food Drive. You can contribute too. The Drive is from 11/7/22 - 11/21/22. Donation boxes for non-perishable food items are outside the Learning Communities in the Albert Sherman Center. No glass jars or bottles and no home baked goods. Please sign the sheet with your name and say you are not in any Learning Community house. You can also Venmo a donation of minimum $2 to @Vanya-Zvonar, with your full name and if you are not in a Learning Community, say Family Medicine. Of course you can always give directly to the Worcester County Food Bank too!

Last week was Veterans’ Day. Besides the reflections in last week’s Family Medicine Moments, the Veterans’ Population Health Clerkship reminds you of these three resources if you ask a patient “Have you or anyone in your family served in the military?” and the answer is “yes”. If they are not enrolled in the VA, they should be encouraged to see if they are eligible. There are many financial and health related benefits. 

1. Each city and town is covered by a Veteran Services Officer who can be the first step. Encourage your patient to contact them at their city or town hall or https://www.mass.gov/service-details/local-veterans-service-officers.
2. If your patient is struggling with some mental health concerns, encourage them to contact the Vets Centers in Worcester, Leominster, or Framingham https://www.va.gov/worcester-vet-center/locations/ . They are part of the VA, but also distinct and very accessible. They can also serve Guard, Reservists, and military families.
3. If your patient is grappling with the invisible wounds of war, have them contact Home Base, supported by the Red Sox Foundation and MGH. Services are free if not covered by insurance. https://homebase.org/

The medical school has kicked off the annual employee giving campaign – UMass Chan Cares – a time when the medical school community comes together to demonstrate care and compassion for friends and neighbors.

By visiting UMassChanCares.org, you may donate by payroll deduction, check or credit card, and direct your donation to a variety of worthy organizations and causes. They are:

• UMass Chan’s North Quadrant Support Services initiative in partnership with the Worcester Public Schools providing support to address socioeconomic barriers to academic success faced by students.
• Several funds administered by the UMass Chan Medical School Foundation:
• The Research Fund supports UMass Chan research that advances treatments and cures for a range of diseases.
• The Student Financial Aid Fund provides students who are financially disadvantaged.
• The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fund supports institution-wide efforts to educate our community about the importance of diversity and inclusion and address bias.
• The UMass Chan Cancer Walk supports adult and pediatric cancer research and clinical trials of new and potentially lifesaving therapies.
• The UMass Chan Medical School Fund allows UMass Chan to put the funds to use wherever and whenever the mission-critical need is greatest as situations arise throughout the year.
• United Way of Central Massachusetts or more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations

Gender Affirming Care Provider Self-Identification and Directory

MassHealth is collecting information from MassHealth providers who want to voluntarily self-identify as providers of gender-affirming services. The purpose of this effort is to help members find MassHealth providers who offer gender-affirming care services. Using this self-reported information, MassHealth intends to post an informal directory of MassHealth gender-affirming care providers on the publicly available gender-affirming-care web page (https://www.mass.gov/gender-affirming-care-for-masshealth-members), toward the end of this calendar year.

• If you are an active MassHealth provider who provides gender-affirming care and would like to self-identify as such, please fill out the form at https://www.mass.gov/forms/gender-affirming-care-provider-self-identifcation. While you may fill out the form at any time, it would be helpful if you can do so by November 15, 2022.
• If you are a MassHealth provider who had previously self-identified as a MassHealth provider of gender-affirming care, but would like to be removed from this gender-affirming care provider directory before the initial posting, please email [email protected] with the subject line “gender-affirming care provider form removal,” by November 15, 2022.

For information about gender-affirming surgeries and hair removal as a treatment for gender dysphoria, visit MassHealth’s Guidelines for Medical Necessity Determination for Gender-Affirming Surgery and Guidelines for Medical Necessity Determination for Hair Removal, found at https://www.mass.gov/lists/masshealth-guidelines-for-medical-necessity-determination.

Frankly Speaking Podcast

A weekly Podcast series covering newsworthy topics in primary care medicine.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frankly-speaking-about-family-medicine/id1194659367.

Please join us for an overview: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the United States, with a prevalence rate of more than 30% of US adults. Most have not been diagnosed or treated. Join us to discuss the new AACE guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD to reduce the burden of this common disease. Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, presents: "New AACE Guidelines for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease". - Frankly Speaking Ep 302.

COVID-19 UPDATES

COVID-19 UMMMC

• The current 7-day average positivity rate is 20.9%.
• The prior 7-day average of in-house COVID positive patients is 38.
• Of the 38, 71% are fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 MA

• There were 5,524 new cases of COVID in the last 7 days.
• The 7-day average of percent positivity is 5.8%.
• On 11/8, there were 147 patients hospitalized with a COVID-related illness and 540 patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID. 
• There are 2,099,238 total confirmed cases in MA and 22,209 deaths.

Current Management of COVID Infection

• Oral Paxlovid or Lagevrio as soon as possible and up to 5 days. 
• Velklury (Remdesivir) is given IV as soon as possible and up to 7 days.
• Bebtelocinab, a monoclonal Ab, IV injection as soon as possible up to 7 days.
• Evushield, a long-acting injection given as soon as possible for up to 7 days.

RSV- Flu- COVID

• Precautions are recommended as we approach the season when respiratory illness is high. Remember to screen patients and promote the use of PPE. 
• All three viruses are highly contagious.
• Experts predict a tough winter ahead given the rising cases of flu, COVID, and RSV.
• General Reminders:

1. For patients with potential respiratory illness, where clinically appropriate, the preference is to manage by telehealth video.
2. For patients with potential respiratory illness, and where the patient needs to be seen or the patient declines telehealth video visits, we should see the patient in the clinic for an in-person visit.
3. All caregivers are to wear masks in all clinical areas and eye protection is strongly encouraged with direct clinical care during normal clinic operations.

Details regarding rooming and maintaining safety can be reviewed in a recent email from Dr. Mark Manning and Dr. Richard Ellison. Please see this correspondence for details on the procedure and screening. 

Healthy People 2030 includes the social determinants of health.

According to Healthy People 2030, social determinants of health are important to “Create social, physical, and economic environments that promote attaining the full potential for health and well-being for all.” Let's focus on Healthcare access and quality and address the remaining social determinants of health.

Source: https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health

Wellness Resources

The Caring for the Caregiver Program provides resources such as the Caregiver Support Line (508-334-HELP) and The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which offers a variety of services and supports (including virtual peer support and wellness tips. EAP can be accessed at 866-263-3525, or www.LiveandWorkWell.com, [company code UmassMemorial]. More information is available on the Caring for the Caregiver page.