AAP Voices

I am a partner in a four-person pediatric clinic in Anchorage, Alaska. We have seen a significant reduction in patient volume due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At its worst, it was about a 50 percent drop, but we are starting to see it pick up, mostly because of telemedicine.

As health care providers, we support and endorse the health mandates that aim to limit the spread of the disease. We have completely reconfigured our workflow, created separate spaces and hours for healthy and sick patients, and started telemedicine visits so our patients can access care from home. 

We are trying our best to be available to our vulnerable patient population and continue to provide preventive care and vaccines during this time. 

Even so, we have had to reduce our clinic hours by about 15% and lay off wonderful staff, as we have taken a huge hit financially. Our billing in April was down 50% from April a year ago. 

Our existing staff willingly took a pay cut, and we partners are forgoing our paychecks. We are frustrated at having to constantly search for adequate PPE for our staff and test kits for our patients.

We love our jobs and are privileged to be "essential workers" caring for children in our community. We pray and hope that we will survive this pandemic, health-wise and financially. 

Although the Payroll Protection Program provides short-term relief to us as a business entity, we are worried about the long-term viability of pediatric offices like ours and, consequently, the health of the nation's pediatric population. This would have enormous repercussions affecting public health in general.

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