Table of Contents

Message from the Chair

Focus of the Week - Community

Announcements

Presentations & Publications

Frankly Speaking Podcast

Message from the Chair

I wish you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season. We will all look back on 2022 as another year that has stressed and stretched us, but also one where we have seen that our work is more important than ever. Thanks to each of you for the work you do to care for our patients, our learners, and each other. Wishing you every happiness throughout the coming year.

As shared at the Town Hall last week, we’ll give the Tuesday Talk team some needed time off for the next two weeks. They’ve earned it. 

Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment:

For those of you caring for patients with dual diagnosis (mental health issue and substance use disorder) Open Sky has an Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT) option that is an evidence-based, wrap-around service model who would benefit from individualized, community-based support. The support includes case management for housing, DCF involvement, cash benefits as well as peer support coaching and psychiatric consults as needed. See attached IDDT flyer for more details.

Anchor Mission:

Volunteering has been linked to burnout reduction. This does not work for everyone, and many should not add more to their plate. For those interested in reading about the benefits of volunteering, click here. UMassMemorial Health has an Anchor Mission that has options for employees to help out in Worcester as part of a team of UMass colleagues. There are ongoing volunteer opportunities and also seasonal opportunities arise as well. Here is a list of some of the organizations UMass is partnering with:

United Way of Central Massachusetts 

El Buen Samaritano: Food Distribution

Assist with food pantry box distribution (throughout November and December)

Elder Services of Worcester Area "Woo Cares 4 U"

Winter letter and card writing campaign through January 9, 2023

Rachel’s Table – 663 Salisbury Street, Worcester

Volunteer Drivers – Ongoing opportunity, 9am - 12 pm

Worcester Housing Authority: Holiday Meal & Toy Distribution

WHA Family and Resident Services (FRS) serves Holiday Meals to residents at

15 sites throughout Worcester & Holden.

Jeremiah’s Inn Food Pantry Assistant

Ongoing opportunity, weekdays only, 9:00am-2:00pm. Volunteers needed to help to h distribute food 

Belmont Zion AME Church, 55 Illinois Street, Worcester - Yes We Care Food Distribution 

This church serves as a food distribution hub for the community and city-at-large. They need volunteers to assist with loading the food truck

Celebrations:

As we each celebrate different holiday traditions this time of year, we thought we would share a list of the holidays celebrated around the world in December. These come courtesy of the DEI Council at GLFHC and Drexel University. Our apologies if any are missing; if so, please let [email protected] know. 

6: Saint Nicholas Day — Christian

8: Rohatsu (Bodhi Day) — Buddhist

8: Feast of the Immaculate Conception — Roman Catholic

12: Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe — Catholic

16 – 24: Las Posadas – Hispanic Christian

18 – 26: Hanukkah – Judaism

21 – Jan. 1: Yule – Pagan and Wiccan

24: Christmas Eve — Christian

25: Christmas — Christian

26: Zarathosht Diso — Zoroastrian

26 – Jan. 1: Kwanzaa – Pan-Africanism

28: Holy Innocents Day — Christian

30: Feast of the Holy Family — Catholic

31: Watch Night — Christian

31: New Year’s Eve

Free holiday meals are available “to go” from the Mint Kitchen and Bar on the corner of Park and Maywood Street on Christmas Eve, December 24th from noon-3pm.  The Mayor’s Task Force on Food Security has put out a call for information about special holiday food opportunities and will share anything they find on the www.foodhelpworcester.org website, a local food resource site sponsored by the Worcester County Food Bank. The city has also opened up a new winter shelter at 551 Pleasant St. There is a party planned for Christmas Eve from 7:00-9:00pm and dinner at 6:00pm on Christmas Day. 

The Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion is bestowed annually upon an individual or group exemplifying characteristics embodied in UMass Chan’s diversity statement and values, which is outlined in the attached nomination form. The form can also be found on the Diversity and Inclusion website. One-page nomination submissions are due to the Diversity and Inclusion Office by Friday, January 6, 2023.  To ensure that each candidate is evaluated on the same documentation, summaries in excess of one page will not be considered. The institutional award will be presented at the Medical School’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Any questions may be directed to the Diversity and Inclusion Office at 508-856-2179 or [email protected].

Dear Mass AFP Members and Colleagues,

Are you, or someone you know, looking for an opportunity to present? The Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians (MassAFP) is now accepting proposals for presentations at the 2023 Annual Meeting and Spring Refresher (AMSR), scheduled for March 24 - 25, 2023 at the Waltham Woods Conference Center, Massachusetts Medical Society, 860 Winter St., Waltham, MA. We are currently planning an in-person conference only. 

The conference will feature concurrent CME tracks each day. Proposals should reflect an interactive format (case studies, panel, Q&A, etc.). Presentations must be supported by evidence and support professional practice changes by attendees. Please note that presenters may be asked to present their session more than once. All proposals must be submitted by January 9, 2023. Interested speakers should submit a proposal for a session by completing this survey: Call for Presentations Submission Form.

The Annual Meeting and Spring Refresher is Mass AFP's largest Family Medicine CME event. This is a great opportunity to share your work and passion, and educate your peers, all while gaining valuable presentation experience. We encourage you to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and submit your presentation proposal today. Submission due date is January 9, 2023.

Advanced MA LTBI ECHO - Open to Massachusetts primary care team members including clinicians, nurses, care managers, community health workers, peer navigators, pharmacists, social workers! Course starts January 5, 2023!!

Interested in being able to test and treat your patients for latent TB infection within primary care and manage some of the more nuanced scenarios? Beginners and more advanced participants welcome! All participants will receive introductory material prior to the start of the seven session virtual and interactive course. You can receive up to 7 CME credits and the course is free. Find the details in the attached brochure. Register here.

The new VISTA curriculum will have 8 Pathways. All students need to choose a Pathway. Pathways include the following themes:

• Inequity/Advocacy/social justice ​
• Entrepreneurship/biomedical innovation​
• Clinical care​
• Research​
• Population/global/community health​
• Health systems science ​
• Education​
• PURCH - Springfield students

Students will be required to work on a project over 3.5 years. This will replace Capstone projects. They can be very diverse in nature. Faculty who mentor students on their project will meet with them initially and then periodically.

There are 3 ways to get onto a list for potential students to work with:

1. Put your name out there with an area that you are interested in (e.g. substance use disorder or women's health) and which Pathway or Pathways appeal to you and you will be put on a list for students to look at
2. Have an idea for a project and forward that project and students can look at your idea
3. Already have a project you are working on and list that and a student can join your project with you.

If you have an idea, please reach out to Hugh Silk at [email protected].

Presentations & Publications

The following are recent publications by Sonal Singh, MD, MPH:

1. Singh S, ** Beyrer J, Zhou X, Swerdel J, Harvey RA, Hornbuckle K, Russo L, Ghauri K, Abi-Elias IH, Cox JS, Rodriguez-Watson C. Development and Evaluation of the Algorithm CErtaInty Tool (ACE-IT) to Assess Electronic Medical Record and Claims-based Algorithms' Fit for Purpose for Safety Outcomes. Drug Saf. 2022 Nov 17. doi: 10.1007/s40264-022-01254-4. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36396894. 
2. Akenroye A, * Zhou G, Jackson JW, Segal J, Alexander GC, Singh S. Incidence of adverse events prompting switching between biologics among adults with asthma: A retrospective cohort study. Allergy. 2022 Oct 26. doi: 10.1111/all.15564. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36286487. 
3. Fisher KA, Nguyen N, Fouayzi H, Singh S, Crawford S, Mazor KM. Impact of a Physician Recommendation on COVID-19 Vaccination Intent Among Vaccine Hesitant Individuals. Patient Education and Counseling,2022,ISSN 0738-3991,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2022.09.013. 
4. Antonelli MT, Cox JS, Saphirak C, Gurwitz JH, Singh S, Mazor KM. Motivating deprescribing conversations for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias: a descriptive study. Ther Adv Drug Saf. 2022 Aug 23;13:20420986221118143. doi: 10.1177/20420986221118143. PMID: 36052398; PMCID: PMC9425903. 

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: The COVID-19 epidemic resulted in overflowing ICUs and significant numbers of deaths among older adults. A recent study looked at the differences in outcomes between patients admitted with "No-code" vs CPR" status and found no difference for high-risk individuals. Listen to this brief podcast to explore the data from this study and, in turn, give patients the information they need to make informed decisions regarding their desired code status on their advanced directives. Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, FAAFP, presents: "Should There Be a Contraindication to CPR?". - Frankly Speaking Ep 307.

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.