Welcome to the FMCH Tuesday Talk. Please continue to send us your announcements, celebrations, and accomplishments to [email protected].
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Table of Contents
Upcoming Events
Focus of the Week - Education
Announcements
Frankly Speaking Podcast
Faculty Presentations/Publications
Department Member Recognition
Clinical Services Spotlight
Wellness Resources
Working on Wellness
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Upcoming Events
FMCH Grand Rounds
June 8th, Tuesday, 12 - 1pm: Amee Phan, DO presents: Polypharmacy and Medication Optimization from a Geriatric Perspective.
Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Password: FMCH
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/191986273?pwd=NEtlZmNkdWlSUGwyeTJQU3dCeUs1QT09
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Focus of the Week - Education
GRADUATION SEASON
Congratulations to the UMMS students who celebrated their commencement exercises this weekend. The 48th annual Commencement exercises of the University of Massachusetts Medical School were held on Sunday, June 6, 2021, on the Coughlin Field at Worcester State University. Please see more details in this Worcester Telegram Article. https://www.telegram.com/story/news/2021/06/06/umass-medical-school-holds-its-48th-commencement-ceremony-sunday-wsu/7507642002/. This graduation includes the first graduates of the PURCH program which began in 2017 with a focus on population health in urban and rural environments. A special congratulations to those students finding their way to Family Medicine! Best wishes to all.
Our fellowships and residencies are also in graduation season as many count down the final days to their training experience. (Although, some residents were counting down the last 100 or more!) It has been an honor to have each of them with us. Please make sure to wish all the graduates well if you happen to cross paths this month!
Additionally, congratulations to our interprofessional colleagues graduating from the Graduate School of Nursing and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Best wishes to all.
Gold Humanism Honor Society Induction
Congratulations to Laura Schoerning, DO, Hahnemann Family Health Center PGY2. She was awarded induction into the GHHS through student nomination for her incredible role modeling of compassionate patient centered care.
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Announcements
Faculty Development Workshops
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June 10th, Thursday, 8:00 - 9:00am or June 17th, Thursday, 12:15 - 1:15pm: Henry Del Rosario, MD presents: Home for Dinner: Epic Tips and Best Practices for the Primary Care Physician.
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June 23rd, Wednesday, 12:15 - 1:15pm: Jennifer Bradford, MD and Heather-Lyn Haley, PhD present: Stand Up: Taking Action to Reduce Bias and Racism.
FHCW Wednesday Cultural Rounds
The residents at FHCW host the event each Wednesday from 5 – 5:30pm. We welcome a member of the community to talk about their culture and the ways it can impact their health and the care they receive. The sessions are informal and involve a robust Q&A. Through these weekly discussions, we hope to promote cultural humility and the continuous process of learning about perspectives outside of our own in order to improve the care we provide. We welcome anyone interested in joining us each week at the link below:
The FMCH Town Halls are once again being recorded for those unable to join the live meeting. A separate folder has been created on the FMCH website under Faculty Resources. No password is required to view these recordings. This URL will take you to the Faculty Resources portion of the FMCH website and it can be bookmarked for future reference. https://www.umassmed.edu/fmch/faculty-resources/gr/.
Upcoming Conferences and Calls for Abstracts
The research staff maintains a list of upcoming meetings and conferences that FMCH faculty members often attend. The list has information on deadlines for abstract submissions and links to conference websites. The list can be downloaded from the Department website:
Research Support
A reminder that the Department offers support for FMCH faculty research leading to scholarly publications and/or presentations. You can find more information, including a form for requesting support, on the FMCH website: Research Initiatives - UMass Medical School - Worcester.
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Frankly Speaking Podcast
A weekly Podcast series covering newsworthy topics in primary care medicine.
Join us for this episode as we discuss a recent review article on the evidence behind monofilament testing for peripheral neuropathy in people with diabetes. Guest: Robert A. Baldor, MD, FAAFP presents: Protecting Feet in People With Diabetes: Monofilaments or Tuning Forks? - Frankly Speaking Ep 227.
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Faculty Presentations/Publications
Lisa Morris, director of cross cultural initiatives at Commonwealth Medicine coordinated a 2-day conference for 300+ medical interpreters from around the country. Among the many presenters was Thanh Thu Ngo, a fellow in Philip Bolduc’s HIV Fellowship at FHCW, who presented on HIV 101.
Steve Martin, MD, Amber Cahill, PsyD and Dan Mullin, PsyD, MPH published an article in the journal Substance Abuse describing their ECHO collaboration with BH fellowship alum James Anderson, PhD. Anderson, J. B., Martin, S. A., Gadomski, A., Krupa, N., Mullin, D., Cahill, A., & Jenkins, P. (2021). Project ECHO and primary care buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder: Implementation and clinical outcomes. Substance Abuse, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2021.1931633.
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Clinical Services Spotlight: |
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COVID updates
Massachusetts
- MA statewide total cases 662,154; Confirmed deaths 17,548; Active Cases 4,335.
- Hospitalizations 178; ICU 64; and 31 intubated.
- Percent positivity in 7-days 0.53.
Changes to inpatient visitor policy took effect 2 weeks ago.
- Non-COVID, non PUI patients may have up to two visitors per day.
- Visitors will be screened, must wear a mask and social distance.
- Visitors may not eat or drink in the patient room.
- End of life Non-COVID patient may have two visitors at a time.
- End of life COVID patients may have 2 visitors for one time visit.
- COVID positive patients may not have visitors (other than end of life exception).
- Compliance with the self-reporting tool is still required.
Changes to Telehealth Post COVID
The COVID-19 State of Emergency will be lifted on June 15, 2021. This impacts parity in reimbursement. All services that can be appropriately delivered via telehealth will continue to be covered permanently, some requirements for parity in reimbursement will sunset at various times, depending on the type of care. (see below)
- Behavioral health services, including those delivered through interactive audio-visual and audio-only technologies, will continue to be reimbursed on par with in-person services.
- Primary care and chronic disease management services will be reimbursed at parity for two years from the effective date of C.260, through calendar year 2022.
- The requirement to reimburse all other services delivered via telehealth at parity will no longer be statutorily mandated starting 90 days after the close of the state of emergency, or September 13, 2021. The Massachusetts Medical Society is working to get this extended another 90 days for a total of 180 days.
Reminder About Travel - Domestic
Fully vaccinated
- Wear a mask over your nose and mouth.
- Maintain social distancing, 6 feet apart.
- Follow all local and state rules.
- Post Travel- self-monitor and report any symptoms.
Not fully vaccinated
- Wear a mask over your nose and mouth.
- Maintain social distancing, 6 feet apart.
- Follow all local and state rules.
- Post Travel
- Test 3-5 days after return.
- Quarantine for a full 7 days after return.
Health Equity True North Goal- Well Child Visits
Closing the gap
- Four months and counting, our goal is to close the gap and decrease disparities.
- All sites have seen improvement in well child visits. Let’s keep up the effort.
- Everyone deserves a right to have fair and just opportunity for equitable healthcare.
- Disparities in childhood can lead to adult chronic disease.
- Early identification can improve long-term health problems.
- UMass is investing, we are investing, together we can close the gap!
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Wellness Resources
Are you ready for a little healthy competition? During the summer months, July 1 through August 31, 2021, we invite you to Step It Up!
Step It UP!
Who: Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, "WOW" The Wellness Committee.
When: July 1 to August 31, 2021.
This is an opportunity to walk with colleagues and family to improve health while building stronger relationships. Let's have fun. Ask a colleague to walk with you. Ask a family member. Build a team and name it. Before July 1, we will send a link to report your steps. All teams should have a leader from Family Medicine and Community Health. You can also record your data as an individual if you walk alone.
- Walk anywhere safe.
- Choose your own team.
- Develop a team challenge.
- Make it Fun.
- Track it!
Please click the survey below to let us know if you plan to participate.
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.
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Yoga Classes with Dr. Liz Erban
Please join department members for early morning gentle yoga, Wednesday mornings 6:30am via Zoom.
Much appreciation to Dr. Erban for hosting these outstanding classes. Join Zoom Meeting
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Zumba with Dr. Anna Zheng
May 2021 & summer months (until Sep 2021):
Please join department members Monday mornings at 6:00am, Thursday evenings at 5:45pm**(new time; outdoor location), some Saturday mornings at 9:15am**(only 1x/month; outdoor location) and get moving with Zumba. Please note schedule changes via webpage: http://annazheng.zumba.com/. ZOOM still possible for all classes.
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