Public service campaign ‘Stop Medical Distancing’ encourages people to get needed care for long-term health

55% of surveyed U.S. adults who skipped or delayed care had underlying medical conditions, recent CDC report shows
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that more than 41% of U.S. adults skipped or delayed medical care due to COVID-19. Of those, nearly 55% had underlying medical conditions.
Public health leaders continue to emphasize the importance of maintaining physical distance to help slow the spread of COVID-19, including masks and wearing them correctly. At the same time, however, it’s important to long-term health that people manage existing conditions and get needed care. Doctors, hospitals and other health care providers have worked hard since the pandemic first began to enhance safety measures so patients are protected from coronavirus infection while receiving the care they need.
In an effort to encourage our members and the broader community to safely seek out health care, Regence is proud to support the public service campaign “Stop Medical Distancing.” Started by founding partners that include LabCorp, the American Heart Association, Humana, McKesson, Walgreens and Providence, the campaign calls out the need for people to stop delaying care and instead start seeing their doctors again—whether that means in-person visit or using telemedicine.
Fear of contracting COVID-19 has kept people from accessing important care—this includes calling 911 or going to the emergency room with symptoms of heart attack or stroke, follow-up appointments after procedures, cancer screenings and treatments, and routine care for chronic conditions, to name just a few.
At this stage in the pandemic, medical facilities are prepared to keep people safe and continue to treat patients. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to start talking to your doctor again. Regence members can find in-network providers, explore health plan benefits, and more by visiting regence.com. Our Regence Customer Service team is also available to members by calling the number on the back of their ID card. We’re here to help.