COVID-19 Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Business RadioX ®

Coping with COVID: Michael Sullivan with American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia

June 24, 2020 by Garrett Ervin

Gwinnett Studio

Coping with COVID: Michael Sullivan with American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia

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This special edition of “TravelSafely with Bryan Mulligan” features the second installment of a limited series called “Coping with COVID”. Hosted by Bryan Mulligan, the President of Applied Information, “Coping with Covid” shares the stories and successes of people and organizations during these unprecedented times of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joining Bryan on this installment is Michael “Sully” Sullivan, the President and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia, to discuss how the engineering community is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic

Michael “Sully” Sullivan/American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia

Michael “Sully” Sullivan is the President and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia. He currently serves on the following statewide and regional boards: Georgia Chamber of Commerce (Board of Governors & Board of Directors); Georgia Transportation Alliance (Executive Committee and Past Chairman); and Council for Quality Growth (Board of Directors). Sully also previously served as a member of the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia – TCSG (appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue in 2007 and reappointed by Governor Nathan Deal in 2013 and 2018); Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (appointed by Governor Nathan Deal in 2018); Gwinnett County Water & Sewer Authority (Chairman, 2008-2019, Member 2003-2019); Brookwood Schools Foundation Board of Trustees; and the Gwin Oaks Elementary School Council. Sully also previously served as the President of the National Association of Engineering Council Executives (NAECE).

Sully has been named to Georgia Trend Magazine’s annual list of 100 Most Influential Georgians; James Magazine’s annual list of Most Influential Georgians; James Magazine’s annual list of Georgia Super Lawyers; and named a Georgia Super Lawyer Rising Star by Law & Politics and Atlanta Magazine. Sully has been actively engaged in politics for more than 25 years at the local and statewide level and has served as counsel, advisor and campaign manager for numerous elected officials, candidates, political organizations and regional and local referendum campaigns.

Prior to joining ACEC Georgia in August 2012, Sully was an attorney and equity partner at Andersen, Tate & Carr, one of Metro Atlanta’s largest full-service law firms, where he led the Government Relations, Land Use & Zoning practice and represented clients in all types of government relations matters at both the state and local levels.

About Applied Information

Applied Information is a leading developer of connected, intelligent transportation system (ITS) solutions designed to improve safety, reliability and mobility. Applied Information’s Glance Smart City Supervisory platform allows cities to manage all their traffic and ITS assets on one web-based application. This includes 5 key areas: Traffic Intersections, School Beacons, Parking Guidance System, Mobile Vehicle Assets and ITS devices. AI’s Glance TravelSafely smartphone app connects drivers, cyclists and pedestrians for a safer commute.

CLICK HERE to watch the video of this interview.

Coping with COVID: Kerry Armstrong with Atlanta Regional Commission

June 17, 2020 by Garrett Ervin

Gwinnett Studio

Coping with COVID: Kerry Armstrong with Atlanta Regional Commission

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This special edition of “TravelSafely with Bryan Mulligan” features the first installment of a limited series called “Coping with COVID”. Hosted by Bryan Mulligan, the President of Applied Information, “Coping with Covid” shares the stories and successes of people and organizations during these unprecedented times of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joining Bryan on this first installment is Kerry Armstrong with the Atlanta Regional Commission and North Fulton Community Improvement District.

Kerry Armstrong/Atlanta Regional Commission and North Fulton CID

Kerry Armstrong has served on the Atlanta Regional Commission since 2008, and is currently serving his second term as the ARC Board Chairman. During his tenure on the ARC Board he served on numerous Commission Committees and as Co-Chair of the Atlanta Regional Workforce Development Board.

Professionally, as a Managing Director – Development Partner with Pope & Land Real Estate, Armstrong is involved in the development, marketing, leasing, and management of commercial real estate investments. He joined Pope & Land in 2012, and his commercial real estate career spans three decades

He is also actively involved in numerous civic, educational, and charitable organizations. He is the Chairman of the North Fulton Community Improvement District, and was recently appointed by the Speaker of the House of the Georgia General Assembly to serve on the State of Georgia’s Partnership for Public Facilities and Infrastructure Act Guidelines Committee. He serves as a Director and Past Chair of the Council for Quality Growth, as a Director and Past Chair of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and is a Director for the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

About Applied Information

CLICK HERE to watch the video of this interview.

Covid-19 Misconceptions and Straight Talk – Episode 34, To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow

June 11, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Covid-19 Misconceptions and Straight Talk - Episode 34, To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow

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Covid-19 Misconceptions and Straight Talk – Episode 34, To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow

Dr. Morrow corrects some Covid-19 misconceptions, such as comparing Covid-19 to the flu. He also delivers straight talk on wearing masks, conspiracy theories about Covid-19 being man-made, whether it’s safe to fly, and more. “To Your Health” is brought to you by Morrow Family Medicine, which brings the CARE back to healthcare.

About Morrow Family Medicine and Dr. Jim Morrow

Morrow Family Medicine is an award-winning, state-of-the-art family practice with offices in Cumming and Milton, Georgia. The practice combines healthcare information technology with old-fashioned care to provide the type of care that many are in search of today. Two physicians, three physician assistants and two nurse practitioners are supported by a knowledgeable and friendly staff to make your visit to Morrow Family Medicine one that will remind you of the way healthcare should be. At Morrow Family Medicine, we like to say we are “bringing the care back to healthcare!” Morrow Family Medicine has been named the “Best of Forsyth” in Family Medicine in all five years of the award, is a three-time consecutive winner of the “Best of North Atlanta” by readers of Appen Media, and the 2019 winner of “Best of Life” in North Fulton County.

Dr. Jim Morrow, Morrow Family Medicine, and Host of “To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow”

Dr. Jim Morrow is the founder and CEO of Morrow Family Medicine. He has been a trailblazer and evangelist in the area of healthcare information technology, was named Physician IT Leader of the Year by HIMSS, a HIMSS Davies Award Winner, the Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce Steve Bloom Award Winner as Entrepreneur of the Year and he received a Phoenix Award as Community Leader of the Year from the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He is married to Peggie Morrow and together they founded the Forsyth BYOT Benefit, a charity in Forsyth County to support students in need of technology and devices. They have two Goldendoodles, a gaggle of grandchildren and enjoy life on and around Lake Lanier.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorrowFamMed/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/7788088/admin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/toyourhealthMD

The complete show archive of “To Your Health with Dr. Jim Morrow” addresses a wide range of health and wellness topics, and can be found at www.toyourhealthradio.com.

Dr. Morrow’s Show Notes

MORE ON COVID-19

This virus is more easily transmitted than the flu virus.
- It is a much worse disease than the flu.
Respiratory distress occurs when your immune system produces cytokines o and the lungs get very inflamed
- and this inflammation causes fluid and debris to be deposited into the lungs
Attacks the heart and kidneys also. o Cardiomyopathy
- Renal failure – dialysis
Causes blood clots, venous and arterial. PE, strokes.
At first and for a long time we thought it was not affecting children.
- Now, we know that is not true.
- Attacks the blood vessels in young children and causes a condition known as Kawasaki’s Disease or a Kawasaki-like Disease.
  - This is pathologic changes that seem to result from an exaggerated immune response to a pathogen in patients with genetic susceptibility.
Hydroxychloroquine has been shown not to be effective and, in some cases, harmful in Covid-19.
- Has finally been put to bed. o Increased mortality if given late
Remdesivir might work.
- o Patients are often much worse in the second week of the disease. o This has to be given IV early.
- Hard to do that.
- Very short supply of this
Total cases have started to plateau in the US, but with social distancing waning somewhat and states opening up, we will definitely see a bump in cases.
Bacteremia: o Week 2-3 o Can be septic
- Can be fatal
Second trimester miscarriages are being linked to this infection
Peds: Multi-inflammatory Syndrome
Fever
Median age is ten – up to 20
Rash
Swelling of nodes in neck
Most get conjunctivitis, red eyes and red and cracked lips o Fuzzy thinking o Nausea o Diarrhea o Abd pain
Some heart involvement – LV dysfunction o This is still rare but definitely happening o Responds to therapy:
- IV-Ig;
- steroids
The healthcare system has been spared the overwhelming push that would have made all of this dramatically worse.
Masks:
- Wear one anytime in public.
- They protect others from you.
- 44% of people in a NY study who had NO symptoms were found to be positive for having the disease at the time they had no symptoms.
Viral Testing:
- - Lots of false positive and negative tests o Saliva test, approved by FDA.
  - At home tests available. Nasal swab
    - letsgetchecked.com
  - about $100
  - about a 4 day turn around
Antibody Tests:
- There are three antibodies that are tested for in most of these tests.
  - IgA, a respiratory antibody.
- One that is produced in response to a respiratory infection. As opposed to a stomach bug or what people insist on calling a “stomach flu”, even though that does not exist.
- IgM
- one that you produce acutely as you are in the midst of an active infection.
- IgG
- One you make that is at the end of an infection and the one that lasts the longest, giving you some degree of immunity to an infection you have already had.
IgA and IgM can cross react with the coronaviruses that cause the common cold, mainly 229E and OC43.
IgG is specific for the type of virus that caused a particular infection, such as SARS-CoV-2.
So, if you get the antibody test, you are looking for a positive IgG antibody to know if you were infected with or exposed to this novel coronavirus.
We presume that this infers some degree of immunity but we really are not certain of that yet.
ACE inhibitors and ARBs: stay on them if you take them. They could actually benefit you
Aspirin: stay on it
Allergy meds: stay on them; Covid-19 does not cause sneezing. Period.
You need to understand that scientists are accustomed to saying “I don’t know”
but the public is accustomed to us having all the answers.
For the past 75 years, when it comes to infections and public health issues, the public has come to expect medicine to know what’s what.
- But this is a totally new virus.
  - It’s like the time of Louis Pasteur when scientists did not know everything,
  - or hardly anything compared to today.
- Information that I learned two weeks ago is being proven wrong this week.
- Social media and the public’s access to information of all kinds,
  - most of it unproven,
  - is making it difficult to sort out fact from fiction.
- People have a need to believe something,
  - so when they see someone who sounds knowledgeable, they want to believe it.
  - When it gives them an answer they want to believe it.

Late stage issues:
- Prolonged positivity, up to 2 months
  - People get better,
- then get worse,
- PCR neg then wbc goes up,
- inflammatory markers up.
- Some are concerned about people getting reinfected…

o Late stage symptoms:

joint pain,
muscle pan,
leg pain,
think mucus.
Fever – to 102 for 2 months
Chronic diarrhea – we don’t understand this o
Making progress:
9 weeks ago: 1.03 people were infected by an infected person. o 7 weeks ago: 86 o A few weeks ago: 0.76
Last week: Back to 1.03 after state opened back up

To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow: Episode 33, Covid-19 Hard Truths and Science, with Dr. Manny Rodriguez, Infectious Disease Services of Georgia

May 27, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow: Episode 33, Covid-19 Hard Truths and Science, with Dr. Manny Rodriguez, Infectious Disease Services of Georgia

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To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow: Episode 33, Covid-19 Hard Truths and Science, with Dr. Manny Rodriguez, Infectious Disease Services of Georgia

Dr. Morrow discusses some Covid-19 hard truths and science with Dr. Manny Rodriguez, a Cumming-based infectious disease specialist. Myths on wearing face masks, a second wave, school reopening in the fall, are just a few of the topics covered in this episode. “To Your Health” is brought to you by Morrow Family Medicine, which brings the CARE back to healthcare.

Dr. Manny Rodriguez, Infectious Disease Services of Georgia

Dr. Manuel D. Rodriguez received his Bachelors of Science degree in Psychobiology in 2000 from Florida Atlantic University. He continued on and received his Master’s degree in Biomedical Science from Barry University in 2002. In 2006, he obtained both his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Master’s of Public Health from Nova Southeastern University in South Florida. After completing his Osteopathic internship at Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah, Florida in 2007 he moved to Mobile, Alabama where he completed his residency at University of South Alabama in 2010 and stayed on as Chief Medical Resident for an additional year. In 2011, he and his family moved to Washington, DC where he completed his fellowship in Infectious Diseases at The George Washington University in 2013.

Throughout his training he has received numerous teaching awards, and since joining IDSGA has been asked to lecture on Infectious Disease topics at both local and state conferences. He is currently Board Certified in Infectious Disease and Internal Medicine and has professional affiliations with the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, the American College of Physicians where he serves as a member of the Council of Young Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association, and the Infectious Disease Society of America.

In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, reading, hiking and spending time with his family.

More information is available at the Infectious Disease Services of Georgia website.

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Episode:

Mitigation as opposed to complete shut-down
On re-opening, what do you anticipate as far as the almost inevitable bump in cases?
What might a “second wave” look like?
Masks and social distancing
Dr. Fauci seems to go against the grain, if you can believe what you see on social media and YouTube.
Hydroxychloroquine
Remdesivir
Antibody testing
Saliva for testing?
Mutations versus Strains
Man-made or a Lab Accident?
Could this have been prevented?
What do you predict for schools in the fall?
Touching on the issue of so many unknowns

About Morrow Family Medicine and Dr. Jim Morrow

Dr. Jim Morrow, Morrow Family Medicine, and Host of “To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow”

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorrowFamMed/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/7788088/admin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/toyourhealthMD

The complete show archive of “To Your Health with Dr. Jim Morrow” addresses a wide range of health and wellness topics, and can be found at www.toyourhealthradio.com.

LEADER DIALOGUE: Workforce Engagement in Healthcare during the COVID-19 Crisis

May 21, 2020 by Garrett Ervin

Gwinnett Studio

LEADER DIALOGUE: Workforce Engagement in Healthcare during the COVID-19 Crisis

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Chuck Stokes/Former President & CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System

Charles (Chuck) D. Stokes, former President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System, joined the system in 2008 as Chief Operating Officer (COO). In June 2017, he was named President and CEO of the System. In his role, Chuck was responsible for leading and overseeing the $5.6B System’s network of more than 17 hospitals and 300 delivery sites, with more than 27,000 employees and 6,400 affiliated physicians in the Greater Houston area. Chuck retired from Memorial Hermann effective December 2019.

Chuck has four decades of leadership experience in healthcare, and throughout his accomplished career has achieved success in service line leadership, employee engagement, leadership development, physician collaboration, and quality and patient safety improvement.

During his tenure with Memorial Hermann, Chuck worked tirelessly to establish a culture of high reliability, innovation, and clinical transformation throughout the organization. Under his visionary leadership, Memorial Hermann attained unprecedented national accolades in patient safety, high-quality care, and operational excellence all while serving as Houston’s “safety net” health system.

Chuck models servant leadership with an emphasis on coaching and team building while using Malcolm Baldrige criteria as a platform for driving operational excellence. His leadership was instrumental in helping Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital secure the 2016 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award – the nation’s highest Presidential honor for performance excellence. In 2019, Chuck was named one of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.

As part of his commitment to developing the next generation of healthcare leaders, Chuck has taught numerous leadership development programs for the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), an organization of more than 48,000 healthcare executives working together to improve care delivery and population health. In 2017, Chuck was named Chairman of the ACHE Board of Governors.

Prior to his roles as COO and CEO with Memorial Hermann, Chuck served as President of North Mississippi Medical Center, a 650-bed tertiary hospital and also a 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient under his leadership. He has also previously served as COO for three other nationally recognized healthcare systems.

Co-Host: Dr. Roger Spoelman

Dr. Roger Spoelman is an accomplished healthcare executive and coach, having served as President/CEO of Mercy Health, a regional network of hospitals, physician organizations, and health network operations in western and northern Michigan. He also served as a senior executive for Trinity Health, one of the largest health systems in the United States having been posted as President/CEO of several of Trinity Health’s largest regional health systems including Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, Ohio; Trinity Health of New England; and Loyola University Health System in Chicago. Roger has extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions, community health improvement, leadership development, physician integration, physician groups, and governance. He is also a frequent speaker and facilitator, helping organizations develop a culture of innovation.

Co-Host: Lisa Counsell

Lisa Counsell comes to SOAR Vision Group with over two decades of clinical, leadership and clinical informatics experience. She has a proven leadership record – from start-ups to large Fortune 10 companies – generating strong customer engagement, leading high-performing teams, and driving profitable, sustainable business growth. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing with experience in critical care and is currently pursuing her MBA with a concentration in healthcare.

About SOAR Vision Group

The SOAR Vision Group mission is to: Align People with Purpose to Achieve Exceptional Results. SOAR provides best practice strategy execution, business process optimization services, and a structured organizational development approach for organizations to effectively implement the Baldrige Performance Excellence framework. For more information, contact SOAR Vision Group at (888) 294-3303 or visit soarvisiongroup.com.

About the Baldrige Foundation

The mission of the Baldrige Foundation is to ensure the long-term financial growth and viability of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, and to support organizational performance excellence in the United States and throughout the world. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is presented annually by the United States President to organizations that demonstrate quality and performance excellence. For more information, contact the Baldrige Foundation at (202) 559-9195 or visit baldrigefoundation.org.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Waffle House

May 18, 2020 by Garrett Ervin

Gwinnett Business Radio

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Waffle House

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During this unique time in our history, this special Community Spotlight series on Business RadioX will highlight local businesses that are open for business, how they have pivoted during the viral pandemic, and share the good work they are doing to serve the community.

The Community Spotlight series offers brief interviews with business leaders and business owners that are making things happen. In the latest interview of the series, we hear from Njeri Boss, the Director of Public Relations for Waffle House, to hear how the popular national restaurant chain has responded during the Covid-19 crisis in an effort to continue serving their customers and the public.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: The Digital Media House

May 15, 2020 by Garrett Ervin

Gwinnett Business Radio

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: The Digital Media House

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The Community Spotlight series offers brief interviews with business leaders and business owners that are making things happen. In the latest interview of the series, we hear from Macrae Cain, owner of The Digital Media House, to hear how his business has been able to serve clients during the Covid-19 crisis.

Shane Jackson, Jackson Healthcare

May 15, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Shane Jackson, Jackson Healthcare

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Shane Jackson, Jackson Healthcare (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 236)

Shane Jackson, President of Jackson Healthcare, joined “North Fulton Business Radio” to discuss the staffing problems hospitals and other healthcare providers face, healthcare heroes, how his healthcare staffing company is dealing with the pandemic, and much more. The host of “North Fulton Business Radio” is John Ray and the show is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Jackson Health Care

Shane Jackson is the President of Jackson Healthcare. Jackson Healthcare is a family of highly specialized healthcare staffing, search and technology companies. With a mission to improve the delivery of patient care and the lives of everyone it touches, it helps healthcare facilities across the country serve more than 10 million patients each year. Backed by more than 1,500 associates and with over $1 billion in annual revenue, Jackson Healthcare is a top three U.S. healthcare staffing firm. In addition to being Great Place to Work certified, it is consistently recognized as an employer of choice, having appeared in consecutive years on Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Health Care and Biopharma, in 2019 on the Best Workplaces for Women and in 2018 on the Best Workplaces for Millennials lists. Learn more at www.jacksonhealthcare.com.

Questions and Topics in this Interview:

How Jackson Healthcare aligns clinicians to hospitals and other healthcare facilities
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Jackson Healthcare
Why hospitals and other healthcare providers are suffering financially in this pandemic
how Jackson Healthcare mobilized doctors, critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare professionals across many states, including those most impacted by COVID-19
The staffing problems affecting hospitals as elective procedures begin again
How Jackson Healthcare is advising these clients
The positive stories and heroism of healthcare professionals across the country
How Jackson Healthcare’s company culture has served it well in a very stressful period

North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow: Episode 32, Stress in a Pandemic with Dr. Brooke Jones, Fresh Start for the Mind, and a Covid-19 Update

May 13, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow: Episode 32, Stress in a Pandemic with Dr. Brooke Jones, Fresh Start for the Mind, and a Covid-19 Update

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To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow: Episode 32, Stress in a Pandemic with Dr. Brooke Jones and a Covid-19 Update

Dr. Morrow discusses dealing with stress in a pandemic with Dr. Brooke Jones, Fresh Start for the Mind. Dr. Morrow also shares a Covid-19 update, which includes a debunking of the “Plandemic” video and comments on the ineffectiveness of hydroxychloroquine. “To Your Health” is brought to you by Morrow Family Medicine, which brings the CARE back to healthcare.

Dr. Brooke Jones, Fresh Start for the Mind

In 2013, Dr. Brooke Jones branched out on her own to open a mental health practice, Fresh Start for the Mind. She wanted a practice that incorporated the mind, body, and spirit. Her love for psychological evaluations became evident in the Alpharetta and surrounding communities. As referrals grew, so did Fresh Start.

Fresh Start for the Mind is a comprehensive mental health practice that provides counseling, psychological evaluations, psychiatry and medication management, coaching, and nutrition support to children, adults, and families. Since its inception in 2013, Fresh Start has grown to over 30 staff members and has maintained a reputation for providing quality and heart-felt services. Fresh Start has three facilities and proudly serves patients in and around Suwanee, Stockbridge, and Canton, GA.

You can find out more at their website or call Fresh Start at 404-808-1161.

About Morrow Family Medicine and Dr. Jim Morrow

Dr. Jim Morrow, Morrow Family Medicine, and Host of “To Your Health With Dr. Jim Morrow”

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorrowFamMed/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/7788088/admin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/toyourhealthMD

The complete show archive of “To Your Health with Dr. Jim Morrow” addresses a wide range of health and wellness topics, and can be found at www.toyourhealthradio.com.

Dr. Morrow’s Show Notes

Coronavirus Update

Hydroxychloroquine has been shown not to be effective and in some cases harmful in Covid-19.
Patients are often much worse in the second week of the disease.
Total cases have started to plateau in the US, but with social distancing waning somewhat and states opening up, we will definitely see a bump in cases.
The healthcare system has been spared the overwhelming push that would have made all of this dramatically worse.
Masks:
- Wear one anytime in public.
- They protect others from you.
- 44% of people in a NY study who had NO symptoms were found to be positive for having the disease at the time they had no symptoms.

Antibody Tests:
- There are three antibodies that are tested for in most of these tests.
  - IgA, a respiratory antibody.
    - One that is produced in response to a respiratory infection. As opposed to a stomach bug or what people insist on calling a “stomach flu”, even though that does not exist.
  - IgM
    - one that you produce acutely as you are in the midst of an active infection.
  - IgG
    - One you make that is at the end of an infection and the one that lasts the longest, giving you some degree of immunity to an infection you have already had.

- IgA and IgM can cross react with the coronaviruses that cause the common cold, mainly 229E and OC43.

- IgG is specific for the type of virus that caused a particular infection, such as SARS-CoV-2.

- So, if you get the antibody test, you are looking for a positive IgG antibody to know if you were infected with or exposed to this novel coronavirus.

- We presume that this infers some degree of immunity but we really are not certain of that yet.

- ACE inhibitors and ARBs: stay on them if you take them. They could actually benefit you

- Aspirin: stay on it

- Allergy meds: stay on them; Covid-19 does not cause sneezing. Period.

“Plandemic” video: so many people sent this to me.
- It is complete bunk.
- You need to understand that scientists are accustomed to saying “I don’t know”
  - but the public is accustomed to us having all the answers.
- For the past 75 years, when it comes to infections and public health issues,
  - the public has come to expect medicine to know what’s what.
- But this is a totally new virus.
  - It’s like the time of Louis Pasteur when scientists did not know everything,
  - or hardly anything compared to today.
- Information that I learned two weeks ago is being proven wrong this week.
- Social media and the public’s access to information of all kinds,
  - most of it unproven,
  - is making it difficult to sort out fact from fiction.
- People have a need to believe something,
  - so when they see someone who sounds knowledgeable,
  - they want to believe it.
  - When it gives them an answer they want to believe it.
  - Well, don’t believe one word in that video. Not one.

Stress in a Pandemic

Outbreaks can be stressful

- The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be stressful for people.
  - Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children.
Coping with stress in a pandemic will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger.
Stress in a pandemic can include
- Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones
- Changes in sleep or eating patterns
- Difficulty sleeping or concentrating
- Worsening of chronic health problems
- Worsening of mental health conditions
- Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs
Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations
- How you respond to the outbreak can depend on
  - your background,
  - the things that make you different from other people,
  - and the community you live in.

Our Guest Today:

Brooke Jones, Psychologist and Owner, Fresh Start for the Mind

Fresh Start for the Mind is a comprehensive mental health practice that provides counseling, psychological evaluations, psychiatry and medication management, coaching, and nutrition support to children, adults, and families. Since it’s inception in 2013, Fresh Start has grown to over 30 staff members and has maintained a reputation for providing quality and heart-felt services. Fresh Start has three facilities and proudly serves patients in and around Suwanee, Stockbridge, and Canton, GA.

Question/Topics in this interview:

What have been some common reactions you’ve seen in response to COVID-19 pandemic?
Do you have any advice on how to help children cope with these changes?
What are some specific examples of self-care and how would you recommend our listeners make this apart of their routine?
How can I support a loved one, who may be directly or indirectly affected by COVID-19?
If I needed help with managing stress, anxiety, depression, or anger – weather it’s directly or indirectly related to COVID, or in general, where can I find help?
Do you have any advice on how to help children cope with these changes?
What are some specific examples of self-care and how would you recommend our listeners make this apart of their routine?
How can I support a loved one, who may be directly or indirectly affected by COVID-19?

Outbreaks can be stressful (cont’d)

People who may respond more strongly to stress in a pandemic include
- Older people and people with chronic diseases who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19
- Children and teens
- People who are helping with the response to COVID-19, like doctors, other health care providers, and first responders
- People who have mental health conditions including problems with substance use
Take care of yourself and your community
- Taking care of yourself,
  - your friends,
  - and your family can help you cope with stress.
  - Helping others cope with their stress can also make your community stronger.
Ways to cope with stress
- Take breaks from watching,
- reading,
- or listening to news stories,
  - including social media.
  - Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.
Take care of your body.
- Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate
- Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
- Exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep.
- Avoid alcohol and drugs
- Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
- Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.