COVID-19 pandemic headlines are everywhere we look these days. “Stay Home Stay Safe” guidelines have become the directive for cities and states across our country.

Here at Physicians First Messages, the Doctors’ First Choice Medical Call Center our clients are living those headlines as they transition to telemedicine, work remotely, or rotate hospital shifts caring for the afflicted. Your patients and callers are living them, too, as demonstrated in the associated increase in our call volume and the level of those calls.

We check in with our operators every day to ensure they are able to process the additional stress and strain we’re all facing in these uncertain times. I’m so proud of my team. They have really stepped up for our clients, their patients, and for each other. What I am hearing from them more than anything is the shared awareness of the human condition, and how much we rely on each other. It’s a truth that was easy to forget before we all learned about COVID-19.

Now that truth is relayed as simply as two words, said spontaneously: Be Safe.

We say it to our clients who have to close their office and find a way to work remotely. Be Safe.

We say it to the patients who are concerned about their, or a loved one’s, symptoms. Be Safe.

We say it to the doctor who has just pulled an 18 hour shift in at the hospital and is signing out for 30 minutes before volunteering for another 4 hours. Be Safe.

We say it to each other when we sign off at end of shift. Be Safe.

Now more than ever, I know we’ll get through this, together.

Be Safe, and Be Well.