UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - February 15, 2022/COMMUNITY
Welcome to the FMCH Tuesday Talk. Please continue to send us your announcements, celebrations, and accomplishments to FMCHtuesdaytalk@umassmed.edu.
Table of Contents
Message From the Chair
Upcoming Events
Focus of the Week - Community
Announcements
Frankly Speaking Podcast
Clinical Services Spotlight
Message From the Chair

I am pleased to report that COVID hospitalizations and overall hospital medicine census are down enough that we were able to stand down our Family Medicine inpatient surge team at the end of last week. Thanks to the staff and clinicians of Hahnemann, Benedict, and Barre practices; each contributed effort to staff the team. Special thanks to Mike Maddaleni, Nick Hajj, Henry DelRosario, Erin Cathcart, and Stefanie Russell for pitching in to staff the team. And of course, none of this would have been possible without the flexibility of, and support from, the entire FMIS team. Family Medicine’s effort has been recognized and celebrated as incredibly helpful to the overall surge effort. Thanks for the team effort, and a job well done!
Upcoming Events

FMCH Grand Rounds
Tuesday, February 15th, 12:00 - 1:00 pm. John "Jake" Ponti, MD, Presents: "Regenerative Medicine and Orthobiologics".
Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH

Psychiatry Grand Rounds
Thursday, February 17th, 12:00 - 1:00 pm. Aedome Girma, DO-PGY IV, Presents: "Management of Substance Use Disorder in the Outpatient Setting".

FMCH Grand Rounds
Tuesday, February 22nd, 12:00 - 1:00 pm. Reid Evans, PhD, Presents: "Teaching in Virtual Modalities".
Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH

Faculty Development Workshop
Thursday, February 24th, 7:30 - 8:30 am. Building Speed Buttons
Please RSVP to Jennifer Masoud at jennifer.masoud@umassmemorial.org
Focus of the Week - Community

Mindful of Black History Month

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was observed on February 7th. A goal of CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign is empowering communities, partners, and healthcare providers to work together to reduce HIV stigma and promote prevention, testing, and treatment among all affected communities, including Black/African American people. According to CDC’s latest data, in 2019, Blacks/African Americans accounted for 42% of HIV diagnoses, despite making up 12% of the U.S. population. Racism, discrimination, and mistrust in the health care system may affect whether Black people seek or receive HIV prevention services or engage in HIV treatment and care. To continue to reduce the burden of HIV, people need access to culturally competent health services that are free of stigma and discrimination. Together, when we work to overcome barriers to HIV testing, prevention and treatment services, we reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities in Black communities. To learn more, check out the Blacks/African Americans and HIV page on NEAETC's online HIV Resource Library
 
Want to learn about Worcester’s Community Health Improvement Plan?
 
Have a community project that a medical student could contribute to?
  • Do you have community health goals that could be advanced with the help of a medical student assistant for 160 hours this summer? Are you interested in hosting a Population and Community Health Clerkship team for two weeks in October? Now is the time to reach out to Heather-Lyn.Haley@umassmed.edu to get the wheels in motion for either of these.  
Announcements

We are seeking nominations for the Putterman Visiting Professor for 2022. The Professorship honors the memory of faculty member Steven Putterman, MD, who died in 1999.  Steve was a gifted physician who worked on many fronts to improve health care and education, especially health care for vulnerable populations. 
Areas of interest include when considering a potential visiting professor include:
  • Addictions Medicine/Research
  • Promoting Real Change in Health Care Systems
  • Global Health Care and Education 
  • Health Equity/Reducing Health Disparities
  • Novel models of family medicine education, etc.
  • LGBTQ + Health
  • Other suggestions?
Please send your nomination(s) of potential speakers directly by completing this survey for review by the Leadership Team no later than February 28th.  

Suzanne Mitchell is leading the search for a mid-career, tenure track, Community Health Investigator dedicated to the conduct of research aligned with our mission emphasizing the relationship between clinical practice and community health with a focus on serving vulnerable populations and promoting health equity across the lifespan. Please see the application requirements at AcademicJobsOnline position 20374. https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/20374. Please refer inquiries to Suzanne.Mitchell2@umassmed.edu.

Jennifer Bradford and Linda Cragin are co-chairing the Search Committee for the Vice Chair of Community Health. Please see the attached position announcement. Contact Linda for more information at Linda.Cragin@umassmed.edu

Effective now, every home in the US is eligible to order 4 free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests. They are completely free and will usually ship in 7-12 days. Order yours now by visiting  https://www.covidtests.gov/ or http://www.usps.com/covidtest.

100 Million Mouths Campaign as part of the work of the Center for Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health, a joint venture between Harvard Medical/Dental School and our UMMS Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. 
We have selected nine new state oral health education champions to add to our current five state champions in year 2. Work will be ongoing this year to assess the efficacy of Champions engaging health schools in these 14 states to produce graduates of primary care residencies and medical and nursing schools who have improved their knowledge, skill, and attitude around oral health.

Spring Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Retreat:  
Vision 2030 - The Next Chapter for FMCH
Save the Date: Friday - May 20, 2022 
8:00am-6:00pm
Plan for in-person retreat at South Street Campus, Shrewsbury
(with virtual event as back-up) 

Volunteers needed for WFCC
Worcester Free Care Collaborative is always in need of volunteer family physicians and family nurse practitioners to support its mission to address needs of the uninsured and underinsured of our community. We also need help with pediatric vaccine program management. You fill find it fulfilling to address needs for vulnerable patients and work with highly motivated student volunteers. Contact student leader Tyler Healy (tyler.healy@umassmed.edu) for needs across the 6 programs or Danielle Heims-Waldron (danielle.heimswaldron@umassmed.edu) for Monday night’s Epworth program.
Frankly Speaking Podcast

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

Please join us for an overview: The FDA's recent emergency use authorization (EUA) for oral agents to treat COVID-19 means that primary care provider (PDPs) will be on the frontline of treating patients with COVID-19. Therefore, PCPs must understand who is eligible for such treatments and how to prescribe them We will discuss the results of the recent FDA EUA for Pfizer's Paxlovid and Merck's molnupiravir antiviral agents and give you the information you need to confidently prescribe them . Guest: Robert a. Baldor, MD, FAAFP, presents: "Oral Anti-COVID-19 Medications-a Game Changer?". - Frankly Speaking Ep 263.
Clinical Services Spotlight:
COVID-19 UPDATES

COVID Update Worldwide
  • COVID cases worldwide have decreased about 19%.
  • The number of cases in the US has decreased 45% in the last 7 days; however the US remains in the top three.
  • The number of cases in the last 7 days is 3100 per 1M, or 1,035,793.
  • Deaths in the last 7 days were 13,746, down 18%.

COVID Update MA
  • Total MA cases 1,648,646, with 22,791 confirmed deaths.
  • Total breakthrough cases in MA: 434,394.
  • The 7-day average of percent positivity is 3.74%
  • Current hospitalizations are 1,062. There are 193 patients in the ICU and 107 intubated.

COVID UMMMC
  • Confirmed inpatient cases at the Med Center are 65 (18 in ICU). 
  • Worcester Stop-the-Spread test positivity continues to decline, now 9.6%.
  • In-house test positivity is also declining, now 17.5% for symptomatic patients and 4.7% for asymptomatic patients.
  • The state has shifted from Tier 4 to Tier 3 response, which allows for 50% of elective surgical procedures (compared to 2019 numbers).
  • Inpatients are allowed visitors as of 2/11/22.

Mask Mandates
  • Massachusetts plans to lift public school mask mandates on February 28. 
  • Worcester Board of Health will vote on mask mandate on February 16. 

Who's getting vaccinated for COVID?
  • COVID vaccine for children under the age of 5 is not yet approved. 
  • Vaccines are available for children aged 5 and above. Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for children beginning at age 5. 
  • Moderna was approved for Emergency Use in December 2020 and was fully approved in February 2022 as "Spikevax" for people greater than 18 years old. 
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.

Wellness
You are invited to become a member of the Department Wellness Committee. Key goals for this year include improving the efficiency of use with the Electronic Health Record. Watch your email for future training sessions.
Working on Wellness
Yoga Classes with Dr. Liz Erban
New Yoga Link!
Our Yoga class hit the 1 year anniversary - which in zoomland means we need a new link. Happy anniversary yogis and much gratitude to our fearless leader, Liz!

Also, a great time to join, new members always welcome. Start your mid week with some relaxing yoga! 

Please join department members for early morning gentle yoga, Wednesday mornings 6:30am via Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting ID: 923 9393 3653 Passcode: 764113
Zumba with Dr. Anna Zheng

Thursdays 6:15pm: In-person or ZOOM
Please join department members Thursday evenings at 6:15pm**(30 Anna Street: tall & spacious indoor location) and get moving with Zumba. Please note details and any changes via webpage: http://annazheng.zumba.com/. ZOOM still possible for all classes.
 
Much appreciation to Dr. Anna Zheng for hosting these outstanding classes. New to the class? Please email Dr. Zheng at ZumbawithAnnaZheng@gmail.com to register, complete brief health screen if it's your first class and the ZOOM link.