A tropical storm tore through Texas this past weekend.
Tons of rain, some wind, widespread flooding.
People in isolation.
My telemedicine provider put me on “alert.”
I took almost 150 calls over three days.
Most were simple, some involved some taxing problems—especially since the pharmacies were nearly all closed.
One was a woman in labor panicking and not knowing what to do.
I was able to care for them all, to get them what they needed.
I had the same experience in Ohio last winter during a particularly nasty snow.
No resources, just me and the patient over the phone doing the best we could.
It was terrifically rewarding.
Whenever I tell my former partners I’m making a living doing telemedicine, I usually get a sigh and a comment of envy. Every once in a while, someone makes a snide comment about the easy work and not making a difference.
That’s when I think about weekends like this—and smile.