Plum Health Blog
Dr. Leslie Rabaut Featured on Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson
Dr. Leslie Rabaut Featured on Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson
Dr. Leslie Rabaut was featured on Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson this morning. She discussed several issues regarding the Coronavirus Pandemic, Covid 19, Delta Variants, and Booster Shots. Dr. Rabaut was interviewed by Jake Neher of WDET; Dr. Frank McGeorge of Henry Ford Health System and WDIV/Local 4 News was also interviewed about the following topics:
99% of new cases in Michigan over the past 4 weeks have been caused by the Delta Variant
Who needs to get a booster shot and why
Vaccine Hesitancy and some of the reasons our patients have been hesitant to get the vaccine
FDA and the full approval of the Coronavirus Vaccine and how it could help those who are vaccine hesitant to get the vaccine
Dr. Raquel Orlich Featured on WDET's Detroit Today
This week, Dr. Raquel Orlich was featured on WDET’s Detroit Today radio program. Dr. Orlich answered many insightful questions from both the host Stephen Henderson and callers. To listen to the show, follow this link.
Raquel Orlich, DO is a board certified family physician. She has been with Plum Health since July 2019 and everyday she works to deliver affordable and accessible health care in Detroit. She is passionate about quality patient-centered care and establishing strong doctor-patient relationships. Her clinical interests include osteopathic manipulative medicine for chronic musculoskeletal issues, women’s health, and preventative health. She is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency training at Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital.
Dr. Paul Thomas and Dr. Raquel Orlich are family medicine doctors with Plum Health DPC in Detroit Michigan. Recently, Dr. Raquel Orlich was featured on WDET to discuss Coronavirus.
Here’s the abbreviated transcript from WDET:
Guests
Dr. Anne Messman, emergency room doctor at a Detroit Hospital
Dr. Raquel Orlich, family doctor at Plum Health Direct Primary Care in Corktown, Detroit
I live alone and have been sheltering in place. Is it OK for me to visit other people who have also been sheltering in place by themselves?
No. The social distancing guideline still stands not to visit people. Until we know how to identify asymptomatic carriers, we must stay apart, unfortunately.
Do asymptomatic people ever show symptoms, or do they stay asymptomatic?
“Asymptomatic carriers, by definition, never get sick or show symptoms, but they can still pass on the virus,” says Dr. Messman.
Can COVID-19 survivors get infected by coronavirus after they have recovered?
We don’t know, yet. We do know the coronavirus has mutated several times, so, at this time, we believe it is possible that a survivor could get the virus again.
How long does it take for someone to shed the virus?
It varies greatly. Some people stopped shedding the virus soon after recovery, and for others, it took up to a month. We also don’t know yet if you can infect someone while you’re shedding the virus.
I was exposed to someone who later tested positive for coronavirus. I have had symptoms including a cough and low energy, and I passed out recently. What should I do?
Since there is still no treatment for COVID-19, if you are experiencing mild symptoms, it is best to stay home and recover. Do not take NSAID medications like ibuprofen or Motrin. It is okay to take Tylenol if you want to treat a fever. If your symptoms are severe and you need medical attention, you should go to the hospital.
I had a cold last month and some of those symptoms are still lingering. Is that a symptom of coronavirus?
If you’ve had a cold, or have had seasonal allergies in the past, don’t worry. A tickle in the throat can last weeks after having a cold. However, if you have symptoms that are unusual for you, pay attention for symptoms of COVID-19 and take extra care. If you experience sever symptoms, go to a hospital.
Does using Tylenol to treat a fever negatively impact my immune response? Should I just leave the fever untreated?
Healthcare providers have differing opinions on this question, but if you have a fever and want to treat it, Tylenol is OK. A very high fever can be very dangerous and should not go untreated.
Does wearing a mask protect me, or other people?
Wearing a mask protects both you and other people. The main function of the mask is to catch droplets from someone coughing or sneezing before they get in the air. It is best to wear a mask if you need to go out.
I had a stomach virus recently. Is that a symptom of COVID-19?
Some patients who tested positive have experienced symptoms like diarrhea or vomiting. There are other reasons you might experience gastrointestinal issues including influenza or food poisoning.
I may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, but I’m showing no symptoms. Can I get an antibody test to find out if am an asymptomatic carrier?
We do not have an antibody test, yet.
This week, Dr. Raquel Orlich was featured on Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson. She was able to answer many listener’s questions about Coronavirus and Covid-19
Detroit Doctor Answers Questions about Coronavirus on WDET's Detroit Today
Dr. Paul Thomas, MD, a family medicine doctor in Detroit answers many questions that Detroiters have about the Coronavirus and its impact on our community.
From WDET:
Dr. Paul Thomas is a primary care physician at Plum Health direct primary care in Corktown, an office that utilizes a monthly membership to treat patients rather than through insurance. He says that with job security threatened and instability on the horizon it is important to have comprehensive health care not tied to employer-based insurance.
His tips:
Keep a pair of gloves in the car to use at the gas station or grocery store to prevent touching contaminated surfaces when running essential errands.
The virus can live on cardboard for up to 24 hours. For this reason, leave mail out for roughly two days before picking it up.
Swap Tylenol for ibuprofen (based on an evolving scientific study).
To boost your immune system get eight hours of sleep, get some vitamin D when the sun is out and take a long (isolated) walk once a day.
If you are experiencing fever or shortness of breath seek medical treatment at the hospital.
Listen to the full episode, here.
Thanks for reading and listening!
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC in Detroit Michigan
Detroit Doctor Lowers the Cost of Prescription Medications
Medication prices are unsustainably high, putting a huge financial burden on every day Americans. In a recent survey, 8% of adult Americans don’t take their medicines as prescribed because they can’t afford them.
In addition, the cost of insulin for an average patient with Type 1 Diabetes doubled from 2012 to 2016. In fact, the cost of medications like insulin are inflating at higher rates than college tuition, college textbooks, and hospital services.
The cost of insulin is increasing at rates far above overall inflation, even outpacing the cost of college tuition and college textbooks.
All of this data is presented to make the point: health care and specifically prescription medications have become more and more unaffordable for average Americans.
Fortunately, there is a better way to get prescription medications. One way is to develop a relationship with a Direct Primary Care physician, who focuses on improving access to affordable health care services, medications, and lab work.
The medications provided by Direct Primary Care doctors are typically given to patients at-cost or at a small markup to cover shipping, bottles, and labels. Direct Primary Care doctors do this because they believe that health care should be affordable and accessible for everyone.
Our Direct Primary Care practice here in Detroit is called Plum Health DPC and we pride ourselves on lowering the cost of medications for our patients. A partial list of these medications and their prices can be found on our Pricing Page as well as by following this link to our PDF of medication prices.
For example, we had a young lady come in to our clinic with an outbreak of HSV or Herpes Simplex Virus that was affecting her genitals. She went to the local pharmacy and requested a course of Valtrex, and she was told that the medication would cost $100. She heard about our clinic, signed up for our services and now is able to get a course of treatment with Valtrex for $1.49.
As another example, we had a diabetic patient who was not actively managing his diabetes because he was scared about how much the medication might cost. He was not seeking medical attention and was not taking any medication at all for his diabetes. Unfortunately, he developed a severe skin infection that required hospitalization. The nursing staff directed him to our clinic and we were able to get his diabetic medication for free through a pharmaceutical program. Additionally, we are able to manage his high blood pressure and high cholesterol for under $5/month.
Because of this type of work that we do for our patients everyday, we have the privilege of being interviewed on WDET’s Detroit Today. This segment will air at 9:00 am on Wednesday May 22nd. Please tune in or share the podcast link to spread the word about how we’re actively lowering the cost of health care and prescription medications in Detroit and beyond.
Thank you for reading and listening,
Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
For more information on this topic, read our previous blog post, titled: How to Find the Best Prescription Drug Prices in Detroit
Detroit doctor, Paul Thomas MD, is using the Direct Primary Care model to the lower the cost of prescription medications in Detroit and beyond
This is an addendum to the Original Post, from WDET’s post:
Henderson also speaks with Dr. Paul Thomas, a primary care physician at Plum Health in Southwest Detroit. Since 2016, Thomas has had his patients pay an affordable monthly membership fee for healthcare and then he gets them their necessary medication at cost. A common blood pressure medication that would normally cost between $5 and $10 when billed through insurance and filled at a pharmacy, is instead costing patients just 27 cents for a month supply.
WDET’s coverage of Stephen Henderson’s conversation with Paul Thomas, MD on Detroit Today.
Plum Health DPC on WDET
This week, we ran an advertisement on WDET with the Corktown Business Association. I have been a long-time fan, listener and supporter of WDET and it’s one of the best places to advertise for our business because the people who listen to WDET are those who think and care deeply about Detroit and the issues facing the city.
Also, WDET does an excellent job of informing the public about important issues of the day and it’s a great platform for community-level information and journalism.
At Plum Health, we are addressing the lack of health care and primary care resources in the City of Detroit, and we know that this mission resonates with people who care about the city and its future.
As a part of the Corktown Business Association, we work with other business owners in the neighborhood to make it a better place to live, work, shop, eat, play, and be healthy. I’m proud to be in the Corktown Business Association and I’m glad we had the opportunity to tell the story about a wonderful place to be with vibrant businesses, Corktown Detroit.
Here’s the spot that we sponsored on WDET, with some images added from our archive:
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day,
Dr. Paul Thomas, Physician with Plum Health DPC