District health officials are trying to reassure residents that it’s safe to visit their doctors — even during a pandemic.
Speaking on Wednesday, Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, D.C. Health’s director, said there’s been 20-30% decrease of patients going to D.C. hospitals. And she said their reluctance to seek care is affecting their health. Between January and May, Nesbitt said there has been a 40% increase in “excess deaths,” or deaths over what health officials would usually expect on a yearly basis.
So far this year, 54% of excess deaths have been linked to COVID-19 — but 46% have not. Instead, said Nesbitt, they’re from other causes such as heart disease, diabetes, pneumonia, cancers, and drug overdoses.
When people skip appointments, Nesbitt said it’s difficult to manage chronic conditions and diagnose new ones. And that’s even had an impact in one area where D.C. has seen improvement over the years — HIV/AIDS. “We are seeing more individuals diagnosed with HIV at a late stage than we have previously seen in the District, which concerns us because we have made tremendous progress in HIV,” she said.
Jacqueline Bowens, CEO of the D.C. Hospital Association, said that delaying medical treatment could make a medical condition worse and impact recovery. She urged seniors and their family members to be vigilant about symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pains and trouble lifting your arms.
“We cannot press pause on our health care,” she said.
The American Heart Association has launched a campaign — “Don’t Die of Doubt” — to remind people to reach out for health care. Dr. Reginald Robinson, a cardiologist and past president of the AHA’s D.C. affiliate, said that fewer patients are presenting with heart disease and strokes.
“Those conditions don’t go away,” he said. “People are staying away from the hospital and I’ve actually had to convince patients to go in and get care.”
Health officials say that doctors’ officers and hospitals are safe, and that doctors and nurses are using masks, keeping their distance, and have increased cleaning, use of sanitizers and COVID-19 screenings.
