This past week, I spoke at a conference on a totally different subject-chronic pain. Before I began the workshop, one of the people in my sessions told me five of her friends have died of COVID. My heart went out to her. It was a reminder to pray for those who are experiencing loss and who are ill. But here is a praise report from a good friend who was close to death. God healed him and he is improving every day. We serve a mighty God who helps us in our time of need!

We are all hearing mixed messages about the COVID delta variant. It’s confusing and we understand how frustrating this can be. Misinformation and trust are two of our main problems right now. Thus, we are doing our best to give you information that is accurate and true.

We had great feedback on our first show in which Dr. Maitland answered several questions in an easy to understand way. She is also someone I trust and is following the data while treating patients. So, this weekend we continue our conversation with physician Dr. Lauri Ann Maitland in order to get the rest of our questions answered. Our intent is to give information so you can make the best decisions.

Dr. Maitland is a Family Medicine physician and medical educator. She earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Boston University School of Public Health, her medical degree is from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine and she completed her postgraduate resident training at the Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency program. She practices clinically and teaches both medical students and residents. She is very knowledgeable and willing to help people navigate through this difficult time. She is a personal friend, colleague, a follower of Christ and someone I trust and respect deeply. And she took time out of her busy practice to speak to us.

Again, our conversation is not political or based on ideology. It is dialogue from a public health perspective. We are health care providers who address health care and medical issues. So please listen to learn. Disagree if you like, but please be respectful of our medical profession and its physicians who are taking care of our families. We know not everyone agrees on every aspect of this pandemic, but let’s model Christ and love our neighbors.

Let’s continue to pray for our exhausted medical providers. They are doing their best to keep up with care, but they need God’s strength during this challenging time. So how about if we all took a few minutes at the start of our day and pray for their protection, safety, energy, rest and alertness.

Lord, we thank you for all the front-line workers, the ICU nurses, doctors and support staff, the chaplains in the hospitals, the hospice workers and more. Sustain them. Strengthen them and bring relief to us as a nation. Help us to stay dependent on you for wisdom and discernment in all we do. Help us also to bring the hope that we have in you no matter our circumstances. Amen

New variant, new stress: A physician answers your questions: Part 2 of 2