|
Aloha Neighbor,
The “silver lining” of the COVID19 pandemic: making us take pause — to be more mindful of others; of the beauty of our skies, mountains and oceans as we walk the sidewalks and streets now with sparse activity; and as we breathe the clean air although through our masks. Faced with our own difficult struggles and even our mortality we must forge ahead and survive. Many of us have lost a lot; some others are on the verge. Government, business, non-profits and all of us will adjust and will rise again if we stay the course.
Stay healthy in body, mind and spirit. We will beat this virus. Below are a few golden nuggets of hope — with phone and text numbers and links to contacts — if you are at your wit’s end. Below are tips on how to minimize stress for higher-risk individuals as well as to access your doctor in that social-distancing kind of way.
KEEP THAT HEAD COOL
If the stresses are too much to bear and you feel your health waning e.g., appetite changes, difficulty concentrating, nightmares, headaches, body pain, skin rashes, anger, substance abuse, don’t go it alone. You can get help from folks who are only a phone call or text away:
OTHER RESOURCES ON DE-STRESSING
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has some helpful hints on helping yourself and your loved ones, including your children and kupuna.
GET MEDICAL HELP FASTER THROUGH TELEHEALTH.
One of the COVID19 developments changing health care services is telemedicine. Doctors and other health professionals are learning that technology can help in serving their patients faster and without the hassle for patients having to fight the traffic and parking. See below the health services available to you from your own home:
- WePrescribe allows patients to video consult with a qualified doctor within one hour of making their online appointment. After completing a thorough questionnaire to evaluate the patient’s health status, patients can schedule a live video chat with a board-certified, Hawaii physician within one hour. The fee is $49.99 per consultation and is available daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- HMSA members and anyone in Hawaii can use HMSA’s Online Care® to talk to a doctor online from the comfort and privacy of their home or office. It’s secure and convenient and is available at little or no cost to HMSA members. HMSA’s Online Care providers participate with HMSA and have been fully credentialed. See these telehealth resources here: Telehealth Resources & Hotlines (various providers listed)
SOCIAL DISTANCING IS THE NEW NORMAL: MASK UP IN PUBLIC
Governor’s 5th Proclamation signed last Thursday (4/16) requires more stringent social distancing, and, among other rules, encourages you to wear a cloth face mask in public. It also requires all employees and customers waiting to enter and while in essential business establishments that have contact with customers or goods to be purchased (e.g., grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets, etc.) to wear a cloth face covering. See CDC recommendation.
I received a couple complaints that masks are hard to get. But you can wear a scarf or make your own (see one of our earlier messages). You may be lucky enough to get a free mask from one of our community-minded neighbors Adrian Tam who gave away 500 anti-viral masks on Sunday. |
