Dr. Cabebe has taken care of Planned Parenthood family medicine patients for decades. He’s known some since they were children. When COVID-19 invaded the region and social distancing required him to transfer in-person visits to phone-only appointments, he worried the healing touch might be lost in telephone-translation.
But something else happened.
“Patients like hearing from me on the phone,” he said. “They feel like I’m making a house call. When I reach out to them, personally, during this pandemic and ask how they’re doing, they really feel cared for.
"Some of them might have chronic pain or maybe a high blood pressure test, and they like that I am checking in to ask them if they’re taking their medication and just talk to them about how they’re feeling. They know I am here for them even if they can’t come to the health center.
"It has brought a new dimension to the relationship.”
Tags: doctor, covid-19, telehealth, health_care