Beyond the Needle - A Physician's Guide to Increasing COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

Today, we delve into the changing landscape of COVID-19.  Corinne Kohler, MD, FAAFP and Santina Wheat, MD, MPH, FAAFP provide valuable insights into this complex scenario.

COVID-19's shift from a designated public health emergency isn't an end.  Rather, it’s a transition in the battle against the virus.  We explore the impacts of this decision, the continued need for testing and vaccinations, and the vital role of vigilance against new variants.  It's clear that even as the emergency status ends, the importance of sustained public health education and understanding the nuances of reported data remains paramount.

As we navigate the evolving landscape of COVID-19, we discuss the imminent introduction of monovalent vaccines in the fall.  These vaccines will undoubtedly bring about new counseling challenges. Dr. Wheat and Dr. Kohler share their concerns and discuss programs to ensure the availability and continued coverage of vaccines for our patients.  Furthermore, they address the potential impacts of changing regulations on cross-border healthcare for those practicing in states serving neighboring residents; as well as the need for increased flexibility and vigilance in response to these changes.

As clinicians, we need to pay attention to information that is continuing to evolve and speak with our organizations about how our processes are changing.  At the same time, we must remain good advocates for our patients throughout these transitions.

Topics include:

-          Updates since public health emergency (PHE) ended 
-          What has remained the same since the PHE ended
-          Changes in perception of COVID-19 and vaccines
-          Keeping up with new information about changes regarding COVID-19 vaccines

 Objectives:

-          Review items that have changed or remained the same with the end of the public health emergency
-          Discuss the introduction of future COVID-19 vaccines and the changing landscape

Meet the Faculty

 For more details, earn CME credit,  or to provide feedback visit us at:
https://www.illinoisvaccinates.com/23-the-changing-landscape-of-covid-19/

Visit us at illinoisvaccinates.com/podcasts.

We are witnessing alarming levels of trust erosion and vaccine skepticism that have emerged in the post-COVID world.  Join us as we take a deeper look into this critical issue with Christina Wells, MD, MPH, DipABLM, FAAFP and Marian Sassetti, MD, FAAFP.  

These seasoned family doctors, with over five decades of combined experiences, address the concerning decline in vaccine confidence.  They share their encounters with unexpected mistrust within their practices.  They also bring to light the startling number of children missing out on critical vaccines, painting a picture of the current state of vaccine uptake worldwide.

Yet, all is not doom and gloom.  As we progress through this enlightening conversation, we map out effective strategies for overcoming these challenges. 

Topics include:

-          Practical methods to track and communicate vaccine schedules 
-          The vital role of healthcare providers in advocating for vaccines
-          Innovative ways to improve vaccine delivery  

Emphasizing the significance of accurately communicating the effectiveness of the COVID vaccine, we delve into the potential repercussions of decreased vaccine uptake. 

We wrap up by tackling the pivotal task of fostering vaccine trust, sharing insights on how to effectively communicate vaccine information to patients and parents. 

Join us on this deeply impactful journey as we navigate a path to promote vaccination access, trust, and ultimately, the health and well-being of our communities.

Objectives:

• Awareness of alarming levels of trust erosion & vaccine skepticism post-COVID
• Understanding where vaccine skepticism and mistrust stem from
• Ways to navigate challenging conversations with patients who don’t trust vaccines
• Explore strategies to rebuild trust and improve vaccine uptake in our patients

Visit us at illinoisvaccinates.com/podcasts.

Do you know the true impact of COVID-19 vaccinations in preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death? Join us for a vital conversation with our faculty experts.  Together, we uncover the latest research on the vaccines' role in preventing complications from the virus and reveal exciting new findings on potential anti-inflammatory benefits and a reduced risk of long COVID for those who have been vaccinated.

As new data is published, we should be continually providing that information to our patients.  We can keep those conversations going by sharing that data in meaningful ways for our patients.  Amid the misinformation that circulates, we can be a trusted resource for patients for reliable information about vaccines and their importance.

We also explore the importance of vaccination for high-risk patients, the risk factors associated with COVID-19 complications and how chronic illnesses can increase the severity of symptoms. Learn how to effectively communicate the risk and the benefits of getting vaccinated. Boost your resolve to be a role model and advocate for COVID-19 vaccinations in our healthcare practices and communities.

Topics include:

• Preventive benefits of COVID-19 vaccination
• Factors that contribute to a higher likelihood of experiencing severe issues from COVID-19
• Benefits of vaccines pre and post infection
• Incorporating COVID-19 vaccines into regular immunization schedules
• Research specific to pregnant women and children
  • More evidence of safety and benefits of the vaccine
  • Additional risks from contracting COVID-19 & other inflammatory or chronic conditions that might arise
• Recently added populations who are at higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19

Objectives

• Understand how to discuss the evidence for the continued recommendation of the COVID-19 vaccine
• Recognize the additional impacts of COVID-19 on special populations
• Identify the current higher risk groups for COVID-19 complications

Hosted by:  Corinne Kohler, MD, FAAFP, Christina Wells, MD, MPH, FAAFP, and Santina Wheat, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Meet the Faculty

Your thoughts are very important to us!  Please take 2 minutes to review this episode.

Review

Earn CME Credits for Each Episode!

Listen to our pre-recorded episodes and earn .50 credit for each episode. Take a short post test and evaluation on the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians online education library and earn credits for your time.

Accreditation
The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA PRA Category 1 - The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians designates each Online enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 credit™

Nurses and nurse Practitioners can submit Certificates of Attendance to their accrediting board to claim credit for participation.
Claim Credit

Visit us at illinoisvaccinates.com/podcasts.

The new normal.  As clinicians, it is important to have new plans for how we're going to enjoy our lives, enjoy each other, and continue to care for our patients the best way we can.  Our patients count on us to be their trusted caregivers.

Santina Wheat MD, MPH, FAAFP and Marian R. Sassetti, MD, FAAFP discuss the importance of our interactions with patients to show we are thinking about their health and disease prevention.  This includes mainstreaming COVID-19 vaccinations and maintaining protections to keep patients healthy.

Rather than isolating COVID-19, they share ways they are integrating these conversations as part of the normal discussions about immunizations and preventative health.

They remind us that as trusted caregivers, if we don't bring something up, it doesn't seem important.   So, the more we bring it up, the more important it becomes.

 Topics include:

• Integrating COVID vaccines into day-to-day medicine going forward since so many of our patients have moved on and resumed "normal life"
• Reminding patients that COVID remains a threat, if not to them, to other people they care about                           
• Discussing all vaccinations – especially with parents since there are so many childhood immunizations
• The importance of promoting and talking about the vaccine and boosters Normalizing wearing masks for more than just COVID

Objectives:

• Identify ways of discussing and adjusting to the “new normal” with patients
• Review the importance of knowing where vaccines are available
• Discuss how primary care clinicians can continue to improve vaccine confidence and uptake, even if they don’t provide the COVID-19 vaccines in their clinic

Your thoughts are very important to us!  Please take 2 minutes to review this episode.

Review

Earn CME Credits for Each Episode!
Listen to our pre-recorded episodes and earn .50 credit for each episode. Take a short post test and evaluation on the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians online education library and earn credits for your time.

Accreditation
The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA PRA Category 1 - The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians designates each Online enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 credit™

Nurses and nurse Practitioners can submit Certificates of Attendance to their accrediting board to claim credit for participation.
Claim Credit

More details:
Mainstreaming COVID-19 Vaccinations & Maintaining Protections

Visit us at illinoisvaccinates.com/podcasts.

In part two of this series, Dr. Stephanie LaBedz, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the University of Illinois at Chicago, joins Dr. Christina Wells, a family physician, also with UIC, to discuss her experience with long COVID.  She shares how it has helped in her approach to patients suffering from long COVID. They talk about what family physicians should understand about long COVID.

There are many ways that patients with long COVID can present.  We may not always know or recognize which conditions are related to long COVID.  As physicians, it is important to review a patient’s medical history in order to identify what may be causing the current symptoms. Topics Dr. LaBedz covers include:
·        Her symptoms, and others, associated with long COVID
·        Ways to treat patients in the absence of an overriding long COVID treatment
·        Suggestions for family physicians treating patients who may be presenting with symptoms suggestive of long COVID
·        Lessons she has learned since she first had COVID
·        The importance of helping patients listen to their bodies in order to get better
·        What makes diagnosing long COVID more difficult than other medical conditions

Objectives:
-          Identify how long COVID may present in patients
-          Understand what an “energy envelope” is and its importance in treating patients with long COVID
-          Recognize the distress long COVID patients may experience
-          Determine the best ways to assist your patients in their recovery

Meet the Faculty

Your thoughts are very important to us!  Please  take 2 minutes to review this episode.  Click Here.

Resources:

• Illinois Vaccinates - www.Illinoisvaccinates.com
• CDC - https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html
• CDC 
  • Underlying Medical Conditions Associated with High Risk for Severe COVID-19: Information for Healthcare Providers 
  • To share with your patients: People with Certain Medical Conditions at Increased Risk for Severe Illness 

Other terms that are used when discussing long COVID symptoms include PASC, post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection, post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, post-acute COVID-19,  chronic COVID-19,  post COVID-19 syndrome, long-haul COVID-19, post exertional fatigue,  post exertional malaise, POTS. postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome,

Earn CME Credits for Each Episode!

Listen to our pre-recorded episodes and earn .50 credit for each episode. Take a short post test and evaluation on the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians online education library and earn credits for your time.

Accreditation
The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA PRA Category 1 - The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians designates each Online enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA

Visit us at illinoisvaccinates.com/podcasts.

Dr. Heather Prendergast, an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Stephanie LaBedz, a pulmonary and critical care physician, and Dr. Christina Wells, a family medicine physician, all from the University of Illinois at Chicago, share their experiences and insights on long COVID.  Their goal is to help primary care physicians be more equipped in dealing with patients who present with long COVID symptoms.

We know COVID-19 vaccines help reduce the chances of developing severe cases of COVID and long COVID.  However, approximately 1 in 5 adults that have COVID are at risk of developing long COVID.  The symptoms may present in many ways, often not directly after having COVID.  That can delay the diagnosis in a lot of patients.  Individuals can have relatively mild courses, or even be asymptomatic, and still develop symptoms associated or consistent with long COVID.

It is important to understand the broad differential, listen to patients when they say, "Something doesn't feel right," and be familiar with the full variety of symptoms in order to help our patients.
Topics include:
- What is long COVID – what does that really mean?
- Clarification on what is commonly referred to as long COVID
- Some of the most common symptoms of long COVID
- Overview of major systems that are impacted
   
What should I know as a family physician?
When should I refer a patient to a specialist?
What are common complications?
Are there any treatments I should be aware of?
Are certain patients more susceptible to getting long COVID?

 Meet the Faculty

Learning Objectives:
Understand what long COVID is
Identify the most common symptoms of long COVID
Determine the best ways to assist patients presenting with long COVID symptoms
Recognize the impacts long COVID can have on multiple systems in the body

Your thoughts are very important to us!  Please take 2 minutes to review this episode.   Review

Earn CME Credits for Each Episode!
Listen to our pre-recorded episodes and earn .50 credit for each episode. Take a short post test and evaluation on the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians online education library and earn credits for your time.

Accreditation: The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA PRA Category 1 - The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians designates each Online enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 credit™

Nurses and nurse Practitioners can submit Certificates of Attendance to their accrediting board to claim credit for participation.
Claim Credit

Resources:
Webpage- Long COVID – Part 1 of 2, What We Know, What We are Learning
CDC- https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html
- Underlying Medical Conditions Associated with High Risk for Severe COVID-19
For patients: People with Certain Medical Conditions at Increased Risk for Severe Illness 

Visit us at illinoisvaccinates.com/podcasts.

The conversation continues.  Dr. Corinne Kohler, Dr. Marian Sassetti, and Dr. Christina Wells reflect on the evolution of the pandemic in the past year.  They share their experiences and engage in a discussion about how we, as a community of healers, can collectively move forward.
 Meet the Faculty

Topics include:

• How practices have changed - both in day-to-day activities clinical activities and long-term  
• Ways to incorporate technology to improve patients’ overall health
• Impacts from COVID on stress levels and mental health for patients and clinicians 
• Ideas to we keep momentum going to incorporate these "crisis management" principles currently in place

 Objectives:

• Discuss how clinicians can use technology to improve patients’ overall health and wellness 
• Introduce ways to approach patient visits more holistically, rather than strictly problem-centered
•  Identify resources and options to help people with behavioral health issues

Earn CME Credits for Each Episode!

Listen to our pre-recorded episodes and earn .50 credit for each episode. Take a short post test and evaluation on the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians online education library and earn credits for your time.

Accreditation
The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA PRA Category 1 - The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians designates each Online enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 credit™

Nurses and nurse Practitioners can submit Certificates of Attendance to their accrediting board to claim credit for participation.

Claim Credit

Additional Resources:

• Physicians’ Reflections & Moving Forward After the Pandemic – Part 2 of 2  
• IL DocAssist - https://docassistillinois.org/
• American Psychological Association Services, Inc. (ASA) - Provider Well-being In a Pandemic 
• Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress - Recovery and Reintegration for Healthcare Workers Following COVID-19 Surges
• Medical Practice Changes Made During COVID-19 Pandemic are Here to Stay 
• Frontiers in Pediatrics - Barriers and Facilitators for Implementing Paediatric Telemedicine: Rapid Review of User Perspectives
• Illinois Vaccinates - www.Illinoisvaccinates.com
• CDC - https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home
• CDC - https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html
• COVID Year in Review - https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2022/covid-year-in-review

Visit us at illinoisvaccinates.com/podcasts.

Trauma, collaboration, community, crisis, grief, perseverance, fear, uncertainty, mistrust, resilience…  

What words summarize the pandemic for you?  Have they changed over time?

Dr. Corinne Kohler, Dr. Marian Sassetti, and Dr. Christina Wells reflect on the evolution of the pandemic in the past year.  They share their experiences and engage in discussion about how we, as a community of healers, can collectively move forward. 

The unimaginable has happened.  What have we learned?  How do we prevent this from happening again?  What can we do to rebuild the trust of our patients?  How does the medical community heal from our own trauma?  

Objectives:

•  Address the challenges and opportunities encountered during the pandemic
•  Identify ways you can address misinformation, changes in public perception, and COVID fatigue
•  Understand the importance of communication with your patients

Physicians’ Reflections & Moving Forward After the Pandemic – Part 1 of 2   

Earn CME Credits for Each Episode!

Listen to our pre-recorded episodes and earn .50 credit for each episode. Take a short post test and evaluation on the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians online education library and earn credits for your time.

Accreditation
The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA PRA Category 1 - The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians designates each Online enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 credit™

Nurses and nurse Practitioners can submit Certificates of Attendance to their accrediting board to claim credit for participation.

Claim Credit

Additional References:

• COVID Year in Review - https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2022/covid-year-in-review
• Medical Practice Changes Made During COVID-19 Pandemic are Here to Stay - https://www.thedoctors.com/articles/medical-practice-changes-made-during-covid-19-pandemic-are-here-to-stay/
• Illinois Vaccinates - www.Illinoisvaccinates.com
• CDC - https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home
• CDC - https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html

Visit us at illinoisvaccinates.com/podcasts.

With so much attention in the news about bivalent boosters and trying to keep up with changes in vaccination schedule guidelines, some of the focus has shifted away from having conversations with adults who remain unvaccinated.  Corinne Kohler, MD, FAAFP, Carl Lambert, Jr., MD, FAAFP, and Marian R. Sassetti, MD, FAAFP remind us of the importance of making certain that everyone who is eligible receives the COVID-19 vaccines. Join our experts as they discuss where we are now, what we can do to keep the traction, and what has improved, or sometimes hurt, encouraging people to get vaccinated.

Topics include:

-  Ways the COVID vaccination recommendations have changed in the last year and how patients perceive the vaccine
-  Successful approaches they have used to get the message out to the adult population to get them into the clinic to be vaccinated
-   Sharing responses to frequently asked questions 
-   Addressing vaccine hesitancy
-   Ways to change the narrative around immune strength and why getting vaccinated isn’t just about preventing death 

Objectives:

-   Understand reasons why it is important to continue to have conversations with adults who have not been vaccinated
-   Explore ways to increase the vaccination rates for your adult patients

Faculty Bios

Visit us at:

15. The Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination in Adult Populations 

https://www.illinoisvaccinates.com/15-the-importance-of-covid-19-vaccination-in-adult-populations/

Visit us at illinoisvaccinates.com/podcasts.

No one is immune to COVID affecting their lives.  This is especially true for people with compromised immune systems and people they interact with.  Christopher Smyre, MD, Timothy Ott, DO, FAAFP, IAFP President, and Carl Lambert, Jr., MD, FAAFP, will discuss the additional challenges & concerns these patients may have when considering whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.  They will talk about ways to prevent getting COVID and treatment options for those in various immunocompromised states.

Objectives:

-    Clarify what constitutes someone as being immunocompromised 
-    Identify different immunocompromised levels 
-    Discuss ways to help these patients prevent contracting COVID-19 

Faculty Bios 

14. How to Compromise with Immunocompromised Patients about COVID-19

https://www.illinoisvaccinates.com/14-how-to-compromise-with-immunocompromised-patients-about-covid-19/

Visit us at illinoisvaccinates.com/podcasts.