David N. Sundwall, M.D. - Give health professionals credit for pandemic work. It could have been worse.
(Featured in the Salt Lake Tribune, 7/17/20)
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a bright spotlight on our state’s and nation’s public health systems, demonstrating its importance, and also exposing deficiencies it its capacity to address what is perhaps the greatest threat to the public’s health since the Spanish flu of 1918.
The Spanish flu pandemic was the deadliest in history, infecting an estimated 500 million people worldwide — about one-third of the planet’s population — and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims. While the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is spreading rapidly throughout the world, particularly now in the U.S., and has had a devastating impact on the global economy, it has not had anywhere the degree of morbidity or mortality (illness and death) as the Spanish flu.
There are lots of reasons that might explain this, the most important being the difference in virulence of the viruses responsible, but I want to give credit to what seems overlooked in the daily news reports, and that is the success of our collective public health efforts to date. It is hard to measure what doesn’t happen, but things could have been a lot worse. READ MORE...
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jessica Picaso and Estefania Mondragon test a patient for COVID-19 during an event sponsored by Comunidades Unidas at Mid-Valley Health Clinic in Midvale on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. The event was also sponsored by the Utah Partners for Health, Mid-Valley Health Clinic and the Utah Department of Health.
2020 UAFP Board Election Results
Thank you to everyone who voted in the 2020/21 UAFP Board and AAFP Delegate elections. We had strong voter turnout this year with our new voting system and we thank you for your engagement with this important process. Please visit the results page our on website to meet all the winners. We will be introducing the new board members at our upcoming Annual Meeting as well as recognizing those board members whose terms have ended. And thank you to all the board members and delegates for your willingness to serve in this capacity!
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UAFP Virtual Annual Meeting Friday, August 28th at 7:00pm
- Hear from AAFP President-Elect, Dr. Ada Stewart
- Convocation of new AAFP Fellows
- Awarding of the Utah Family Medicine Physician of the Year and Family Medicine Advocate of the Year
- Meet the new UAFP Board Members
- Update on UAFP activities for the coming year
Are your pediatric and youth patients struggling with mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic? CALL-UP is a free service available to all primary care physicians in Utah. There is a child psychiatrist available by phone every weekday afternoon from 12:00 – 4:30 pm, to offer curbside psychiatric consultations on patients 0-24.
To save time during the consultation CALL-UP asks that clinicians are prepared to give basic demographic information about the patient, such as county of residence, age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Please visit our website, uofuhealth.org/call-up for more information.
There will also be resource agents available 7 am-7pm to navigate referrals in your area, regardless of insurance. The CALL-UP phone number is 801-587-3636
Sign up now!
The Student & Resident Poster Session is Going Virtual
Support students and residents from around the state as they present their posters virtually, Thursday, August 20 at 7:00pm.
Individuals and teams are eligible for awards for their exceptional efforts.
Awards are generously sponsored by Comagine Health.
Sign up now to receive Zoom link
UTAH COVID-19 UPDATES
COVID-19 Medicaid Uninsured Testing Program Has Been Translated Into Spanish
The new Spanish web page link is found at the bottom of the page: https://medicaid.utah.gov/covid-19-uninsured-testing-coverage/
Application Deadline for PPP Loans is August 8th
The U.S. Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program has been extended until August 8. The program is designed to help small businesses to bridge shutdowns and keep employees working. If certain requirements are met, the loans can essentially turn into grants that need not be repaid. Small business owners are able to apply through approved lenders.
UPCOMING EVENTS
HHS Telemedicine Hack
A 10-week learning community to accelerate telemedicine implementation for ambulatory providers.
Wednesdays, July 22—Sept 23, 2020 10:00-11:00am MT
2020 Annual Update in Medical Specialties and Primary Care (Virtual)
Hosted by Intermountain Healthcare
Friday, October 30, 2020, 7:45 AM - 4:45 PM, Virtual Meeting, Murray, UT
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P.O. Box 521113
Salt Lake City, UT
801-736-0722