The novel coronavirus COVID-19 continues to be a fluid situation as healthcare professionals, government officials at all levels and individual citizens sift through ever-evolving information and changing circumstances.
Although Nashville Medical News is a monthly publication, we update the website on a daily ... and sometimes hourly ... basis to try to keep useful information front and center for our readers. We encourage you to go online to the Breaking News section of NashvilleMedicalNews.com for updates on confirmed cases, regulatory changes, insurance coverage details, public restrictions, area needs and links to other resources.
There is also a section under the COVID-19 Update specific to state and national organizations with recommendations and advocacy issues outlined by healthcare associations including updates from the America Medical Association (AMA), American Hospital Association (AHA), American Nurses Association (ANA), America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and others. These national organizations also have created COVID-19 resources for their constituencies that are accessible through the homepage.
Below are other helpful resources and information sources as everyone adjusts to the "new normal."
- There are a number of federal COVID-19 resource pages targeted to different audiences. For healthcare professionals, gov/coronavirus is the gateway to a wide range of COVID-19 information. In addition to consumer information on symptoms and personal protection, the page features community resources, links to the latest news and data on reported cases, and links to detailed information for specific groups including providers, healthcare facilities, health departments and laboratories. Similarly, HHS.gov serves as a jumping off point to numerous other useful information sources on the latest news, president's coronavirus guidelines and clinical trial information. The page Coronavirus.gov, which features the latest official news from the Coronavirus Task Force at the White House, has information pertinent to consumers but includes links to pages for specific groups such as small business owners, schools and healthcare professionals. The USA.gov/coronavirus site outlines the government's response to the pandemic. Additional information also is available at WhiteHouse.gov.
- On a state level, the Office of the Governor has created a site specific to the novel coronavirus. gov/governor/covid-19 includes a daily bulletin, statements from Governor Bill Lee and links to other state and federal resources including the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) and small business information from unemployment forms and tax-filing extensions to temporary changes to existing regulations. The TDH updates confirmed COVID-19 cases each afternoon at TN.gov/health/cedep/ncov. Additionally, this page includes a weekly situation summary and important links for a variety of stakeholders from providers and lab services to education officials and the public. Note, the numbers on the state site are often lower than on specific city sites due to a lag time in information transfer.
- Locally, Mayor John Cooper has created the Nashville COVID-19 Response site, org, with statistics and information specific to Davidson Count. The site includes information on PPE donations, video from coronavirus news conferences and news updates from the mayor's office. The Metro Public Health Department (MPHD) updates the Nashville response site and also has information on their page, Nashville.gov/Health-Department, regarding both the coronavirus and storm response in the wake of the recent tornadoes. Additionally, MPHD has launched a COVID-19 Information Hotline at 615.862.7777, and new community assessment and testing sites are now up and running. However, individuals must call the hotline above to speak with a public health professional for an initial screen before proceeding to one of the remote centers (Meharry, Nissan Stadium, former Kmart site in Antioch)
- Mental Health America (MHA) has created a resource page at org/covid19 with supports for a worried nation. Using its database, the national organization has tracked signifcantly increasing levels of anxiety, exacerbating circumstances for the one in five Americans who already have a mental health condition ... and the one in two who are at risk of developing them. Whether the pandemic results in a temporary or long-lasting mental health issue for individuals is yet to be determined. In addition to patients, providers are also under enormous stress and can use these tools to take a pulse on their own sense of well-being.
- The New England Journal of Medicine has dedicated a special landing page with articles and reports on the COVID-19 outbreak, including management guidelines, clinical reports, trial updates and commentary. Everything in the section is freely available: org/coronavirus.