Doctor on COVID-19 Task Force discusses island wellness through the pandemic
Dr. Daniel Hanley of Ancuram Clinic wants to make testing widely available for Pine Island. Even though some people may be asymptomatic, he said, most will all be exposed to COVID-19, if they haven’t been already.
Hanley, a member of the Pine Island COVID-19 Task Force, is currently testing three to five people per day on average at his Bokeelia clinic. He has an interest in drive-thru testing, although he isn’t certain yet as to how that might work in his particular location.
“My goal is to try to scale upwards. I’ve seen other places doing drive-thru testing — I’m not sure how it works exactly with a medical order, but if other people have ideas about how to scale it upwards that would be great,” Hanley said.
From what he’s observed, he said self-testing is relatively easy and has become kind of routine for many people, although the demand for COVID-19 testing seems to be waning in light of the new demand for vaccinations.
Hanley said he is optimistic about the ongoing pandemic, contending that there has been a level of control already reached, demonstrated by current numbers. Right now, he said, vaccines are in short supply but production is scaling upwards. He believes soon it should be even more available than the flu shot. The flu shot has been harder to come by, he said, but he doesn’t foresee having the same issue in the future with COVID-19 vaccines.
In fact, he said there’s no reason he shouldn’t have a steady supply of COVID-19 vaccines on hand within the next couple of months.
“I do believe we’re on the right track and we’ll get control of the pandemic this year,” said Hanley. “Maybe not until the fall but so far…so good. Right now it’s been a terrible winter, but we haven’t seen the flu.”
It’s a possibility that people could have COVID-19 and the flu at the same time, he said. Ultimately, they just may not be getting tested for the flu. Since he cannot possibly meet with everyone on the island, Hanley is very interested in organizing support groups, possibly facilitated by someone who can offer helpful tips toward managing symptoms and problems that may arise.
Tracking progress and avoiding complications associated with COVID-19, such as hospitalization, is a firm goal for him. Hanley said he sees himself as a connector, comparing family medicine to an intersection, where he sees patients in all aspects of their lives from birth to death.
Going beyond COVID-19, he said lifestyle choices are extremely important, from what his patients are eating, to whether or not they can manage a fall without difficulty recovering, to their particular level of stress.
“I’m trying to prolong death, but I want to maintain quality of life,” Hanley said. “Even though I may not be able to see everybody, people don’t need me for every little thing, they really just need the tools. I want everyone on the island to do well as much as possible. Long term, I see us helping people to get where they need to be.”