As a Physician Assistant and a mom of two I know what a scary time this is right now for so many people and I wanted to share some thoughts with everyone. I am hearing about and seeing way too many people not practicing social distancing right now. Social distancing is done to keep everyone safe. I have seen many patients over the last two weeks who are immunocompromised (Cancer, Diabetes, Rheumatoid arthritis, etc). Social distancing is the only thing that keeps them safe. This means NO playdates, NO going out for unnecessary appointments or procedures. I understand this is difficult but we have a responsibility to do what we can to keep everyone safe.

Beyond that, we have health care professionals, myself included, who are at risk of running out of supplies and protection equipment. Our hospitals are at risk of being overwhelmed and running out of ventilators, this is why it is important to keep everyone as healthy as possible and the best way we can do that is by social distancing. I have a 3 and a 6 year old, so yes this is difficult but I do it to keep my family and others safe. You CAN still go outside and enjoy the sunshine, this is good for the mind. You can facetime and Zoom call your friends and loved ones to help you stay connected. We will all get through this but only if we work together.