Message from Dr. Nina: Reckoning with COVID-19

Reckoning with COVID-19 and ensuring   access to care at the right place and right time is evermore pressing!  Did you Know, African-Americans are more likely to have underlying medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity and are less likely to have a primary care provider.  Another  element of concern is that African-Americans and Hispanics are  more likely to suffer poor outcomes from the coronavirus and are less likely to be insured.  Having a relationship with a  primary care provider is important for access to preventative health care which can help manage medical conditions in order to help  individuals live a healthy life.  During the      pandemic, our practice  quickly mobilized and switched  to telemedicine visits (virtually) with the  aim to flatten the COVID-19 curve, use protective equipment judiciously, offer flu and coronavirus screenings  and all the while     continuing to keep office hours available.  As we reckon with this  historic pandemic, access to preventative health visits for blood pressure & weight (BMI) checks, diabetes and  cholesterol screenings are  ever more important.   At the very least, Know your  Numbers!         

                                                  

                                                 #preventativehealthmatters

                             

                                             All the best,                 

                              Dr. Nina

                 TOVA Primary Specialty Care

                                          www.tovacommunityhealth.org

                                                 302-429-5870 ext. 120

TOVA Sickle Cell Anemia Access to Care Brief

TOVA started the adult Comprehensive Specialty Center for people living with Sickle Cell Anemia because there was no center or a Hematologist in the state that sub-specializes in treating adults.  The partnership with John Hopkins Sickle Cell Center and project ECHO has been a valuable resource to obtain expertise and recommendations from a team of knowledgeable Sickle Cell experts across the region and globally.  Dr. Nina is an entrepreneur who helped create a Telehealth model in  partnership with John Hopkins allowing her clients access to specialty care. TOVA’s model early on leveraged Telehealth resources through project ECHO to collaborate and manage clients here in Delaware.  Working side-by-side with renown Sickle Cell expert providers, Dr. Nina, as the state lead, aimed to improve sickle cell care in a  collective state-wide effort.  According to the   ISLR Institute, there has been a steep decline of small businesses at least part of big companies/institutions use their resources to undermine their smaller counterparts and exclude them from the markets.  Transitions of care from pediatric to adult care providers and access to care throughout the lifespan still pose a dire unmet need.                        

Unfortunately, local relationships and partnerships have been halted. Though, TOVA has made lots of strides and is anxiously waiting for the seeds to blossom.  For these reasons, Dr. Nina still believes that meaningful collaborations and partnerships can provide a valuable collective impact!  TOVA at Family Medicine at Greenhill is one example of a collaborative partnership that provides access to personalized care for the entire family including individuals living with complex chronic conditions like Sickle Cell Anemia/Trait. 

Dr. Anderson was named Delaware Woman-Owned Business of the Year, NAACP Health      Advocate and Wilmington Holistic Medicine    Practitioner of the Year. 

                                              TOVA Community Health

Primary Specialty Care

www.tovacommunityhealth.org

                                                        302-429-5870 ext. 120

Blood Donors are Needed

Over the years, TOVA has hosted Sickle Cell Blood Donor drives to improve the diversity of the blood supply- especially for patients with blood disorders who need regular transfusions. One of my patients has severe antibodies and can only get genotyped matched blood. Otherwise, he may experience a life threatening transfusion reaction and his body might attack the donor’s blood as foreign. Though there are many reasons for which some communities such as Hispanics & African-Americans are hesitant to donate, many lives are saved every day. Though less than 1% of African-Americans donate blood, they are likely to be an ideal match for persons living with sickle cell anemia. Blood transfusions are life sustaining in chronically transfused patients. For every 1 unit of blood donated, 3 lives are saved! Blood donation is simply a practice of love. For more information about Blood
                                                                                    Donors, go to tovacares.blogspot.com.
                                                         
                      www.weloveuusa.org      delmarvablood.org     redcrossblood.org

TOVA Community Health

Primary Specialty Care

302-429-5870 ext. 120

www.tovacommunityhealth.org

Virtual Therapeutic Support Group Round 2 during COVID-19

                                          TOVA Community Health

Primary Specialty Care

www.tovacommunityhealth.org

302-429-5870

Virtual Visits during COVID19 help improve access to care and ease the ER Burden

TOVA Community Health
Primary Specialty Care
www.tovacommunityhealth.org
302-429-5870

TOVA is an Affiliated Partner of Project ECHO: John Hopkins University School of Medicine

TOVA Community Health

Primary Specialty Care

www.tovacommunityhealth.org

302-429-5870

TOVA Cares Spring Newsletter

TOVA Community Health

Primary Specialty Care

302-429-5870

www.tovacommunityhealth.org