As we near the end of Lockdown Week 7 across the Commonwealth and nation, our newsletter recaps the tireless work of our frontline members and supporting healthcare staff. In addition to their regular shifts, your VACEP Board and fellow members have spent many March and April hours advocating for emergency medicine during this crisis.
This means:
- Video calls with Governor Ralph Northam and U.S. Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine, plus ongoing communications with their staff, to discuss our work and needs. We have advocated for more PPE, funding, and COVID-19 testing. We're getting results.
- Communications with members of the Virginia General Assembly to advocate for emergency physician protections, and pushing our message that ERs are open and safe — especially for those with a medical emergency such as a stroke or heart attack.
- Participating in ACEP’s Virtual Hill Day and meeting with (via phone) the offices of both U.S. Senators and nearly all U.S. Representatives for Virginia. Our members shared stories of their experiences, and we had productive conversations about liability protection, PPE and testing availability, current ED volumes, and coverage and financial protections for healthcare workers.
In addition, VACEP has representation on the Governor's new
nursing home task force and
testing advisory task force. Our staff and members take weekly calls with the Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, and are in daily check-ins with Medical Society of Virginia staff.
In this issue:
- A VACEP-led win to protect healthcare workers from liability
- ED Emeritus Bob Ramsey recognized by ACEP
- Health worker discounts on hotels, pizza, transit, and donuts (the essentials)
- ACEP/AAEM shoot down misinformation out of California
- Financial resources for physicians
- Poll showing majority of patients scared to visit ER
- Our public "ERs are Open and Safe" message
And much more.
Thank you for your work on Virginia's healthcare front lines. You continue to make us proud every day.
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ON (VIDEO) CALL:
VACEP members got facetime (well, technically, it was Zoom) with Gov. Northam this month.
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ED Emeritus Bob Ramsey Recognized by ACEP
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The ACEP Board approved the National Chapter Relations Committee's recommendation naming
Bob Ramsey
as the
2020 recipient of the Diane K. Bollman Chapter Advocate award
. Bob retired as Executive Director of VACEP in December, and has not stopped mountain biking, yardwork, or spoiling grandchildren since.
The Award, named after the late 25-year CEO of the Michigan chapter of ACEP, is presented to a current or recent chapter executive or staff member who has made a significant contribution to advancing emergency care and the objectives of a chapter and College.
VACEP wholeheartedly agrees with ACEP's approval, and we congratulate Bob on the recognition.
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ACEP's joint statement with AAEM on physician misinformation
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As if healthcare workers didn't have enough to fight these days, we're also battling misinformation online.
In a joint statement with the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), ACEP emphatically condemned the recent opinions released by California physicians Dr. Daniel Erickson and Dr. Artin Massihi.
The statement:
"These reckless and untested musings do not speak for medical societies and are inconsistent with current science and epidemiology regarding COVID-19. As owners of local urgent care clinics, it appears these two individuals are releasing biased, non-peer reviewed data to advance their personal financial interests without regard for the public’s health."
COVID-19 misinformation is widespread and dangerous. Members of ACEP and AAEM are firsthand witnesses to the human toll that COVID-19 takes on our communities. ACEP and AAEM strongly advise against using any statements of Drs. Erickson and Massihi as a basis for policy and decision making.
If you see the doctors' video making the rounds on social media, be sure to
send this link
to whomever is sharing it.
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Governor reinforces legal protection of healthcare workers treating COVID-19
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Gov. Northam this week signed Executive Order Sixty, which reinforces certain existing liability protections for Virginia healthcare workers. Virginia’s code offers protections for healthcare workers and first responders in cases of emergency.
The order clarifies that these statutes protect healthcare workers operating during the COVID-19 crisis. Nothing in the order prevents liability in the case of gross negligence or willful misconduct.
- Liability protection was one of several issues VACEP members addressed with the Governor and legislators in meetings this month.
- VACEP specifically requested and received protections for a.) free-standing emergency departments, and b.) implementation or execution of triage protocols or scarce resource allocation policies necessitated by healthcare provider declaration of crisis standards of care.
Due to COVID-19, providers are operating with limited resources and may be forced to serve patients outside of conventional standards of care. That may mean using a single ventilator for multiple patients at the same time, reuse of — or creative use of — PPE, and withholding healthcare services in certain situations.
“Virginia’s healthcare workers are heroes. We must ensure that they can continue to provide high-quality and compassionate care during this tremendously challenging time.”
— Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam
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Also from the Gov:
- Prepare to see more traffic around your hospitals and clinics as elective medical procedures resume at midnight tonight.
- We worked with the Medical Society of Virginia and other specialties to help the Administration lay out a safe blueprint for reopening, called Forward Virginia.
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Heavy Hitters in Thank You video from VHHA
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If your reaction is like ours, you'll smile at a video loaded with Thank You messages to Virginia's frontline workers from a lineup including comedian Patton Oswalt, coaches Frank Beamer and Tony Bennett, actress Olivia Wilde, along with numerous other sports stars and politicians. It was produced by our friends at the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.
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Getting our Message out: "ERs are Open" (and safe)
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STAT funds have allowed VACEP to get our message to the public that they should not delay care for emergencies.
Our post on Facebook reached more than 30,000 Virginians and was shared more than 1,000 times. Ohio ACEP liked our graphic, and used it for their chapter, too.
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Hotels, pizza, donuts, transit, and mental health: Discounts for ACEP members
A number of companies are offering discounts for healthcare workers. They can help with places to stay, aid around the home, and keep you healthy. And some offers, well, not as much (looking particularly at the free dozen Krispy Kreme Original Glazed every Monday).
ACEP (which has partnered with a few companies on these discounts) has them compiled here.
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COVID-19 Financial Survival Guide: What You Need to Know
ACEP is standing up for members who, despite serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, are having their livelihoods threatened.
Cutting benefits, reducing shifts or canceling contracts in today’s environment is akin to signing a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ order for many emergency departments and the physicians who care for patients, especially those in rural or underserved areas.
To help guide you, ACEP has compiled a "Financial Survival Guide" for emergency physicians.
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Socially distant learning
ACEP has a series of
COVID-19 webinars
to keep you informed and updated.
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80% of Adults concerned about contracting COVID-19 in ER: ACEP/Morning Consult Poll
This week, ACEP released a public opinion poll to gauge concerns around seeking emergency care amidst COVID-19 and sentiment around federal support for emergency physicians. Here is the
press release
and the
webpage
where you can see the
full data
and an
infographic
.
Key findings
- Four in five adults (80 percent) say they are concerned about contracting COVID-19 from another patient or visitor if they need to go to the emergency room.
- Nearly a third of adults (29 percent) have actively delayed or avoided seeking medical care due to concerns about contracting COVID-19.
- Adults overwhelmingly believe the federal government needs to support efforts to increase access to protective equipment for emergency physicians (97 percent).
- The vast majority (91 percent) believe emergency physicians should receive hazard pay.
- Eighty-six percent of adults believe the federal government is responsible for alleviating the financial burden on hospitals during COVID-19, and 82 percent believe insurance companies are responsible.
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VACEP's Dr. Carlton Stadler was one of several members profiled in April in the Times-Dispatch. Photo by Bob Brown.
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VACEP has been front and center in both state and national media in recent weeks.
When some equity-backed groups announced plans to cut benefits and salaries to physicians, VACEP took the lead nationally with a
statement
that was picked up by, among other places,
ProPublica
. Many groups later reversed their decisions.
“We push forward. We have protocols in place to make sure we’re wearing the most effective protective equipment that is available to us in order to keep ourselves safe. And then, we go about our business of taking care of the patients who so desperately need our help.”
WTVR-CBS 6
also spoke to Richmond-area member Carlton Stadler, who pushed forward our message that patients should not delay treatment, and that ERs remain open, safe, and ready for anything that comes through the door.
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Resources and References
Wellness
Patient Resources
Education
Resource Management
Decontamination Procedures
Video Library
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ACEP offering free 3-month membership to increase access to COVID-19 resources
ACEP is offering free 3-month membership to all emergency physicians eligible for membership.
If you have a colleague who is not a member, let them know about this offer so they can have access to ACEP's COVID-19 resources and discussion thread.
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Advocating for Emergency Medicine
VACEP supports candidates who support us and issues that matter to our specialty. The goal of the Virginia Emergency Medicine Political Action Committee (EMPAC/VA) is to assure the election or re-election of those members of the General Assembly who are supportive of organized medicine in general — and emergency medicine in particular.
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Virginia College of Emergency Physicians | (804) 297-3170 |
E-mail
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Website
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