A salute to work of physicians during pandemic
With the current resurgence of COVID-related illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths, we are not out of the woods, but there is no doubt Connecticut’s physicians and policymakers made the best use of words, medicine and action needed to position the people of this state for recovery.
“The physician treats with words,” wrote the late Dr. Morgan Martin in The Journal of the American Medical Association in 1978, “words that (can) affect the patient more than medicine.”
Dr. Morgan, who served as superintendent of Norwich Hospital, recognized that words have power — the very thought I have in mind as I share words of my own on behalf of the Connecticut State Medical Society.
Connecticut faces the New Year hopeful for the promise of medicine — a new vaccine — to recover from a historic pandemic, and thankful for the words of Gov. Ned Lamont, which steadied us through an unprecedented year that has taken lives and tested the strength of our health care system.
Physicians and policymakers are not that different when it comes to knowing the power of words and the sustaining impact of informed leadership. The sweeping executive actions that closed businesses to protect public health early in the COVID-19 pandemic soon gave way to more measured actions. These actions were informed by observation and adapted by experience, much the same way that a few well-placed stitches can stop bleeding with equal effect and less long-term damage than a tourniquet.
As a result, “The Land of Steady Habits” adopted some new habits. Connecticut “masked up,” kept our social distance, curbed large gatherings and did what was necessary to safely live our lives, do our jobs and run our businesses, schools, restaurants and medical practices.
Connecticut’s physicians saw this first-hand. We were given greater flexibility to use telemedicine, while retired physicians and graduating medical students were called upon to reinforce the ranks of our state’s health care providers. With the current resurgence of COVIDrelated illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths, we are not out of the woods, but there is no doubt Connecticut’s physicians and policymakers made the best use of words, medicine and action needed to position the people of this state for recovery.
January 2021 will dawn on a Connecticut rolling up its sleeves for a new vaccine and state legislators rolling up their own to work with Gov. Lamont to enact new policies. We will be there to help inform and shape their work so that physicians can best serve our patients during this public health emergency and beyond.
We will highlight the benefits of extending tele-medicine flexibility and reimbursement, the need to recruit and retain young physicians in Connecticut and ways to improve the medical liability environment. We will tell lawmakers that physicians and hospitals must be able to maintain the ability to safely decide how and when to provide our patients with elective procedures. And we will not be shy about pointing out how negatively high deductible health plans impact patient health, or the harmful effects of cannabis on Connecticut workplaces, roadways and — especially — youth mental health.
“Physicians use words in various ways,” Dr. Martin said. “They use them as tools to uncover diagnosis and as vessels to carry treatment and caring.”
As we look forward to the promising year ahead, we thank Gov. Lamont and public servants throughout state and local government for treating us with their words just as Dr. Martin spoke of 42 years ago. We salute Connecticut’s physicians, all brave and dedicated health care providers and those who have taught, fed and cared for our state with such unwavering devotion.