Be Safe
Dr. D’s Medical Update
As we come to July, my message for the month is similar to the messages since April. Be safe, be kind and be aware.
Given the increase in COVID cases in San Antonio, it is important to remember the keys to staying safe: wear a mask, avoid crowds, and wash your hands. You may have seen a graphic that shows activities from very high to lowest risk. Highest risk is a COVID carrier with no symptoms (asymptomatic) near someone without a mask. High risk is someone wearing a mask near a carrier not wearing a mask. The risk decreases if the asymptomatic carrier wears a mask. Low risk is if both people wear a mask. Lowest risk is if both people stay home.
The key piece that some are missing is that we don’t know who is an asymptomatic carrier. We’ve been getting multiple calls a day for the last 2 weeks about our patients exposed to someone who was exposed to someone who tested positive. Thankfully, most have no symptoms. In some cases, however, they have tested positive. We’re instructing them to self quarantine and we are checking on them on a daily basis.
Over the years, I’ve discussed the multi-generational families we serve at our Holy Cross Clinic. We take care of the grandparents, parents and, sometimes the children. When one person makes a choice to disregard their own safety, they can put their entire family at risk. We are definitely seeing this now.
So, what are we to do to maintain our physical and mental health through these trying times? Taking care of our extended family and encouraging every member to make good choices to stay safe. For those who won’t, it may be necessary to quarantine ourselves from them. Our family experienced this with my aunt and uncle. They made the choice to stay home and safe during my daughters’ graduation celebration early last month. We did a drive by and talked from a safe distance on the side walk. Thankfully, they have stayed well by maintaining social distancing.
For our mental health, we need to stay active within our homes and in our yards. Given the summer heat, a walk in the cool morning is a great idea. Exercising at home is also an excellent activity. If you have social media, our PA, Betty Ceballos-Garrett has been leading exercise classes from our Val Verde location on Fridays at noon. Joining in and doing those workouts through the week is another way to stay active.
As an organization, HealthTexas Medical Group continues to work to keep our staff and our patients safe within our offices. We are also encouraging our staff members to make good choices when they are out of the office. Without our staff, we can’t provide the excellent care our patients expect. We need to stay safe so that we can be there for our patients and our families.