We’re finally coming out of the pandemic and there’s so many wonderful things to look forward to personally and professionally. I’m especially happy thinking about the kids getting back to school with more normalcy this fall and being with their friends and beloved teachers. Our school-based counselors will also be in the schools again to help the kids with the transition back into the classroom full time. The kids will have some apprehension and anxiety about another major transition, but we’ll be with them along the journey to help ensure their success.

In times of crisis, I like to reflect and look for the positive things that can come from it. Sometimes there’s a teachable moment or a new perspective we haven’t considered. The negative hits us with such force, but we must not forget that bad times can also bring out the best in people. We can open our hearts even more with grace, love, and kindness. We can grow when confronted with life’s challenges.

At Seven Counties Services, we help people with developmental and intellectual disabilities embrace their independence and empower them to achieve it in their daily lives. Let me introduce you to one of our long-term clients, a 56-year-old named Robin, who receives services through our Developmental Disabilities team.

Telemedicine technology has been around for a few decades but it was never optimally utilized until the COVID-19 pandemic. Insurance reimbursement was a big barrier in utilizing telemedicine along with other systems barriers. In March 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). After this, telemedicine was considered the preferred modality of treatment in the health care industry, and insurance supported the use of this technology. This was a big change for physicians. We had to adapt to this new technology within days. This transition had its pros and cons, and there was a lot of uncertainty about the usage of telemedicine at that time. When the pandemic started, we were worried if we would be able to continue to safely provide care for our patients or not. With telemedicine as a preferred modality, several of us started working from home. It’s been more than a year now since we have been doing Telemedicine and it has been an interesting experience. Some of us love it and some not so much.