SCV Physician Report

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Given opportunity Playing Little League baseball was out.  My family could not afford it.  A few in our neighborhood could, so they got that opportunity. … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Keeping older adults at home Statistically, older adults have a higher chance of dying from COVID-19.  Out of fear, most seniors remain home in isolation.  … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  In his honor… Robert and I tried out for the high school baseball team.  He didn’t make it. He then tried out as a pole … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Zero is your nightmare My medical colleagues on the east coast will tell you the nightmare of their recent experience with COVID-19.  It is engrained … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  “Make a fist” When you donate blood, part of the ritual is to “make a fist.”  In case you haven’t heard, the American Red Cross … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Action It was over 50 years ago. Brad was a surfer, so we went to Santa Monica where at that time they had a surfing-only … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Reflections of history Over the next century, historians will study this pandemic for decision-making lessons applied to future generations.  Mistakes have been made. From a … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Blacklisted Growing up, I was an athlete going to the Olympics!  Never happened. I read enough to get by, but mostly magazines, newspapers, and mesmerized … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Safely at home Most people don’t know I was born in Harlem.  We left New York in 1954 because my parents told us the weather … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Re-opening hospitals Your loved one is ill.  They have COVID-19, but they are hospitalized with minimal communication.  Yet you want to ask questions, know their … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Reggie Brass saved my life In life, most of us have a brush with death.  Not surviving, I would not have provided medical care to … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Re-opening:  How safe are you? Once your doctor makes a diagnosis, a treatment plan is made.  Will it be surgery, medication, or other evidence-based guideline … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  A love story in waiting She was a concert pianist.  He, an aerospace engineer putting a man on the moon.  They were married 60 years.  … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19/BLM:  Be prepared! When the pandemic was announced, it was common sense to wear a mask, wash hands, create social distancing, and isolate vulnerable citizens especially … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  The learning curve Medical professionals are on a learning curve as the coronavirus is highly contagious and has no treatment.  Six months into this battle, … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  Putting yourself in someone’s shoes As a teenager, my father took me to Metropolitan State Mental Hospital several times, not for admission, but to learn … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  Violating curfew We were under curfew.  No one was on the streets.  The air was filled with smoke, and a looter was killed at the … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  We’re in this together The 1996 movie Independence Day was a futuristic lesson in unity when the world fought for survival.  Race, nationality, religion, social … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera” Growing up in the 1960s before “60 Minutes”, there was a Sunday evening television show called “Candid Camera.”  It conjured … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  Standardizing care at nursing homes and cooling the “hotspot” I see patients in nursing homes once a month.  Most elderly residents are relegated to these … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  A routine day I wake up without an alarm clock.  Done that for years.  If I have to catch a plane or train, which is … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  Flies in the soup The Santa Clarita Valley three decades ago was serene.  Running in early morning hours before sunrise smelled of country with the … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  Manipulating data In 1975, I presented my master’s thesis at an Indiana University health conference.  The data collected was a culmination of one year of … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  Crash course in technology Visitation is highly restricted for nursing homes, as they are hotspots of life and death. If your loved one uses a … Continue Reading →

(Snippets from the frontline) COVID-19:  Mother Nature’s vote As a physician, I am dismayed the COVID-19 healthcare problem has been tossed into the political arena.  Americans are dying, and critical … Continue Reading →