Welcome to the January Newsletter!
2020 was a year of disruption and there doesn’t appear to be much let up yet. As many of us lean in to deal with the COVID surge, I hope you are all finding some small moments for rest and connecting with loved ones.
Many of you will have received at least your first COVID vaccination by now. If you do not yet have a scheduled time to receive your vaccination, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is collaborating with county, city and community partners to vaccinate healthcare workers in LA County who are not affiliated with an acute care hospital, skilled nursing facility or other long-term care facility. You can visit the following website for more information and to sign up: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/vaccine/hcwsignup/
The prospect of mass vaccination has brought excitement and hope but also an onslaught of new challenges. I hope we can continue to push forward and vaccinate our most vulnerable quickly. On January 11, the California Department of Public Health released updated guidelines on vaccine administration that should minimize waste and facilitate maximum vaccination rates. The CDPH reiterated that healthcare workers and long-term care facility staff and residents were still the top priority for vaccination but that “after focused and appropriate efforts to reach the individual groups currently prioritized, health departments and providers may offer doses promptly to people in lower priority groups when demand subsides in the current groups, or doses are about to expire according to labeling instructions.”
My in-basket is overflowing with patient messages desiring vaccine information, requesting special exemptions to receive their vaccine early and excuses to avoid the vaccine.
There are a myriad of questions and concerns which we will have to address one by one. Although many of us are likely tired, this is a task we are up to. We counsel and cajole our patients into flu shots every year. Arm yourself with information, CAFP has a curated page with up-to-date information on the vaccine: https://www.familydocs.org/covid19/vaccine/.
If you are looking for personal stories of the vaccine experience our very own chapter member and former chapter president, Dr. Shannon Connolly, shared her experience of vaccination on social media on January 8th. Check out https://fb.watch/2_5RBa16bL/.
Although many of us clamored and lined up eagerly to receive the vaccine, there may be some with hesitation or complicated health that makes this decision more difficult. If you find yourself in this situation, I encourage you to educate yourself as much as possible. Within our own chapter we have experts such as Dr. Bruno Lewin, Family Medicine doctor at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles and Chair of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Regional Immunization Practice Committee. Thank you for all your hard work!
For our first meeting this year, in March, I am excited to introduce a new initiative by CAFP. Our wonderful outgoing chapter president, Dr. Nzinga Graham, has arranged a two-session online workshop hosted by CAFP entitled Family Medicine Initiative for Trauma Informed Care.
The workshop is designed to introduce clinicians to the concepts of toxic stress and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as they relate to trauma-informed care. In Session 1 (90 minutes), participants will learn about the relationship between toxic stress and chronic disease, how to screen for ACEs, and meet in small groups to discuss trauma-informed care. In Session 2 (120 minutes), the focus will shift to best practices, practical strategies to use when responding to ACEs in our patients, as well as regional/state resources to use with patients. Learners who attend both sessions with earn six CME credits.
We hope you can join us for the following dates:
Tuesday, March 30, 6:30-8:30pm: 90-minute workshop, followed by a brief business meeting
Wednesday, April 14, 6:30-830pm: 120-minute workshop
Please spread the word and extend the invitation to those who may not follow the LAAFP newsletter closely.
Finally, it appears that for the second year in a row, the COVID pandemic will affect our California Academy of Family Physician’s All Member Advocacy Meeting (AMAM). It is usually held in Sacramento in March. This year it will be split in two. The first meeting will be virtual on May 15, 2021 and focus on Governance activities such as resolutions, elections, officer installations. If you would like to submit a resolution to be heard at AMAM the deadline is March 12, 2021. See https://www.familydocs.org/events/amam/ for more details. CAFP plans to have a second meeting in August, an in-person event focused on Advocacy.
Although this year promises to be different, I feel fortunate to be working alongside the dedicated Family Medicine physicians of Los Angeles. Thank you for all that you do!
Sincerely,
Monique George, MD
