bethesda health physician group - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T10:53:19Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/bethesda+health+physician+groupHealth & Harmony: Pharmacist, doctor see pandemic precautions cut down on colds, fluhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/health-harmony-pharmacist-doctor-see-pandemic-precautions-cut-dow2021-04-27T20:13:11.000Z2021-04-27T20:13:11.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8857068892,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8857068892,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="8857068892?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><em>Even after receiving COVID-19 vaccines, store manager Tom and Erin Craig, a pharmacist, wear protective masks in their Gulfstream Pharmacy whenever customers are present. The pharmacy has been in the family since 1957. <strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>By Joyce Reingold</strong></p>
<p>As seasonal Gulfstream Pharmacy customers began arriving last October, Erin Craig started noticing a trend. The demand for some traditionally top-selling seasonal items was declining steeply, the pharmacist says. And it wasn’t the sunscreen.</p>
<p>“Usually, we’re dispensing a lot of cough drops and antihistamines and things for colds and flu, which we haven’t at all,” Craig said in mid-April. “Antibiotics have gone way down this year. From October all the way through today, very few antibiotics have been needed for chest infections and a lot of bronchial infections.” </p>
<p>Craig, who co-owns the pharmacy in Briny Breezes with her husband, Tom, says face masking, hand washing and social distancing seem to have suppressed the number of customers’ seasonal colds, coughs and congestion. Those precautions were meant to control the spread of the coronavirus. </p>
<p>Zinc, vitamin D, vitamin C and other immune system boosters have been popular items this season. “There have been a lot of changes for sure,” Craig says.<br />West to the mainland, Dr. Andrew Savin emphatically confirms the Craigs’ anecdotal evidence. </p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8857070498,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8857070498,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="139" height="174" alt="8857070498?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a>“I continue to notice virtually no cases of the typical colds, sinus infections or viral bronchitis in my practice since March 2020,” says Savin, an internal medicine physician with the Bethesda Health Physician Group, which is part of Baptist Health South Florida. </p>
<p>“The amount of contact from person-to-person has greatly diminished the number of those cases, which in some respects has been what could be considered a medical benefit from this pandemic.”</p>
<p>Cases of seasonal influenza have been trending downward, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For the week ending April 3, the CDC reported “lower than usual” seasonal influenza activity. But, the CDC warns on its website, pandemic conditions may be affecting the monitoring and reporting of flu cases, and this data should not diminish the importance of flu shots.</p>
<p>While public health officials and medical professionals assess how the pandemic is changing the health-scape, the Craigs continue to evolve their business to meet their customers’ needs. It’s what they’ve been doing at Gulfstream Pharmacy since 1957, when Bill Strucker, Erin’s father, first opened the doors. The second-generation owners have kept them open throughout the pandemic. </p>
<p>Prescriptions are delivered to cars if customers prefer. The pharmacy has a well-curated stock of over-the-counter medications. It has gifts and greeting cards — and warm, friendly service with trusted guidance, which according to a 2020 Hamacher Resource Group shopper survey, are two of the top reasons why consumers choose family-owned and independent pharmacies.</p>
<p>“We’ve been busy — pretty much the same as we’ve always been. Some customers didn’t come back because they’re from Canada or they’re elderly and didn’t have their shots yet. But on the whole, we’ve been pretty busy throughout this whole year,” Craig says.</p>
<p>“I think people maybe feel safer because they’re in a smaller store with only a few people rather than in the big box stores where there are a lot of people. So, I think that helps us. And then, we have some gift items that maybe someone who doesn’t want to go to a mall, or someone who is close by, would rather come in here and just get something quickly. … I think there were different reasons for people to come in.”</p>
<p>In April, as seasonal residents returned to their summer homes, the Craigs remained busy with the year-round trade. Gulfstream Pharmacy will be open this summer from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. </p>
<p>And while it’s too soon to know what next season will bring, Savin says it’s possible this year’s trend will continue: “I would not be surprised if some of the typical cold viruses are even eradicated, or at least attenuated, for years,” he says.</p>
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<p><em>Joyce Reingold writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to joyce.reingold@yahoo.com.</em></p></div>Business Spotlight: Doctor offers concierge care without a concierge price taghttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/business-spotlight-doctor-offers-concierge-care-without-a-concier2015-04-01T17:03:55.000Z2015-04-01T17:03:55.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960566655,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960566655,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="360" alt="7960566655?profile=original" /></a><em>Dr. Acey Albert, primary care physician, at his office in Palm Beach.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Linda Haase<br /><br /></strong> When Dr. Acey Albert volunteers at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, he works in makeshift conditions: The medical tent is pitched on a pier and chaise lounges are transformed into exam tables. <br /> Here, at his medical office in Palm Beach, things are a bit more upscale. But, in keeping with the locale (it’s steps away from the Four Seasons and the Tideline Ocean Resort & Spa), there is a tropical flair — the artwork is colorful and the walls are awash in color. <br /> The practice, part of the Bethesda Health Physician Group, opened about a year ago. Albert, who has a medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics, feels right at home in Palm Beach. <br /> “I know the Palm Beaches well,” says Albert, who was born in Miami and grew up in Jupiter (he even attended a debutante cotillion at The Breakers). <br /> These days, the Jupiter High School grad spends lots of time on the island. He sees patients at his Ocean Boulevard office (when he gets to eat lunch out, he enjoys the restaurant at Palm Beach Par 3) then he usually runs on the island after work. <br /> Afterward, the 42-year-old heads for his hometown where he lives with his wife, Allison, and their 14-year-old daughter, Julia. Weekends are often spent outdoors, going to the beach or stand-up paddleboarding. <br /> Albert has been an athlete for years — he ran cross country at Jupiter High and at University of Florida, where he got a bachelor of science in exercise and sport sciences. He competed in the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon, among others. <br /> Although he has the utmost respect — and awe — for those robust souls who endure Ironman events, he’s much more comfortable helping out in the medical arena. <br /> “They are just amazing athletes and it is great energy to be around,” says Albert, who previously practiced with Kaiser Permanente in Denver, where he was the regional expert in the management of hypertension. <br /> Almost all of the Ironman participants come through the tent — for everything from dehydration to stitches (one was a 74-year-old contestant hit by a car who had to be cajoled to stop running and receive medical care), says Albert.<br /> In Palm Beach, Albert sees a diverse clientele, including patients who live just across the bridge. “There aren’t a lot of physicians here but there are a lot of patients who need care on the island,” he says. <br /> His office prides itself on efficiency. “While we have a lovely waiting room it is often a lovely, empty waiting room. And it’s not because we aren’t busy. We do a good job of bringing patients back to the exam rooms quickly,” he quips. “This is a concierge level practice without the concierge fee.”<strong><br /><br /></strong><em>Dr. Acey Albert’s office is at 2875 S. Ocean Blvd., Suite 208, Palm Beach; 588-0411 or draceyalbert.com.</em></p>
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