As C0VID-19 affects numerous facets of our society, it impacts individuals and their mental health in very different ways. We are all feeling uncertainty and anxiety about what could happen with this pandemic, and those feelings are very normal to experience. If you have a mental health disorder, you may be consumed with constant worry and fear or your depression symptoms may be heightened due to social distancing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a webpage with healthy coping skills, information for parents on how to ease the anxiety in children, and many other resources that can be helpful during this time.

Doximity, the medical professional social media platform with an effective but expensive recruitment feature, has pledged to help fill COVID-19-related MD/DO needs. Doximity will distribute these jobs or volunteer opportunities on its network free of charge. To take advantage of this offer you need to fill out the form. Doximity will distribute your job post to appropriate clinicians based on your location, specialty and any additional requirements. They will send applicants and responses directly to the contact information you provide on the form.

If you or a staff member is currently a participant in the Pennsylvania Primary Care Loan Repayment Program, you will not be penalized for reduced hours or temporary loss of hours due to your facility’s response to COVID-19. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has confirmed that under provisions in Paragraph 27 (Default and Termination), sub-paragraph C, of the Standard General Terms and Conditions, grant agreements will not be terminated in the event that grantees cannot perform duties outlined in the grant agreements due to COVID-19 response and mitigation efforts. If loan repayment grantees are unable to perform the duties outlined in a grant agreement due to COVID-19, the grantees should contact the program administrator. Contact Judd Mellinger-Blouch, Director of the Pennsylvania Primary Care Career Center, with questions.

Blood banks are asking healthy donors to turn out “in full force” as donations drop in the face of the spreading coronavirus. Because schools, churches and other businesses are closing, blood drives are being canceled. The American Red Cross on Tuesday tweeted that the nationwide organization is facing a severe shortage, indicating that 2,700 blood drives had been canceled as of Monday. That works out to 86,000 fewer donations. Anyone who is healthy is asked to consider giving.

On March 18, 2020, the Pennsylvania Senate approved a rule change that allows all members to vote outside the state Capitol in response to the coronavirus. The new rule allows members to participate and vote remotely using technology. The temporary rule will expire at the end of July or when Gov. Tom Wolf lifts his emergency declaration. The House also made temporary changes to its rules so members can submit their votes to party leaders and committee chairs, rather than be present in the Capitol. The party leaders and committee chairs must still be present if lawmakers want to consider legislation. House members also shortened the amount of time needed to move bills between the two chambers. The Senate did not follow but could later vote remotely to suspend the rules to move certain bills more quickly.

On March 19, 2020, Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf ordered all businesses except for those considered life-sustaining to close at 8:00 pm. With the order came a list of businesses that the state may classify as “may continue physical operation.” These include crop and animal production, food manufacturing, grocery stores, transportation, postal services, telecommunications, waste management and healthcare organizations.  For ambulatory care practices, elective procedures are prohibited. If businesses not listed as “may continue physical operation” on the list do not shut down, the state will begin to take enforcement actions beginning Saturday, March 21 at 12:01am. A video statement from the Governor can be seen here.  Find a copy of the list of life-sustaining businesses here.

By Jim Harvey, Rural Health Farm Worker Protection Safety Specialist, Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health

The Novel Coronavirus Disease, known as COVID-19, is a highly infectious respiratory disease caused by a new typPreview (opens in a new tab)e of the common coronavirus. The disease was discovered in China in December 2019 and has since spread around the world. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a worldwide pandemic, meaning that it is a disease that is taking place over a very large geographic area and affecting an extremely large number of people. Although the disease started in China, it is not associated with any specific country and in America, it is not a result of any political action.

People who are infected with COVID-19 may experience a runny nose, a sore throat, a dry cough, fever, and in severe cases, difficulty breathing. They may start having these symptoms between 2 and 14 days after being exposed to someone or something that has the virus. The disease can be very mild or severe.

COVID-19 can spread easily from person-to-person through respiratory droplets from an infected person who coughs or sneezes. It also can be spread by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your face. While everyone can get COVID-19, those who have a greater chance of getting it are older people and people of all ages who have ongoing medical conditions.

The response to COVID-19 is something that most people have never encountered. As we brave this new world together, but at a distance, here are some tips to take care of you and your family.

Protect yourself by thoroughly washing your hands often and stay six feet from another person.  Do not be in groups of 10 or more people and do not shake hands. If you are sick, stay home except to get medical treatment, and stay away from other people in your home. Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze or cough and sneeze into your elbow. Do not share personal household items and clean all surfaces in your house.

Products that have been approved by the government to clean areas potentially containing the coronavirus include ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and peroxyacetic acid.

Holmes Morton, MD, founder of the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg in Strasburg, PA and founder and medical director of the Central PA Clinic in Belleville, PA, is worried about the COVID-19 infections and crowd. “A gathering of hundreds of people at a fund-raising dinner or benefit auction could easily become the source of an outbreak of COVID-19 in the [Amish and Mennonite] community,” noted Morton.

According to Morton, each person who is infected and attends an event will pass the infection to an additional three to five people. The onset of symptoms for those who contract the illness at that event will be, on-average, 4.5 days later the event. Those who become ill, require hospitalization and intensive care, and survive will have prolonged and expensive hospital stays. Death and long hospital stays will happen most often in children and adults with underlying chronic diseases and in the elderly. For those who do not survive the illness, the median time from the start of the disease to death will be 12.5 days.

If you think that you might have COVID-19, you can get tested through local Clinics. Call your doctor or nurse for instructions BEFORE you go to their office and before you go to the hospital.

The Central PA Clinic in Belleville may soon be able to test for COVID-19 through CSI Labs in Huntingdon PA. For more information and to ask about the clinic’s testing services, call the clinic at 717-935-2065.

You also can call the Pennsylvania COVID-19 hotline at 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) if you are worried that you might have the disease or if you think you may need to be tested

COVID-19 is a very serious disease.  Do what you can to help stop the spread.

Other resources include:

Lancaster Online

Mennonite Church USA

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary Library