Recently, during the height of the Omicron surge, I got a phone call from a family member that went like this:

“Oh my goodness, Tiff, I had such horrible back pain last night, and I was so scared. I could barely move, nothing was helping. It was excruciating, and I could hardly bear the pain. My husband saw me, saw how distressed I looked, and he wanted to take me to the Emergency Room. But I told him that I can’t go to the ER. He asked why, and I said “Because it is full of sick people right now!” So, I endured the pain until I passed a kidney stone. I was so surprised—I’ve never had a kidney stone before, but the pain finally started to ease after it had passed.”

This family member is near and dear to me, and it was distressing to hear that they had delayed care for a potentially serious symptom of severe back pain. The differential for severe back pain is wide and includes less serious conditions like back muscle strain, but it also includes life-threatening illnesses like pancreatitis or a ruptured aneurysm. In this case, I was relieved to find out that a kidney stone was the symptom source, but I was disappointed to realize that delaying medical care remains a common occurrence two years into this pandemic. This family member is both vaccinated and boosted (thank goodness!), but they were still fearful of seeking medical care because of risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Delayed medical care is a known consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health Reform Monitoring Survey administered in April 2021 to over 9,000 US adults revealed that 11% of adults had foregone or delayed at least one type of medical care in the last 30 days. And 9.2% of parents had foregone or delayed care for their children in the last 30 days. It is important to note that COVID-19 vaccines were available to most people at the time of the survey, and these numbers were lower than surveys taken prior to vaccine availability. But 1 in 10 people delaying care is still a statistic that needs improvement.

Not only has urgent and emergency care been delayed, but so has preventive care services and cancer screenings. In January 2021, multiple major cancer societies issued a joint statement noting the dramatic decrease in cancer screenings, the decrease in new cancer detections, and the decrease in prompt cancer treatments during the pandemic. They urged the public to resume primary care visits, cancer screenings, and treatment for active cancers. Screening for cancers improves outcomes. Almost 10,000 unnecessary deaths from breast and colon cancer alone are predicted over the next 10 years due to the delays from the pandemic. Other preventive care services, such as immunizations, have also fallen behind schedule for many. 

Now is the time to resume care. If you or anyone you know has delayed care, please encourage them to reach out to their care team, schedule an appointment, and get their screenings and overall care up to date. At Crossover, you can resume care with a virtual or in-person appointment. Our virtual teams can assess your preventive care needs as well as address many acute issues without requiring an in-person visit. And if in-person care is needed or preferred, our health centers are clean and your care team is prepared to welcome you in. You’ll never have to wait in a crowded lobby either—your safety and health are our top priority. 
Remember that prevention saves lives. Cancer screening and timely management of chronic illnesses keeps us all healthy. Reach out and make an appointment today!