{"id":309,"date":"2020-03-17T14:17:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T22:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stephenshostek.com\/blog\/?p=309"},"modified":"2020-03-29T09:47:56","modified_gmt":"2020-03-29T17:47:56","slug":"responding-to-the-coronavirus-outbreak-march-16-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stephenshostek.com\/blog\/responding-to-the-coronavirus-outbreak-march-16-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak \u2013 March 16, 2020, Video Chat Sessions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For the next several weeks I\u2019m transitioning my\ncounseling practice to online video conferencing.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m taking this step in order to follow the urging of the\nCDC, Oregon Health Authority, and other experts in the medical science\ncommunity to minimize contact with others to help slow the spread of\ncoronavirus SARS-CoV-2 through our population.  \nTransitioning to video conference sessions is what I can do toward\nhelping my local and broader community, and it\u2019s what I can do to support the\nCDC\u2019s and OHA\u2019s goals, so I\u2019m taking this step now.   It feels like the responsible thing to do\nfor the community I\u2019m part of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFlattening the curve,\u201d is the phrase we\u2019ve been hearing\nfrom immunologists and the medical science community.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I recognize how extraordinary these circumstances are and how broad the impact is on individual persons and on our community as a whole.   The heightened level of worry, \u201ccabin fever\u201d, isolation, loss of opportunities, unraveled plans, social disruption and other changes are having a powerful impact.   I\u2019m feeling it too and I feel sympathy for all of us as we respond to the coronavirus situation.   Collectively, I see that we\u2019re all in the same boat.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll reevaluate the recommendations for social distancing\nfrom the CDC, OHA, and medical science community each week.   I anticipate returning to in-person sessions\nwhen the recommendation changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In meantime, I hope that you\u2019re well!   I\u2019m healthy and well as I write this. May that continue, eh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economic disruption has already begun in our communities\nas events are canceled and people don\u2019t go out or engage in services the way\nthey did just last week.  It\u2019s moving\nthrough like a wave.  If you\u2019ve already\nbeen impacted my heart goes out to you in sympathy.    I\u2019ll be focusing on resilience and on\nresources for managing stress in the coming days, so check in again soon.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For reference – sources I\u2019ve drawn upon lately for\ninformation include government agencies: the CDC, Oregon Health Authority (OHA)\nhave issued recommendations and recently a few mandates.   I also\nfound helpful information in the Journal of the American Medical Association,\nThe Lancet, interviews with Dr Anthony Fauci from the National Institute of\nAllergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health\n(NIH), and Dr. Marc Lipsitch, director of the Center for Communicable Disease\nDynamics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.  I wanted to dig into the medical science\nliterature for guidance and not be unduly influenced by social media or\npolitical news.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I hope we’ll be back here soon!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Given that we\u2019re still in the early stages of this pandemic,\nthe medical science community is still in the process of understanding\nSARS-CoV-2.   If you\u2019re interested in further reading, a few\npapers that I found helpful and informative are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n