At the beginning of the pandemic, telehealth use skyrocketed because clinicians and patients needed to be safe while providing and receiving needed care. Now, with many months of experience in heavy telehealth use, it’s worth taking stock of its profusion into primary care and evaluating which policies and practices make sense to continue in order to achieve the best health outcomes, advance efficiencies in care, and meet patient needs and preferences.
For many, this year’s back-to-school season during a protracted pandemic is fraught with health risks and questions about student and teacher safety. Parents and teachers are concerned about the spread of the coronavirus in schools and between schools and homes. Primary care can help families navigate these uncharted waters. This webinar examined the role of primary care for children in the risk assessment, prevention, and treatment of COVID-19 as well as in addressing related behavioral health needs and inequities in care. The webinar also addressed planned vaccinations.
The COVID-19 pandemic could lead to 75,000 additional deaths from alcohol and drug misuse and suicide, according to an analysis by Well Being Trust (WBT) and the Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care released in early May and titled Projected Deaths of Despair From COVID-19. This research underscores the fact that the pandemic has created enormous behavioral health (BH) concerns that primary care in tandem with BH can help address now and as the country emerges from the pandemic.
This webinar focused on the concepts of 'trust' and 'equity' and how the two are closely linked in health care. Speakers discussed the importance of building trust in working to address and eliminate health disparities.
Attendees heard from:
- Daniel Wolfson: Executive Vice President and COO of the ABIM Foundation, which launched an initiative called “Trust in Health Care” in 2018.
