Have a question about the fight against COVID-19 and our “new normal?” Email the question, your name, and your city to our experts at coronaquestions@nexstar.tv to have it answered on “Coronavirus House Calls.” Watch Dr. Anthony Fauci on “Coronavirus House Calls,” and tune in for the next episode on Saturday, May 31 at 3 p.m. CT!
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — As the death toll from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to rise in the U.S., we’re looking past statistics. With all 50 states reopening in some fashion ahead of Memorial Day, confusion surrounds our ever-evolving situation. In an era of information warfare, we’re fighting back with our greatest weapon: the truth. We’re here to talk about your concerns, differentiate between fact and fiction, and move from fear to hope as we navigate this “new normal” together.
[WATCH: Coronavirus House Calls | May 16-17]
That’s why we’ve assembled a panel of the nation’s top health experts to answer your biggest questions about the fight against COVID-19 in the Nexstar digital original, “Coronavirus House Calls,” hosted by Emmy award-winning CBS 42 Anchor Art Franklin.
Some of the questions addressed this weekend include:
How does fighting COVID-19 compare to fighting a war? Can the pandemic be triggering for people who already have PTSD, like war veterans? Will nurses and doctors on the frontlines of this pandemic face similar mental health problems, like PTSD, to veterans who fought in wars?How do we prevent guns in the home from leading to further tragedy during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are hospitals preparing for the second surge of COVID-19? Are hospitals changing their intubation practices? What does President Trump’s threat to cut off funding for the WHO mean for the global fight against COVID-19? How can we ensure that everyone is safe when visiting the polls next fall? When are we going to have a mask solution for the hearing-impaired community? How do we handle all the contradicting information from our political leadership and doctors? What challenges will COVID-19 add to keeping people safe during natural disasters?
If you have a fever or cough, you might have COVID-19. Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home. Keep track of your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), get medical attention right away.
MEET THE EXPERTS
Nicholas Caputo, MD, MSc (New York City, NY)
Emergency medicine physician & US Army reservist
Dr. Nicholas Caputo currently works at the Lincoln Medical and Medical Health Center in the South Bronx as an ER night shift physician. While most of his career has been spent working in healthcare in the South Bronx, Dr. Caputo got his start working in Critical Care and Retrieval Medicine in the Northern Territory of Australia. He is currently Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and is an attending physician/Associate Chief of the Department of Emergency Medicine at NYC H+H/Lincoln. He is also an attending emergency physician at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital. In addition to his other responsibilities, Dr. Caputo’s research seeks to understand the evidence behind the conventional wisdom practiced in emergency departments across the world in order to determine the efficacy of current management strategies in order to improve safety and quality outcomes for patients. He focuses jointly on medical pathology and socioeconomic disparities in medicine. Dr. Caputo is also a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve and practices concierge medicine in NYC.
Keep up with Dr. Caputo’s most recent activities by following him on Twitter.
Gerard Choucroun, MSW (Los Angeles, CA)
Executive Director, Heart and Armor Foundation
Gerard Choucroun, MSW, serves as Executive Director of the Heart and Armor Foundation, an organization that aims to protect the health of veterans and to connect civilians to the experience of military service members. As the post-9/11 generation of veterans returned from overseas deployment in Iraq, Afghanistan, Mr. Choucroun developed fluency and expertise in the biology of traumatic stress, the relationship between sleep and recovery from trauma, the strengths and weaknesses of medical management of PTSD, and the challenges facing a younger generations of veterans in accessing care for the signature wounds of war.
Prior to the establishment of the Heart and Armor Foundation, in conjunction with his responsibilities at the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, Mr. Choucroun has served as Director of Veterans Programs for the Presidio Trust, enhancing the utilization of community resources at the Presidio of San Francisco by the veteran population. His current direct contact with the veteran community is as co-facilitator of the Bay Area Student Veteran Leadership Council, a collaboration with the Student Veteran Outreach Program at NCIRE / San Francisco VA Medical Center.
Learn more about Dr. Choucroun’s work on the Heart and Armor Foundation website.
Tsion Firew, MD, MPH (New York City, NY)
Emergency medicine physician, Iraq War volunteer medic
Dr. Firew is no stranger to a medical crisis, as she’s an emergency physician and Iraq War volunteer medic. When she fell ill with COVID-19, she became a vocal advocate for testing availability for front line workers. Additionally, she pushes for the advancement of high quality global emergency medicine and is a leading voice in healthcare on socioeconomic and racial disparities and government policy and messaging. Dr. Firew is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Global Health at Columbia University and serves as an advisor to the Ethiopian Minister of Health on strategic partnerships and emergency care. She is also a member of Ethiopia’s COVID-19 Task Force. Recently, under the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, Dr. Firew the efforts on the adoption of a resolution on Emergency Medicine at the World Health Assembly in May of 2019, a big step forward for Global Emergency Medicine. Dr. Firew’s recent media appearances include: NPR, NBC, BBC, Wall Street Journal and CNN.com.
Follow Dr. Firew on Twitter and Instagram.
Garth Walker (Chicago, IL)
Emergency medicine physician & CMO, ClinifyHealth
Dr. Walker is an emergency medicine physician who treats war veterans while serving on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19. He is also a health equity fellow with the Northwestern Emergency Department and Northwestern Buehler Center for health economics and policy investigating firearm injury recidivism and healthcare disparities related to opioid mortalities. Dr. Walker is also a co-founder of Clinify Inc., a tech platform that utilizes social determinants of health indicators to improve patient engagement and healthcare outcomes, and to reduce healthcare cost for vulnerable populations. Dr. Walker has recently been featured in Buzzfeed.
Follow Dr. Walker on Twitter.