As I write, I must admit this message is different than the one I’d envisioned sharing with you weeks ago. I anticipated updating you on meetings and collaborations with sister societies, new educational offerings, and how the Bologna World Congress and Annual Meeting plans were progressing, but activities at CHEST – and our sense of priority – have evolved along with those of our global community.
Dr. Stephanie M. Levine
Pulmonary and critical care providers are now at the forefront of health care. Our patients, and now the greater public, are relying on our efforts and those of our teams. Amid this crisis, there is a renewed appreciation for the work all of you do; and with it, an opportunity for CHEST to lead and help ensure that the profession and our systems emerge stronger.
Back in February, we held the program committee meeting for the Annual Meeting with over 1000 submissions. It is astounding how the program came together over just a few days thanks to the preemptive work done by Chair, Dr. Victor Test, and, Co-Chair, Dr. Christopher Carroll, and all of the curricular groups, program committee members, and staff putting in so much work prior to the face-to-face meeting. Also during February, CHEST leadership held the Forum of International Respiratory Societies’ (FIRS) strategic planning meeting. The main outcome is a plan to engage a lobbyist to represent the worldwide respiratory societies in the WHO in Geneva on universal topics such as air pollution and now, unfortunately, COVID-19. CHEST was represented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Congress where we heard late-breaking information as the pandemic was beginning to unfold. We met with the Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC), which is composed of representatives from CHEST, SCCM, the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). We had an opportunity to meet with the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and initiate discussions toward future collaboration.
In early March, as COVID-19 began to interfere with in-person meetings, we participated virtually in the NAMDRC meeting, and finalized our commitment to formally joining forces under the umbrella of CHEST to better serve our members in the area of advocacy. To this end, a new standing CHEST committee was founded, consisting of members from the former NAMRDC Board and members from the CHEST Board of Regents and Board of Trustees and chaired by Dr. Neil Freedman and Dr. Jim Lamberti. We look forward to hosting advocacy sessions during our October meeting, and going forward, our Spring Leadership Meeting will be combined with the former NAMDRC meeting to allow our leaders to participate in advocacy efforts. We will continue to publish the Washington Watchline, bringing important news on efforts to enhance access to care and our ability to deliver it effectively. Our spring leadership meetings, board meetings, and committee meetings in early April were held virtually in light of the pandemic.
Since March, CHEST has been heavily immersed in COVID-19 preparation with new plans for alternate methods of educational delivery, new business models, and curtailment of travel on both our home fronts and on the CHEST front. Zoom and like platforms are now my best friend! Our daily vocabulary now includes an abundance of caution, surge, sheltering in place, quarantine, social distancing, flattening the curve, tele-medicine, and don and doff, and we close e-mails, texts, and phone calls with Stay Safe! I established a COVID task force led by Dr. Steve Simpson (CHEST President-Elect) and with representation from the Critical Care, Chest Infections, and Disaster Response and Global Health NetWorks. They have been meeting weekly with the goals of disseminating and distilling COVID-related materials for the busy practitioner with links to the specific article or statement along with the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front). I’m sure you were able to see and hear some of the reports by Dr. Mangala Narasimhan and others on the front lines in New York, on the CHEST website, 60 Minutes, and CNN. CHEST held a two-part webinar with our Chinese colleagues who shared their COVID experiences with us. These relationships were in part built from the PCCM Fellowship Training program we conducted with Chinese physicians, led by Dr. Darcy Marciniuk and Dr. Chen Wang under the guidance of Dr. Renli Qiao, and with the help of the late Dr. Mark Rosen, Dr. Jack Buckley, and myself. CHEST has posted a webinar on point of care ultrasound testing in the setting of COVID since many units are now using more POCUS instead of standard imaging for the critically ill. We have also posted some of our board review lectures on demand for those who want to brush up on their critical care skills and knowledge.
CHEST, unfortunately, had to reschedule the Bologna meeting due to the tragic situation in Italy and plans to reconvene the meeting June 24-26 of 2021. As of now, CHEST 2020 in Chicago is a go, but, of course, we will monitor that situation carefully. We have extended the deadline for abstracts and case reports to June 1, 2020, given the ongoing crisis. The team is busy planning for standalone and complementary online offerings to ensure seamless delivery of critical education in formats that cater easily to our newly formed habits.
CHEST staff have been working from home due to the Illinois shelter in place order but continue to work tremendously hard. They are implementing new areas to the website in an effort to improve the user experience by making information easier to find and more timely. In the publishing space, Dr. Peter Mazzone and the journal team have been receiving hundreds of COVID-related publications, which they have been reviewing and expediting for publication where appropriate. There will also be additional podcasts coming from our journal. The guidelines group has been working on shorter expert panel statements in the setting of rapidly changing evidence. And, to keep us all well, there are opportunities to share our personal feelings and experiences with treating those with COVID in video format on the website and across CHEST social media channels. The CHEST and the CHEST Foundation have initiated a new microgrants program and have reached out to over 150 ILD and COPD support groups across the country to offer them the opportunity to apply for a max $2,500 grant. So far, 7seven groups have requested support. These grants go directly to patients and caregivers and provide needed relief through provision of:
1. Groceries
2. Gift cards
3. Medical supplies (including PPE for patients)
4. Technology needed to communicate with their community and HCPs
5. Household supplies, cleaning supplies
In an attempt to assist our colleagues in New York City, a call went out for volunteers at the end of March and has resulted in over 200 volunteers and more than 400 inquiries from our members. Bravo!!! We want to thank our sister societies for joining our efforts during this time to help all of our respective members and, ultimately, those patients stricken with this terrible illness. As I don and doff my COVID gear, I hope you are all safe and well in this time of unprecedented change in our lives. I look forward to my next report in a few months, hopefully on a happier note.
Stay safe!
Stephanie