Don’t Skip Needed Care in Fear of COVID-19
04/24/2020
With the stay-at-home measures and fear of catching the new coronavirus, people may be thinking twice before deciding what merits a visit to the doctor’s office, an urgent care clinic or the emergency room. There are ways to stay safe and protected when seeking needed care during the pandemic.
It’s important for people to continue to obtain care in-person or remotely when medical attention is needed, especially those with preexisting or chronic conditions that require follow-up with a health care provider. Not getting care, particularly for chronic illnesses and urgent or emergency conditions, puts people at high risk for complications later. These complications could end up being worse than the COVID-19 disease.
The following Johns Hopkins Medicine experts can address ways to stay safe during the pandemic, what to seek care for and why it’s important to follow up with a health care provider for certain conditions.
EXPERTS
Heart attack and cardiovascular issues
Director of Women’s Cardiovascular Health
Erin Michos is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, with joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She’s the director of women’s cardiovascular health and the associate director of preventive cardiology for the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.
Stroke and neurological Issues
Director of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Comprehensive Stroke Center
Victor Urrutia is an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the medical director of the stroke service at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He focuses on the clinical aspects of cerebrovascular disease (stroke), specifically acute stroke therapy and prevention.
Sickle Cell Anemia
Director of the Sickle Cell Center for Adults at The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Sophie Lanzkron is an associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her areas of clinical expertise include hematology and sickle cell disease.
Older Adult Care
Alicia Arbaje, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.
Director of Transitional Care Research at Johns Hopkins
Alicia Arbaje is an associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her areas of clinical expertise include general internal medicine and geriatric medicine, with a particular interest in helping older adults stay at home as they age and working with a team to coordinate care for her older patients.
Asthma and COPD
Associate Professor of Medicine
William Checkley specializes in intensive care medicine. He’s an expert in the diagnosis and management of acute respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome. He also has extensive experience in management of other life-threatening conditions commonly seen in the medical intensive care unit, including septic shock, acute gastrointestinal bleeding and acute liver failure.
HIV/AIDS
Associate Professor of Medicine
Kathleen Page specializes in infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Dr. Page directs the Latin American programs for the Johns Hopkins Center for Clinical Global Health Education.
Emergency Medicine
Barbara Maliszewski, R.N., M.S.
Assistant Director of Nursing, Department of Emergency Medicine
Barbara Maliszewski can discuss the conditions that require in-person emergency room, hospital or ambulatory clinic care.
For information about the new coronavirus from Johns Hopkins Medicine, visit hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus. For information on the coronavirus from throughout the Johns Hopkins enterprise, including the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Johns Hopkins University, visit coronavirus.jhu.edu.