Meet Amanda Dunham, DNPFNP (she/her), Founder and President of Integrative Family Health NP, PLLC. Amanda is licensed as a Doctor of Nursing Practice/ Family Nurse Practitioner. At Integrative Family Health, they do a wide variety of healing. From integrative primary care which includes the basics such as preventative health, cancer and STD screenings. The other leg of the business is aesthetics including massage therapy, isolated stretching, reiki and health coaching.
Being on the frontlines, they train you to be ready for whatever walks through the door. With the risks for healthcare providers that COVID-19 brings, it’s safe to say no one was prepared for that storm regardless of protocols in place. “I think it’s clear the world wasn’t prepared for this. It’s an area where some businesses and organizations were struggling. There’s not enough PPE, or staff. One thing people aren’t aware of is that various medical providers and nurses are being furloughed.” While you may read that and wonder why, after we just said there isn’t enough staff - it’s because people are afraid to seek healthcare and go into offices, ERs and Urgent Cares. “I have seen a lot of people at my other job (Amanda also works in an urgent care) where they should have gone to the hospital or they are prolonging seeking healthcare and symptoms have gotten worse. These health issues aren’t even related to COVID necessarily. They are just so fearful of seeking care they are deteriorating from the condition they have because they aren’t getting help for it, and that’s heartbreaking.”
Going into doctors offices whether it be to treat pre existing conditions, infections or new illnesses is definitely anxiety inducing. Honestly, going out into public these days in general is. You see people not wearing masks correctly, wearing gloves and cross contaminating, people not wearing any PPE at all. I whole heartedly understand the hesitation, but it’s increasing mortality rates of things that can be treatable or curable. When mentioning the fear, Amanda tells us that “normal infection control precautions like hand washing is the best prevention.” We all need to make sure we are doing our part in preventing the spread. That does sound cliche these days, but there’s no fighting facts with how rapid this particular virus spreads and ways it is transmittable.
At Dunham Integrative Health, they have been disinfecting every possible touched surface even more so than normal. “Most healthcare providers have a fear of being a well carrier, being exposed, not having symptoms and taking it home to their families. That said, we all we have upped our sanitation procedures and proper protective equipment such as masks and shields.”
Walking into their offices, you get hit with a fresh smell and look around to see a neat and bright waiting area. Not like many would think of a doctors office, there’s no dingy and smelly waiting room chairs, or yellow walls with lights that tint the room a strange amber color. You know those offices we all dread with the weird patterned chairs and outdated People magazines from 2006. What makes Amanda’s office truly unique though is the smiles on the faces of her team. “I think we have a great team here, we try and keep things fun.” They are all about fostering true connections with their clients and being positive. “Being innovative has kept me very positive - whether it’s learning the tele health systems, or home visits and even phone calls to stay connected with patients to see how they are doing. This Pandemic has taken a huge toll on peoples mental health.” Not to mention, they have a new office puppy in the family - you can see pictured above.
At the end of the day, Amanda has to go home. She isn’t practicing medicine 24/7, and what does that mean? She navigates the world not only as a provider but as a human living through this pandemic like the rest of us. “There is no substitute for human connection. We are a society where we have been superficially connected between Facebook and Instagram showing the cover of our lives in some cases without deep connection. One thing I’ve seen a lot of is people needing this deep connection for their mental health, and not be able to have it during the quarantine. There is no substitute. Netflix isn’t going to cure the need to talk to another human.” As we have mentioned in past stories, cope and heal in ways that make sense and are impactful for YOU. That being said though, we as humans crave connections and interactions with others at some point or another. We can’t ignore that need. It’s okay to not be okay and it’s okay to take some time (or as much time) for you as you need and reach out if you’re having trouble coping. We need to end the stigma on mental health and look for ways to better cope without fear..
What has become blatant for me in this time of Pandemic is there is so much pressure to feel or not feel a certain way. Some people say ‘do something good for you or others, take this time to learn a new craft or hobby’. While that’s great - and I personally agree for myself- I also agree with the notion to let’s just focus on having that something good be doing whatever makes us feel full. Remove that stigma and pressure of focusing on anxieties, stress, our weight, or what is new on Netflix. Remove those labels and thoughts and see self care, whatever that means for you.
“The most important message in general is the importance of self care - for ones physical and mental health. We all know the benefits of exercise for our cardio-respiratory system and immune systems, but we also need to ensure we’re taking care of mental health. Ensure your anxiety isn’t going on a hamster wheel of ‘what if this happens, then this, than I get COVID, I lose my job and so on.’ Sometimes we can have good physical health, but our mental health needs a little bit of self care as well. People are trying to connect virtually but not with themselves and their thoughts.”
So, take care of you and what you can control. Stay home except to get medical care, and if you do seek medical care call ahead. Many medical visits are being postponed or done by phone or tele health, and if you have symptoms related to COVID-19, your PCP may not be able to help you. Practice self care in whatever ways that serve you. Remember to breathe and feed your soul. Be mindful and present, and as Amanda tells us, it’s important to stay in touch with your doctor.
Be sure to get emergency care if you have trouble breathing, or have any other emergency warning signs, or if you think it is an emergency. For all other CDC guidelines, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
Thank you so much to all of our health care providers - mental and physical- regardless of title. Amanda has done wonders for me, and I’m grateful to know she’s at the other end of the phone for all of my needs as my Primary Care Physician. You can follow along with the office’s posts on instagram at @integrativenp or online at dunhamintegrativefh.com.
// Please note all quoted statements above are those of Amanda Dunham and not reflective of Faiella Studios.