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 Kelli Garber, lead nurse practitioner for school-based health and the center for telehealth at the Medical University of South Carolina and NAPNAP member, about the growth of telehealth and what health care professionals and nurse practitioners should consider when using telehealth.

Garber has worked with telehealth for the past 6 years, and she has seen such an incredible change in a short period of time in this field. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Garber has seen dramatic changes for providers, since these providers had no other choice than to utilize this tool. 

Garber also discussed what other health care professionals and nurse practitioners should consider when using telehealth, how telehealth benefits patients, and what she hopes to see in the future for telehealth and pediatric nurse practitioners. 

The Growth of Telehealth for Health Care Professionals

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

Sara Hunt, DNP, FNP-C, PHN, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and mother of 2 boys, explains how to prepare children to go back to school as schools begin to open up. 

Hunt addresses the myth that children are immune to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), risk mitigation strategies for deciding if a child should go back to school in person, steps to prevent a child from getting or spreading COVID-19, and safety measures schools are likely to follow to keep children safe.

Family nurse practitioner Sara Hunt, DNP, FNP-C, PHN, explains how to prepare children to go back to school safely as schools begin to open up.

Preparing Children to Go Back to School Safely

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. 

The Importance of National Immunization Awareness Month

Contemporary Clinic spoke with Beth Sandy, CRNP, about oncology nursing and her role at Penn Medicine.

Sandy has a role that is more of a collaborative practice with physicians where she has her own independent clinic. 

With her specialty in lung cancer, Sandy was worried about her patients and the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, they have been extra cautious, considering some of them struggle with following the mask protocol without breathing issues.

Sandy feels that oncology nurses support patients by being that "extra layer" of evaluation and other symptoms that patients may not be comfortable sharing with their physician. From a nurse practitioner standpoint, being that extra hug and support is crucial.   

The Role of Oncology Nurses

 interviewed Amanda Bowles, the director of the Shopper Science Lab at GSK Consumer Healthcare, on the expansion of coverage eligibility for OTC and menstrual products by health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) this year following the passage of the CARES Act.

The discussion included how this change affects Americans, the duration of the expansion, the role of FSAs and HSAs in the lives of Americans thus far, and the difference between FSAs and HSAs and what that may mean for account holders this year.

“We know that households today spend on average more than $400 a year on OTC products. In fact, the latest number I saw was $442 a year on average. So, if these purchases are made entirely through a tax-advantaged account, the average family could realize some measurable tax savings,” said Bowles. “Being able to use this pre-tax money for OTCs might mean that someone can afford to stock up on the products that they want to have on hand going into the cold and flu season or to plan ahead for their digestive health or pain management needs. It really puts the consumer in better control of their health and their health care spending.”

Bowles also discussed where pharmacists can go to see a complete list of what is covered and isn’t covered now by FSAs and HSAs, how the expansion of OTC eligibility helps to support the health care system during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, how the expansion of eligibility benefits pharmacies, and what the value of a pharmacist is in the education of consumers about eligibility changes when they occur.

Contemporary Clinic® interviewed Amanda Bowles, the director of the Shopper Science Lab at GSK Consumer Healthcare, on the expansion of coverage eligibility for OTC and menstrual products by health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts this year following the passage of the CARES Act.

OTC Products Are Now Covered by HSAs and FSAs Under CARES Act

Contemporary Clinic spoke with Jessica Peck, president of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), about COVID-19's affect on the organization and her hopes for the future of NAPNAP.

COVID-19 has effected NPs on a 9/11 scale, according to Peck. "We have found ourselves really in the epicenter of this worldwide crisis, but the good news is we are ideally situated as nursing leaders to engage and equip communities," Peck said. 

According to Peck, the most important part of being a nurse pracitioner is owning your expertise with the various skillsets that NPs have. 

Peck hopes to see the future of NAPNAP continue to grow with its various resources, advocates, and partners. 

The Most Important Part of Being a Nurse Practitioner

Contemporary Clinic spoke with Jessica Peck, president of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), about the organization and the key issues surrounding pediatric nurse practitioners.

Peck described the story of how NAPNAP began, including how the organization is continuing to spread across the globe. Established in 1973, NAPNAP is the first organization to target pediatric nurse practitoners, according to Peck. 

As for the issues surrounding pediatric-focused nurse practitioners, Peck said that nurse practitioners have a professional and moral imperative to serve as leaders in difficult conversations, such as issues of child health and the impacts of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) or the impacts of racism in child health. 