Why You Shouldn’t Avoid Primary Care During COVID-19

Primary care is an essential component of your health. Pandemic or not, individuals need a consistent relationship with their primary care provider. This is especially true for those with chronic health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, and others.

Understandably, the fear and anxiety of the unknown may be keeping us from our daily routines, which in turn keeps us home more now than ever.

According to a survey in April 2020, nearly one-third of adults in the U.S. have postponed routine care due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Another survey from May 2020 reports that 48% of Americans state that they or someone in their household have put medical care on the back burner by postponing it or skipping it altogether. In that same study in May, 39% say that stress related to COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their mental health. 12% say the pandemic has had a “major” impact on them.

The Negative Impacts of Deferring Medical Care

Poor Health Outcomes – It is important to stay home as often as you can and wear a mask whenever you are in public to help protect those around you, but sidelining healthcare is not the answer. In fact, delaying your primary care may cause more harm than good and likely cause poorer health outcomes over the long run. For those individuals with chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and COPD to name a few, this is especially true. These chronic conditions require a well-maintained relationship between the patient and provider with routine interaction. When an individual discontinues this communication, the provider is no longer able to be a part of that patient’s journey to better health outcomes.

Stress and Mental Health – One in four U.S. adults says that their family has skipped meals or relied on charity and/or government assistance since the outbreak, according to the survey mentioned above. This tends to lead to mental stress for obvious reasons, but turning to a behavioral health expert isn’t typically top of mind, so depression and anxiety take hold and the downward spiral of mental and physical health begins. “Dealing with it” without seeking outside help can often lead to more serious problems, including physical and mental health concerns.

What Are My Health Care Options At This Point During COVID-19?

The Caswell Family Medical Center, Inc. has made it as easy as possible for patients of CFMC and JAHC to get the best primary care and behavioral health care possible during this pandemic by providing the following to our patients:

• Telehealth services including virtual visits
• Virtual Behavioral Health Support Groups (free)
• Online patient registration
• Online sliding fee scale application

We are committed to our patients, and while we’re apart during this time, we’re still right here with you.

Call us today at 336-694-9331 to schedule your next visit. We will be happy to go over options available to our community.