UMass FMCH Tuesday Talk - June 20, 2023/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

Presentations and Publications

Department Member Recognition

Frankly Speaking Podcast

Clinical Services Spotlight

Message From the Chair


Hellos and Goodbyes

It’s the time of year marked by transitions. Last Friday we celebrated the graduates of our Worcester Family Medicine Residency, as well as our Sports and Behavioral Health fellows. This Friday we will celebrate the graduates of our Health-Alliance Fitchburg Residency. We thank you for all you have done. We are so proud of your accomplishments, and we wish you the best in your new opportunities.

 

We are also pleased to welcome our new residents and fellows. We look forward to getting to know you and to supporting you to reach our goals.

 

Annual Required Education

It’s also that time of year. The UMass Memorial Annual Required Education is due by July 31st. All assignments are available on EL4U. Please note that in order to avoid having to complete both the school and clinical information security modules, you should NOT do the clinical module. You will get credit for the school module when it is completed. (The clinical system will recognize the school’s module, but not the other way around.)


I want to thank Drs. Frank Domino and Mary Lindholm for agreeing to manage the Vice Chair for Education functions on an interim basis while we conduct a search for the position (more on that later!).

Frank and Mary have agreed to:

Both will be available and split or share support if and when needed for the residencies and fellowships. Dr. Potts will continue with the Teaching Academy and Education Collaboration meetings. Some other work will be on hold. Please reach out to them as needed and thank you to all for your assistance as we uphold this important part of our mission. 

Upcoming Events


FMCH Grand Rounds

Tuesday, June 20th, 12:00 - 1:00pm, "Thomas Zand Lectureship in Refugee Health: Advancing Health Equity in Refugee Communities" - In Person, Memorial Amphitheater and Virtual via Zoompresented by Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, MD.

Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/191986273?pwd=NEtlZmNkdWlSUGwyeTJQU3dCeUs1QT09


FMCH Grand Rounds

Tuesday, June 27th, 12:00 - 1:00pm"Provider Wellness Post-pandemic", presented by Steven Bird, MD, FACEP, FACMT.

Virtual Only via Zoom.

Meeting ID: 191 986 273 Passcode: FMCH

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/191986273?pwd=NEtlZmNkdWlSUGwyeTJQU3dCeUs1QT09

Focus of the Week - Community


The Worcester Family Resource Center and the

El Buen Samaritano Food Pantry announce the FIGHTING HUNGER AMAZON FOOD DELIVERY PROGRAM, providing food pantry deliveries on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month to individuals lacking transportation. Patients can call now to get on the list for the next delivery 508-796-1411.

Save the date! On Wednesday, August 23rd, from 3:15-5:30pm, medical students will be sharing lessons learned and best practices in the Worcester community during a “Social Determinants of Health Poster Presentation” event in the med school lobby. We are inviting community partners and hope that you will plan to join us as well!


The Worcester Parks Summer Fitness Series runs from June 5 through August 27, with multiple activities offered daily Mondays through Saturdays at 8 city parks. Classes range from Zumba to sports skills training to HIIT and Yoga, all family-friendly. See the daily schedule and contact info at https://www.worcesterma.gov/summer-fitness .


Summer is here. Below are some links to events that are occurring around Worcester over the summer for adults, families, and children for you and for patients.

Announcements


Past editions of the Tuesday Talk Newsletter are available

at https://www.umassmed.edu/fmch/ under Resources.

The Worcester Family Medicine Residency is pleased to share the residency’s 2023 award winners. See the impressive list here


We are pleased to announce the launch of the Thomas Zand Refugee Health Initiative (see flyer for additional information) made possible by the funding from the Estate of the late Dr. Thomas Zand – local pediatrician, advocate of children, refugees, and education, which includes:

  1. Thomas Zand Lectureship on Refugee Health, to engage and recognize national leaders in this field. Lectureship recipients will deliver an annual talk on refugee health to the UMass community and engage with local refugee-serving community organizations.
  2. Thomas Zand Refugee Health Community Award, given annually to recognize the work done by Worcester community organizations working with newly arriving refugees and immigrants. (To nominate an organization for the Thomas Zand Community Organization award, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/vgziK2xHR3cFDmRg9).
  3. Thomas Zand Refugee Health Scholarship, provided to UMass Chan learners to support their attendance to the North American Refugee Health Conference.

Our inaugural events will occur on June 20th, 2023 - World Refugee Day:

  1. 12:00 pm Grand Rounds by the inaugural speaker Dr. Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, MD (Memorial Amphitheater and Zoom)
  2. 1:00 pm Discussion with Worcester and Fitchburg residents (Knowles Hall)
  3. 3:00 pm Community Panel Discussion and Award Presentation (Albert Sherman Cube) - To RSVP: https://forms.gle/EkRBpbTg1DDcTPNC6


Center for Integrated Primary Care and the Center for Integrated Medical Group Visits, will hold their 3rd annual one-day, virtual event with presentations, experiential workshops, and spaces for mentorship on Friday, September 8th. “Growing Group Visits” will center around all aspects of group medical visits, from patients to policy, to delivering whole person care with a focus on financial and community health implications. Jon Porter, MD, and Joshua Plavin, MD, MPH, MBA, from the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, will provide a keynote, “Creating an integrative, effective, and financially sustainable program”. Another keynote “The Power of Group Visits” will be led by Beth Frates, MD, president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. For registration go to https://icgmv.org/2023-conference.

As always scholarships provided as all are welcome.


Funding Opportunity: The Blue Cross Shields of MA Foundation Special Initiatives grant program provides organizations with a one-time grant of up to $50,000 to pilot or launch a new project over a one-year period which empowers communities to advance health equity. Visit their website for more details: https://www.bluecrossmafoundation.org/grant/special-initiatives.

Applications are due September 11th, 2023.

Presentations and Publications


Paula Gardiner, MD, MPH, with colleagues at UNC, published an article regarding new research on using an integrative medical group visit to care for patient with Long COVID. Barnhill JL, Roth IJ, Miller VE, Baratta JM, Chilcoat A, Kavalakatt BM, Tiedt MK, Thompson KL, Gardiner P. Pilot Observational Study of Patient Reported Outcome Measures for Long COVID Patients in Virtual Integrative Medical Group Visits. Glob Adv Integr Med Health. 2023 May 14;12:27536130231174236. doi: 10.1177/27536130231174236. PMID: 37205321; PMCID: PMC10186579. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10186579/


For those with digital access to the Worcester Telegram, check out this guest column by

Pablo Hernandez on June 16th, titled "Better data crucial to promoting health equity".

Department Member Recognition


Dr. Ekaterina Pivovarova was interviewed on Spectrum News 1 about her pilot grant from CCTS to collaborate with the Worcester County Jail on evaluating their substance use treatment program. The new pilot program aims to study whether programs offered inside the Worcester County House of Corrections help treat inmates with substance use issues, both while incarcerated and when released. The link and description of the story is as follows below:

https://spectrumnews1.com/ma/worcester/news/2023/06/15/umass-chan-working-with-jail-to-help-treat-substance-use-issues#


For Father’s Day, June 18th, the Worcester Telegram highlighted the work of the junior and senior Robert Babineau’s medical careers in Fitchburg, including the genesis of the Fitchburg Family Medicine Residency. Collectively they served the Fitchburg community for 72 years, overlapping for 10. https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/babineau-family-has-created-a-medical-legacy-in-fitchburg-mass/70316439007/

An update from Sandy Blount, professor emeritus: 

Alex Reed was our second psychology postdoc, arriving in 2000 with clinical placement in Fitchburg. After UMass, he was at the FM residency in Boise for around 15 years and since then he has been in the FM Department at Colorado Medical School in Denver. For the last few years, he has been the team psychologist for the Denver Nuggets (envision Nicola Jokic meditating at half-court). 

I sent him congratulations and he sent back a picture and these comments: “UMass and the fellowship led me down this path…it’s very similar working in primary care and pro sports. How do you work in a team and learn to respond effectively in uncertain situations…”

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: Tune in as we discuss the potential consequences of perceived stress on the cognition and well-being of older adults. We explore screening and intervention opportunities to better help you recognize and manage stress in your patients aged ≥45 years. Guest: Jill M. Terrien, PhD, ANP-BC, presents: "Navigating Perceived Stress in Older Adults: From Awareness to Action" - Frankly Speaking Ep 333.

Clinical Services Spotlight:

Juneteenth (June 19, 2023)

Juneteenth is an official federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the US after the civil war. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves. It was only on June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, a U.S. Army officer and Union General during the Civil War, issued an order in Galveston, Texas, announcing that all slaves were free under the Emancipation Proclamation. The holiday was approved in 2021 as a federal holiday. The bill passed the House in a 415-14 vote, with all of the opposition coming from Republicans.

 

MA BORIM Requirements for Continuing Education for Medical Licensure

  • Please the attached document that lists the required courses / training for maintaining licensure in the State of MA.


COVID-MA

  • There were 809 new cases confirmed in the last 7 days. 
  • The 7-day average percent positivity is 4.13%.
  • There were 8 confirmed deaths in the past 7 days. 


COVID-UMMMC

  • The current 7-day positivity rate is 7.1%.
  • Only 4 COVID-positive inpatients in the last 7 days, with 100% fully vaccinated. 

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.

Yoga Classes with Dr. Liz Erban

New members always welcome. 

Please join for early morning gentle yoga, Wednesday mornings 6:30am via Zoom.

Much appreciation to Dr. Liz Erban for hosting these outstanding classes. 

Join Zoom Meeting ID: 923 9393 3653 Passcode: 764113

https://umassmemorial-org.zoom.us/j/92393933653?pwd=RW9TL3FhZGtLUVZBa09oMWhIQzZDUT09