Contemporary Clinic Staff

Contemporary Clinic spoke with Gretchen McNally, nurse practitioner of hematology at Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, about substance use disorder in oncology patients and addiction stigma.

With her immense background in substance use and abuse, McNally started to notice patients using cocaine, alcohol, and other substances in her own experience and the poor patient outcomes rooting from it. 

This made her determined to do something to help these patients, as every encounter with a health care provider is an opportunity to improve outcomes for people with addiction, according to McNally.

McNally also discussed how nurse practitioners can support patient care during COVID-19, how to further stop the stigma surrounding addiction, and what she hopes to see for the future of nurse practitioners in the oncology landscape.

Videos

Substance Use and Addiction Stigma in Oncology Patients

Contemporary Clinic spoke with Lukia Beverly, pediatric nurse practitioner and co-chair of NAPNAP’s Immunization Special Interest Group, about National Immunization Awareness Month.

Beverly has seen the stigma around immunizations change in recent years, with a lot of help from the growth of social media and technology.

According to Beverly, parents are still hesitant to bring their children into their health care provider’s offices due to the fear of COVID-19 and the uncertainty surrounding the virus. However, she is still starting to see an increase in rates of the public getting their immunizations.

Beverly also discussed how HCPs can engage families to maintain CDC immunization schedules during the pandemic, how to handle parents’ concerns about immunization visits, and what she hopes to see for the future of pediatric nurse practitioners in regard to immunizations.

Contemporary Clinic spoke with Lukia Beverly, pediatric nurse practitioner and co-chair of NAPNAP’s Immunization Special Interest Group, about National Immunization Awareness Month. 

Nurse Practitioners and National Immunization Awareness Month 

Contemporary Clinic spoke with Leslie Clayton Milteer, PA-C, MPAS, DFAAPA, AAPA Board of Directors, about the importance of flu vaccines and how the public can prepare for the upcoming flu season.

As a board member and family practice physician assistant, Milteer deals with immunization and quality care guidelines in her everyday tasks.

According to Milteer, the way that patient care has been approached has drastically changed in the last 6 months, including how to bring a patient into the clinic, AAPA’s extensive amount of work to provide readily available information to their members and the public regarding COVID-19 protection, and the role PAs can play in improving community health.

Milteer also discussed how important flu vaccines will be this year, how PAs can stop the stigma around vaccinations, and what she hopes to see for the future of PAs in the “new normal.”

Contemporary Clinic spoke with Leslie Clayton Milteer, PA-C, MPAS, DFAAPA
AAPA Board of Directors, about the importance of flu vaccines and how the public can prepare for the upcoming flu season. 

How to Prepare for the 2020 Flu Season

Pharmacy Times spoke with Mitchel C. Rothholz, CSO at the American Pharmacists Association, about National Immunization Awareness Month and why it's important.

Rothholz emphasized the opportunity to really talk about the importance of immunizations and the importance of all ages to know the value of vaccines and their prevention of vaccine preventable diseases. 

Further, he mentioned that although the supply for vaccinations is there, the question lies in if there will be demand by the public due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. 

Rothholz also spoke on the administration of the COVID-19/seasonal flu vaccine, the pharmacist's role in the administration of vaccines, and how pharmacists can help educate the public who are hesitant in getting the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Pharmacy Times spoke with Mitchel C. Rothholz, CSO at the American Pharmacists Association, about National Immunization Awareness Month and why it's important. 

Articles

Substance Use and Addiction Stigma in Oncology Patients

Nurse Practitioners and National Immunization Awareness Month

How to Prepare for the 2020 Flu Season

The Importance of National Immunization Awareness Month