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Wednesday, March 25, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
RESILIENCE: Doctors
urge residents
to stay calm
Continued from page 1
as contagious as seasonal flu.
On average, a carrier of the
flu infects 1.3 people; with
COVID-19, the number is
two to three.
<If we do nothing, it peaks
very quickly and we9re over-
whelmed,= he said.
A big spike in cases puts
tremendous pressure on hos-
pitals and health care work-
ers 4 who must also still take
care of patients with other
serious ailments and injuries.
If we <flatten the curve= of
spread through self-isolation,
<then our system can handle
it,= he said.
Complicating matters is
the fact that COVID-19 can
present similar symptoms to
seasonal flu or a common cold
4 and people with no symp-
toms at all can still spread it.
Aggressive testing would
help to sort out cases, but
testing has not been readily
available.
<This looks like a lot of
things,= Dr. Miller said. <A
cough and a fever is similar to
a lot of illnesses. I don9t have
tests.=
Dr. Miller believes that a
combination of aggressive
testing and self-isolation is
the most effective approach
to fighting a virus that has no
treatment or vaccine at this
time 4 though health profes-
sionals are working feverishly
on both.
<The best outcomes I9ve
read are the communities who
do both (testing and self-iso-
lation),= he said.
While some jurisdic-
tions 4 like Los Angeles,
California 4 have essentially
given up on testing as a means
of heading off the disease, Dr.
Miller believes that it is not
too late for aggressive testing
to have a beneficial impact.
Dr. Eric Wattenburg of
Sisters, who owns and oper-
ates the Your Care clinic in
Redmond, urges people in
Sisters to stay calm in the face
of rising concerns.
<Get outside, maintain
some level of normalcy,= he
said. <Don9t be afraid to come
to the doctor9s office if you9re
sick.=
He noted that his clinic has
long had the means to sepa-
rate patients from each other,
and has a negative pressure
room that circulates air out-
side the building.
He said that people being
afraid to go to the doctor is
problematic in and of itself.
He said that coronavi-
rus symptoms 4 including
a fever of about 101, a deep,
persistent lower-respiratory
cough and shortness of breath
4 need to be addressed.
<Don9t be afraid to go to
your doctor9s office or the
hospital,= he said. <They9re
ready for it. These people
should be seen. Don9t sit at
home until you9re so bad it9s
critical.=
Dr. Wattenburg thinks that
Central Oregonians are far
better off than people crowded
into major metropolitan areas
and should be grateful for
the built-in advantages of the
environment.
<Here in Central Oregon,
we9re doing all the right
things,= he said.
Acknowledging the pro-
found dislocation that dras-
tic restrictions are having on
the culture and economy of
Sisters, Dr. Miller notes that it
will remain important to keep
them in place for some time.
<It9s longer than the two
weeks that we have,= he said.
<This may take longer than
that.=
His own High Lakes
Health Care Clinic is offering
telemedicine services.
Patients may call Sisters9
High Lakes Health Care clinic
at 541-549-9609 to make a
telehealth appointment. The
appointment will then take
place through video confer-
encing. Patients need access
to any type of video/audio
device that can connect to the
Internet via Safari or Chrome
(smartphone, tablet, laptop
or desktop computer with a
webcam). At the time of the
appointment, the patient will
receive a voice call from their
provider and then a link to
join the video chat.
St. Charles Family Care is
offering <E-visits= and phone
visits for established patients
so they can avoid com-
ing into the clinic. E-visits
allow established patients to
enter information about their
symptoms. The provider then
reviews that information and
can reply via MyChart with
advice, a referral, or a pre-
scription. E-visits are avail-
able to established patients of
St. Charles Family Care clin-
ics and they are free.
For more information visit
www.stcharleshealthcare.org.
Dr. Miller saluted those
who are donating supplies
and sewing protective masks
for medical professionals
and hospitals that are swiftly
running out of supplies (see
Letters to the Editor, page 2).
<I think it9s great 4 peo-
ple rising to the occasion,= he
said.
We’re doing this for our
neighbors, for each other.
And this community
is good at that.
— Dr. Kevin Miller
He sees Sisters rising to
the occasion as it has done
in the face of terrible winters
and wildfires 4 neighbors
helping neighbors, support-
ing each other economically,
emotionally and spiritually.
<We9re doing this for our
neighbors, for each other,= he
said. <And this community is
good at that.=
Dr. Thomas R. Rheuben
General, Cosmetic, Implant
and Family Dentistry
~ Your Dentist in Sisters Since 1993 ~
We are here to help you smile with confi dence!
541-549-0109
|
304 W. Adams Ave.
|
Sisters
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