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    March 20, 2020
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Business Insight We will be just fine... All my patients and readers know it by heart: the best solutions always involve prevention and early intervention. Whether we are talking about bringing up children or cleaning the garden after winter, the answer is the same. When it comes to the coronavirus, COVID-19, the answer is more accurate than ever. Here is what is happening now but should have always -planes should always be cleaned and sanitized after every flight -trains and all public transportation should be cleaned and sanitized every night -we should clean our homes and facilities, especially public use facilities, every day -we should wash our hands often and not touch our faces unless we do that all day long -we should stay home when we are sick -we should eat healthy and avoid empty calories and sugars -we should take multivitamins, especially in the winter, to maintain our immune system strong -we should do everything in moderation We should do all of it but we do not and often, the results caught us off guard and we panic. We should not panic. Coronavirus is dangerous and out of control because it is novel and unknown. There are more questions than answers and even specialty doctors dealing with virology and epidemiology cannot predict how it will behave long-term. But ít is here and we had indications of it being here several weeks ago. So what have we done about it at Arlington Dermatology? We have been cleaning our facility every night regardless of the virus. For the last 4-5 weeks, we have been sanitizing every exam room after the use of every single patient. Our medical assistants take turns in a duty of wiping off every equipment, exam chairs, other chairs, and carts.We use ozone waves to sterilize the rooms every night. Our waiting room has facial masks for any patient who might feel not healthy but still wants to have a visit. We use virus/bacteria killing spray in all common areas several times a day. Our fantastic handyman repainted all the common halls with antimicrobial paint. We educated our personnel to stay home even if they feel common cold symptoms, like running nose. Research patients receive advanced calls to evaluate if they are fit for the continuing visits. We all feel safe to be in our facility and the same we want our patients to feel. There are some questions we receive and I would like to address the most frequent. Should I still come to have my mole checked and removed? -No reason not to. The rooms are sanitized and safe, and the personnel who will see you are healthy. My parents come for a skin check every 6 months and they do not have COVID-19 symptoms but they do not feel well. Should I still bring them in? -No, you probably should let them stay home for a while. Symptoms of COVID-19 vary and often are delayed. 1 am on biologic medication for psoriasis. Should I stop it? Am 1 immunocompromised? -Not every person on biologic is immuno-affected. Actually, most people are not. Stopping your medication may mean psoriasis inflammation coming back, which is immuno-compromising itself. These decisions must be made on a very individual basis. What can I do to not get infected with coronavirus? -CDC website and recommendations from the public health are the best guidance to follow: wash your hands, stay out of large gatherings, avoid travelling, eat healthy, take multivitamins and protect your family by having them do the same. My dear patients and readers, we will go through it and we will be just fine. In the meantime, let's be grateful to each other, let's be kind to each other. That never hurts. Michael Bukhalo, MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Tel. 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net Business Insight We will be just fine... All my patients and readers know it by heart: the best solutions always involve prevention and early intervention. Whether we are talking about bringing up children or cleaning the garden after winter, the answer is the same. When it comes to the coronavirus, COVID-19, the answer is more accurate than ever. Here is what is happening now but should have always -planes should always be cleaned and sanitized after every flight -trains and all public transportation should be cleaned and sanitized every night -we should clean our homes and facilities, especially public use facilities, every day -we should wash our hands often and not touch our faces unless we do that all day long -we should stay home when we are sick -we should eat healthy and avoid empty calories and sugars -we should take multivitamins, especially in the winter, to maintain our immune system strong -we should do everything in moderation We should do all of it but we do not and often, the results caught us off guard and we panic. We should not panic. Coronavirus is dangerous and out of control because it is novel and unknown. There are more questions than answers and even specialty doctors dealing with virology and epidemiology cannot predict how it will behave long-term. But ít is here and we had indications of it being here several weeks ago. So what have we done about it at Arlington Dermatology? We have been cleaning our facility every night regardless of the virus. For the last 4-5 weeks, we have been sanitizing every exam room after the use of every single patient. Our medical assistants take turns in a duty of wiping off every equipment, exam chairs, other chairs, and carts.We use ozone waves to sterilize the rooms every night. Our waiting room has facial masks for any patient who might feel not healthy but still wants to have a visit. We use virus/bacteria killing spray in all common areas several times a day. Our fantastic handyman repainted all the common halls with antimicrobial paint. We educated our personnel to stay home even if they feel common cold symptoms, like running nose. Research patients receive advanced calls to evaluate if they are fit for the continuing visits. We all feel safe to be in our facility and the same we want our patients to feel. There are some questions we receive and I would like to address the most frequent. Should I still come to have my mole checked and removed? -No reason not to. The rooms are sanitized and safe, and the personnel who will see you are healthy. My parents come for a skin check every 6 months and they do not have COVID-19 symptoms but they do not feel well. Should I still bring them in? -No, you probably should let them stay home for a while. Symptoms of COVID-19 vary and often are delayed. 1 am on biologic medication for psoriasis. Should I stop it? Am 1 immunocompromised? -Not every person on biologic is immuno-affected. Actually, most people are not. Stopping your medication may mean psoriasis inflammation coming back, which is immuno-compromising itself. These decisions must be made on a very individual basis. What can I do to not get infected with coronavirus? -CDC website and recommendations from the public health are the best guidance to follow: wash your hands, stay out of large gatherings, avoid travelling, eat healthy, take multivitamins and protect your family by having them do the same. My dear patients and readers, we will go through it and we will be just fine. In the meantime, let's be grateful to each other, let's be kind to each other. That never hurts. Michael Bukhalo, MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Tel. 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net