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April 7, 2020

Now is NOT the Time to Reduce Support for Emergency Physicians

If there was ever a moment to be proud to be an emergency physician, now is that time. You have shown courage, skill, and ingenuity in the face of terrible crisis

Today, ACEP is issuing a statement that the College is standing up for emergency physicians who, despite serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, are having their livelihoods threatened.

We are fighting a war with insufficient armor, and yet emergency physicians’ commitment remains unshaken. However, that battle gets exponentially harder if employers or elected officials fail to step up and protect us. 

There are shocking reports of health care workers being threatened or silenced for speaking out about public safety concerns. Some are being removed from their duties when they are needed most, an unconscionable choice whether driven by economic necessity or worse, the self-preserving discretion of an employer.   

Many emergency departments in rural or underserved communities are seeing a decline in patient volume - likely a positive outcome from official mandates to stay home. But this is one of several economic realities that puts emergency departments, which already operate on razor-thin margins, in a precarious position.  

Cutting benefits or reducing shifts in today’s environment is akin to signing a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ order for many emergency departments and the physicians who care for patients, especially those in rural or underserved areas. Turning off the lights at these vital emergency departments eliminates the best, and sometimes the only, option for care for these communities.

Now more than ever we need to rally behind you, our members, and that means ensuring you have the resources and support you need as we fight this protracted battle

This pandemic will end at some point, and this country may look and feel very different when we emerge. It is often said that crisis reveals character. You on the frontline are risking your lives to do your jobs. And in these challenging times, emergency physicians must not be taken for granted. 

ACEP4U: Supporting You Financially

Here are just a few tangible ways that ACEP is fighting to protect your livelihood during the COVID-19 pandemic:

 

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