Following is a message from American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) President Gary LeRoy, MD, of Dayton, OH:
“It has been a challenging and somewhat frustrating week as it relates to COVID-19. The World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic and events across the country are being canceled in an effort to limit the spread of the disease.”
“Overwhelmingly, we have been hearing from all of you about your concern and frustration related to the limited availability of test kits and personal protective equipment, lack of clarity around testing protocols, and the absence of coordinated communication between federal agencies, public health departments, and the medical community.”
“The AAFP is actively advocating on your behalf around these issues through communications with U.S. Congress and the administration. With our Speak Out tool, we invite you to join us in urging lawmakers to support integrated, transparent and practical protocols in the nation’s health care response. Using Speak Out, you can quickly and easily send a message to your members of Congress and make your voice heard.”
“Together, we can make sure officials in Washington, DC, hear from family physicians on the frontlines of our nation’s COVID-19 defense that the current response from the U.S. government is not acceptable or adequate.”
“I also encourage you to continue to use the various resources we are updating for you and your patients. AAFP’s dedicated COVID-19 resource contains the most recent information you need that is aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and focused squarely on family medicine. We have recently added information about payment and telehealth. The COVID-19 Rapid Response Member Exchange community allows you to have real-time conversations with one another, ask questions and share information. The COVID-19 page on Familydoctor.org contains evidence-based information for patients. You can confidently refer your patients here for advice on prevention, education about symptoms and more.”
“Today, we made the difficult decision to cancel all in-person AAFP conferences and large meetings scheduled through the end of May. If you were registered for any of these events, you should receive, if you haven’t already, an email with more information and options for digital content where feasible.”
“BE AWARE OF SCAMS! We have started hearing about scams using the coronavirus situation for financial gain or to gather sensitive personal information. Please exercise caution when opening email attachments or clicking on links from outside organizations even if those organizations appear to be reputable.”
“Thank you for everything you are doing to serve patients and communities during this rapidly evolving situation.”