Local doctors in Lacombe are worried patients aren’t taking their health needs seriously. Since the pandemic has begun, the doctors have seen fewer patient visits as well as fewer patients in the emergency room which is not necessarily a good sign. 

“We’re entering our second month of pandemic lockdown and we’re just starting to worry that patients are really not reaching out. They seem to be staying away. I am sure it’s due to concerns of contracting COVID-19, but also I think they feel that we must be really busy and they don’t want to bother us with their minor complaints, and yet, nothing is minor to us,” said Rural Family Doctor, Dr. Kathy Unger. 

She fears that underlying conditions that have been well managed in the past are simply not being looked after in the right way putting patients at risk for further complications. In some cases, ignoring symptoms can be deadly especially for those experiencing symptoms of heart attack, or strokes.  

Different processes allow for safe examinations 

Dr. Unger noted that scheduling appointments with your local doctor is a very simple and safe process overall. All clinics in town are taking extra care to ensure the safety of their patients and their staff. 

“Mainstreet Medical Services and Family Medical Associates have provided phone visits for patients. If a patient is uncomfortable coming into the office, we will call them, deal with things over the phone as much as possible,” said Unger adding, “Usually, we will fax our prescription refills to the pharmacy so they don’t need to come in. Basically, we do our best to manage things virtually either over phone or video conference.”

However, if a patient is requiring an in-person visit, there is a bit of a different process in place getting into the examination room with waiting rooms being closed to the public. 

“When patients get to the office, they notify our staff usually by phone or by coming to the front door. Then patients are waiting in their vehicles until the exam room is ready for them in which case they are met at the door with a staff member that is wearing full personal protective equipment. That staff member gives the patients masks to wear and takes them directly to the examining room,” explained Unger.

She noted that wearing personal protective equipment such as facial shields and gloves really reduces the odds of transmission of the virus for both the patient and the doctor and their staff. 

Within both the City and County of Lacombe, there have only been five cases of COVID-19 and at present, none of them are known to be active within the community. Throughout these past few months, special precautions have been made for patients who present with COVID-19 or symptoms of the virus. 

“We have had some patients who have either presented at walk-in clinics with symptoms that could be suspicious for COVID or have called the office. Some of us physicians have actually met patients in their vehicles and swabbed them in a vehicle tried to keep them in their car and try and keep them from having to even come into the office at all,” explained Unger. 

“We have a back entrance to our office and we have arranged to meet patients there and bring them into an examining room at the back so that they are not even having to walk through the main part of the office to get to the examining room.” 

Of course, following every appointment, vigorous sanitizing takes place. 

Doctors are concerned about patients' mental health 

With the pandemic underway, the doctor worries about many of her patients’ mental health. Many people are facing unprecedented outcomes from the pandemic and are dealing with the additional stress and anxiety. She hopes patients seek help if they are feeling overwhelmed. 

“Connecting with your physician, or with a councilor, or someone that you trust that can be an impartial person to assess your symptoms can help guide you as to whether or not this is just a bad day or a bad week versus some true underlying mental illness. This is a tough time people who don’t have a history of anxiety are feeling anxious and that’s somewhat to be expected,” said Unger. 

Above all, Dr. Unger hopes patients know that visiting clinics and scheduling appointments is completely safe and does not place a burden on doctors. 

“If they reach out and they have concerns or questions that’s what we are here for. We want them to feel comfortable accessing medical care. We still believe very strongly in the relationship between a family physician and their patient,” said Unger.