Remember to reconnect with your physician

West Virginians have done a great job protecting themselves and others during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, we have the lowest number of deaths per capita of any state in the Eastern United States. Our people and our health care system have every reason to be proud.

It is vitally important, however, that residents in our region continue to seek the health care they need when they need it. There is strong evidence that hospital admissions for strokes and heart attacks have fallen significantly during the pandemic and that deaths from these conditions have increased. People are hesitant to use emergency departments and have critical testing done, likely because they are afraid of contracting the virus and because they are concerned about over-using a stressed health care system. These factors should not be concerns in our local community.

At the present time, our local medical offices, hospitals and emergency departments are among the safest places you will visit. The relatively few active COVID-19 cases in our hospitals and those who directly care for them are kept very separate from other areas of care. The same precautions that we have successfully been practicing throughout our community are being practiced even more intensely at our medical facilities.

It is readily apparent to anyone using the health system during the past several months that the highest priority is the safety of patients. While nothing is absolute, it is important to balance the very low risk of seeking health care with the higher risk of ignoring acute and chronic health issues. After several months of attempting to safely avoid health care facilities, it is time to reconnect with your health care providers to address both new and continuing health problems.

Virtual visits by telephone and video are good options for many patients who are not ready to visit in person. A direct discussion with your personal provider can help determine the best approach.