Time and Tide wait for no man
April 17, 2020
“Time and Tide wait for no man” – Geoffrey Chaucer
“Never have Chaucer’s words been more poignant than during the COVID-19 pandemic,”says Elizabeth Kaveny, Managing Partner for Kaveny + Kroll Trial Lawyers in Chicago (www.kavenykroll.com). “Time and tide for each man, woman and child continues on, and often in the form of illness that has nothing to do with COVID-19, but is just as critical.”
While the hospital ER’s and clinics fill with potential COVID-19 patients, what happens to the more ‘routine’ heart attack patients, appendicitis sufferers or those in jeopardy from another sickness? Some hospitals have set up alternative options. The NorthShore University Health System, for example, has designated Glenbrook Hospital to be the COVID site while reserving the rest of its facilities for usual care. Other facilities including Illinois Bone and Joint,can assess and treat patients for potential sprains, breaks et al, avoiding a trip to, perhaps an overburdened Emergency Room or Urgent Care clinic.
“Regardless of sickness or injury, individuals should make first contact with their individual health care provider and/or reach out to a hospital or clinic by phone first, to be properly directed,” says Kaveny. “Obviously, a life-threatening condition will be triaged by an emergency response team, but an individual already dealing with a medical problem certainly doesn’t want to end up in a facility being used to solely treat COVID-19. That said, it is crucial to NOT put off getting treatment for any acute situation.”
Indeed physicians are concerned that patients in need of necessary testing or services will avoid them for fear of being exposed to COVID-19. “It’s vital to stay on top of whatever medical condition you may have been dealing with before the pandemic, by staying in contact with your care team to keep you as safe as possible,” says Kaveny.