The Following is a statement from your Cass County Health Providers.
Dear Cass County residents,
As your health care providers in Cass County, we are committed to offering our medical opinions and providing treatments to keep you safe and healthy. As you are likely aware, we are experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases in our community. Currently, most patients requiring hospitalization in our community are unvaccinated and infected with the delta variant. We are concerned about the current situation for several reasons:
1. The delta variant spreads much easier than the original strain of COVID-19.
2. The symptoms of the delta variant are more severe than the original strains of COVID-19.
3. This surge is putting extreme pressure on our own community hospitals. Our hospitals are providing excellent care for the people of Cass County, but we are close to reaching capacity. If this occurs, we will struggle to keep our hospitals adequately staffed and may run out of beds and medical supplies to care for the sick.
The good news is that we have the ability to keep ourselves safe, protect our families and neighbors, keep our churches, businesses, and schools open and keep our overall normalcy of life intact. As your medical providers, we have learned some important lessons over the past year:
1. Nobody wants lock downs. We all deserve the freedom to spend time with family and friends and enjoy our community.
2. We know you have concerns about the safety of vaccines, the severity of this virus, and the differences between variants.
3. The vaccines are highly effective and remarkably safe when compared to what is happening to many people who are getting sick with the delta variant. During the current outbreak in Cass County, like elsewhere, those who have been vaccinated seem to be staying much healthier than those who are unvaccinated. The majority (greater than 95%) of the extremely sick and hospitalized patients have not been vaccinated. Remember, the vaccine not only protects yourself, but also those around you, such as unvaccinated children and those who cannot be vaccinated due to underlying medical conditions.
4. Simple measures of staying home when you are sick, getting tested for COVID-19 when you are experiencing symptoms or have been around someone who recently tested positive, wearing masks in crowded places, and washing hands are helping.
We are grateful for the trust you place in us as your health care providers, and we are here because we want to care for you and keep Cass County a great place to live and work. If you have questions concerning the vaccine, please discuss them with your health care provider. Additional information may be found at MOStopsCOVID.com and cdc.gov.
Sincerely,
Kristin Anstine, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, Family Medicine
S. Chris Beever, MD, Emergency Medicine
Heather Bloesser, DO, Family Medicine
Kent Bogner, DO, Family Medicine
Priscilla Borden, MD, Hospitalist
Samuel Brewster, MD, Family Medicine
Nikoloz Chitaia, MD, Hospitalist
Michael Connor, MD, Gastroenterology
Cecil Cook, MD, Emergency Medicine
Lauren Doerfler, RN, BC, ACNP, Emergency Medicine
Matt Edwards, MD, Anesthesiology
Jeffrey Girkin, MD, Emergency Medicine
Karmen Goosey, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, Family Medicine
Logan Kratt, MD, Family Medicine
Jackie Kumm, RN, FNP-BC, Family Medicine
Melinda Lacy, RN, FNP-BC, Family Medicine
Kevin Latinis, MD, PhD, Rheumatology
Thomas Laughlin, MD, Pain Management
Ziana Liese, MD, Hospitalist
David McKinsey, MD, Infectious Disease
Brian Mieczkowski, DO, Pulmonary Disease
Vijay Parthiban, MD, MBA, Hospitalist
Richard Price, MD, Family Medicine
Kirk Ridley, MD, Family Medicine
Jennifer Ryan, NP-C, Family Medicine
Deana Self, NP-C, Family Medicine
Zachary Shanitkvich, MD, Obstetrics/Gynecology
Stephanie Shustek, MD, Emergency Medicine
Darya Stump, NP-C, Family Medicine
Kelsie R. Town, NP, Hospitalist
Aaron Travis, DO, Internal Medicine
Damon Travis, DO, Family Medicine
Molly Urton, MSN, FNP-C, Family Medicine
Jeffrey VanBiber, MD, Emergency Medicine
Sarah E. Wainwright, PA-C, Emergency Medicine
C. Catherine White, DO, FACEP, Emergency Medicine
David Williams, MD, Family Medicine
