UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - June 21, 2022/COMMUNITY
Welcome to the FMCH Tuesday Talk. Please continue to send us your announcements, celebrations, and accomplishments to [email protected].
Table of Contents
Message From The Chair
Upcoming Events
Focus of the Week - Community
Announcements
Department Member Recognition
Frankly Speaking Podcast
Clinical Services Spotlight
Message From The Chair

As we enter the summer season, we are seeing some positive signs with regard to COVID in Massachusetts and at UMass Memorial. State hospitalizations have plateaued, and the statewide test positivity is down slightly at 5.6%. The peak of the Spring ‘minisurge’ at UMass was the last week of May, with current census at the medical center of 31. If the trend continues, masks will become optional in administrative areas next week.
 
As our community plans for and takes needed time off this summer, I hope everyone has an opportunity to relax, recharge, and spend time with family. Best wishes for a great summer!
Upcoming Events

Department of Medicine Grand Rounds
Tuesday, June 23rd, 12:00 - 1:00 pm. George Abraham, MD, MPH, MACP, FIDSA, FRCP, presents: "If You're Not At The Table, You're On The Menu"
Register in advance for this webinar:
Meeting ID: 937 2750 3955 Passcode: 920793
Focus of the Week - Community

Tribute to Suzanne Cashman

This evening, we will gather to pay tribute to Suzanne Cashman, ScD, Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health along with appointments in Nursing and Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, to celebrate her contributions to our department and UMass Chan. Suzanne came to UMass as a consultant about 22 years ago, focused on a project by the MassHealth medical director to reinvent primary care. She thought she’d be finished with her work in Worcester in about a year. Rather, she stayed for over two decades, managing the daily commute to and from her home in Newton and juggling her roles in academics with roles as a partner to Dan and mother to her three children. 
It is a fair statement that the department would be challenged to take claim for its national distinction for dual mission of Family Medicine and Community Health without Dr. Cashman’s contributions, especially her efforts to integrate the two. In U.S. health care systems, standards for success are often set with denominators defined by type of insurance rather than the residential communities where families reside. Suzanne worked tirelessly to teach learners in medicine, nursing, public health and health services research – both here and across the country. She taught and stressed the impact of social determinants and the importance of interprofessional learning and teams long before they were buzz words. She did not just teach from a podium, she took learners arm in arm, into the community, inspiring a contagious curiosity for measurement, creating passion in learners to produce scholarship, and pushing systems to bring in and listen to the community voice early in project design.

Suzanne can be nurturing, gentle and encouraging while also providing constructive feedback, with high expectations of her mentees. She is tenacious in attempting to create change and has boundless energy. Several months into COVID, I had the privilege to listen to a community forum on health care inequities concerning COVID in Worcester. Black and Brown community leaders and citizens quickly pivoted the conversation from health care to their concerns for the education being missed by their children and grandchildren due to the pandemic. Without ready access to equipment required for virtual classroom participation, their children were essentially absent from school. If I had never met Suzanne, I would not have connected the dots to the obvious downstream impact on the health of these children.

Suzanne, while you will be missed, your legacies are many, with the batons you have passed to the current and future clinicians and scientists who will carry on your work. Thank you. 
Announcements

The Center for Integrated Primary Care, under the leadership of Dan Mullin is looking for an Associate Director. Please see the attached job description. 

Information for members of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
To report CMEs on the AAFP website, search activity number 95264 for a listing of all 2022 FMCH Faculty Development sessions, 91384 for a listing of all 2021 FMCH Faculty Development sessions, and 88033 for a listing of 2020 FMCH Grand Rounds.

The work of NEAETC was highlighted in a blog by Harold Philips, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy for The White House. NEAETC has launched a four-part webinar series on providing mental health care to people with HIV in primary care settings, covering depression, pharmacotherapy for depression, anxiety disorders, and trauma- and stressor-related disorders. Three of the sessions are led by Jordan Howard-Young. The blog is here: The Key Role of Mental Health Services in Ending the HIV Epidemic | HIV.gov.

FMEC Annual Conference - Opportunity for Students
Student Scholarships are available for the FMEC annual conference in Arlington Virginia September 16-18th. Please encourage students with interest in Family Medicine to attend. There is a call for student poster presentations open until July 30th if they have an interesting project to present this is a great opportunity.  
Department Member Recognition

On June 3, 2022, Jay Broadhurst, MD, received an Outstanding Male Ally award from Living in Freedom Together (LIFT). From the award: “An Outstanding Male Ally works to uplift and support Survivors and actively dedicates themselves towards creating a more just and liberated world for all. Thank you for your efforts to make safe space for Survivors and amplifying their voices”. From the website: LIFT is ending the sex trade. LIFT is a nonprofit organization committed to ending the sex trade. Our mission is to end systems of prostitution through the implementation of the Equality Model. Survivors, we’re with you. Led by and for survivors, we’re building a world where survivors are valued, equal members of the community. Their voice and choices are honored implicitly. People aren’t products. Our vision is a world where systems of prostitution no longer exist and people no longer feel it is their right to purchase access to another human’s body.

Carolyn Langer, MD, JD, MPH, conducted four workshops in the Disability Interstitial organized by Linda M. Long-Bellil, PhD, JD for 3rd year medical students at the UMass Chan Medical School on Monday, June 13th.
Frankly Speaking Podcast

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

Please join us for an overview: Clinicians may hesitate to provide medication abortion without first performing a pelvic ultrasound or pelvic examination, but recent data may give clinicians more confidence in their decision to do so. This episode explores the evidence for the safety of telehealth-based, or no-test screening, approaches to providing medication abortion for pregnant women at less than 10 weeks' gestation. Guest: Jillian Joseph, MSPAS, PA-C, presents: "Access to Care: Safety of Medication Abortion". - Frankly Speaking Ep 281.
Clinical Services Spotlight:
COVID-19 UPDATES

COVID-19 MA
  • Total confirmed cases 1,748,276. 
  • The 7-day average of percent positivity is 5.62%.
  • The number of hospitalized patients is 457 with 34 in the ICU and 14 intubated. 
  • The confirmed deaths in MA in 19,602.

COVID UMMMC
  • Total 7-day average of cases in house at the medical center is 26 with 65% fully vaccinated.
  • The 7-day average of percent positivity is 9.2%. (13.9% for symptomatic patients).
  • Worcester Stop-the-Spread test positivity is at 10.95%. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Announcements
  • MA will begin offering vaccines to children 6 months to 4 years old beginning on Tuesday, June 21, according to Governor Baker.
  • There will be an estimated 400 sites available for vaccination.
  • Vaccines can be found on the state Vax finder site. If patients are unable to locate vaccines, they can call 2-1-1.
  • The Pfizer vaccine is divided into 3 doses and the Moderna vaccine is divided into 2 doses. 

MonkeyPox
  • There are 113 cases of Monkeypox in the US. 
  • As of June 17, there are 2,525 global cases. 
  • Monkeypox is similar to the smallpox virus.
  • Incubation can be 5-25 days.
  • Early symptoms are fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion. 
  • Lesions can present in several ways: macules, papules, plaques, pustules, and scabs. 
  • Some patients have developed a rash around the genitals or anus before any other symptoms. The rash may resemble syphilis, herpes, or shingles.
  • The orthopox PCR test is the test used to diagnose monkeypox. When collecting samples use sterile dry polyester, nylon, or dacron swabs. If possible, swab 2 different lesions. Swab or brush the lesion vigorously with two separate swabs. A positive orthopox swab is sufficient for public health action. The sample should be sent to the lab in our nearest proximity immediately. 
  • Isolate the patient. Close the door. Wear PPE.
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

Classes have resumed!!

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

Please join 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

ZOOM Zumba resumes Thursdays at 6:00am beginning July 14th.
Meeting ID: 557 899 5952
Passcode: 123456

Please join department members Thursday, early mornings at 6:00am. Please note details and any changes via webpage: http://annazheng.zumba.com/.
 
Much appreciation to Dr. Anna Zheng for hosting these outstanding classes. New to the class? Please email Dr. Zheng at [email protected] to register, complete brief health screen if it's your first class and the ZOOM link.