Winter Travel Reminders
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/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2021

Winter Travel Reminders

Winter weather is upon us, and with it increased risks involved in daily travel as well as long-distance road trips for holiday getaways. Many are not prepared to properly prevent and handle travel accidents. Now is an excellent time to review the steps that can prevent travel mishaps and the appropriate measures to take, should an untimely accident arise.

Keep your car equipped and in good repair. As winter approaches, equip your car with an ice scraper, a snowbrush, jumper cables, and snow tires. Abide by regular maintenance recommendations, and have a mechanic check the car before long trips for any mechanical issues. Also, ensure that the tires are properly inflated, that wipers thoroughly clear the windshield, that fluids are topped off, and that you have plenty of gas.  

Equip your car with a winter first aid kit.  Gathering an emergency kit of items you would need is well worth the time and expense. It would even make a great gift for those people in your life who are tough to buy for. Ensure your car is equipped with a jack and lug wrench to change a tire. Older vehicles do not always have their originally supplied equipment. For emergencies at any time of year, you would likely want to have several other items on hand. Pack a cell phone charger or rechargeable battery pack; a flashlight, hand-cranked or with extra batteries; a first aid kit, including band-aides, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipes, gauze pads, antiseptic ointment, and medical wrap; bottled water; and road flares or reflective triangles.

For winter travel emergencies, include windshield washing fluid, a bag of sand to be used for extra traction, a collapsible snow shovel, emergency blanket, work gloves, safety whistle, and hand warmers. Those who are traveling outside cell reception, could also include a car fire extinguisher; tire gauge; a multi-tool; baby wipes; duct tape; blankets; non-perishable, high-energy foods, like energy bars or trail mix; a battery-powered radio; matches in a water-proof container; cord and scissors; and a compass.

Know your route. Plan your route in advance. Be sure to prepare with both electronic means of navigation and paper directions, and let a friend or family member know which way you intend to go and when you expect to arrive. Check in with them once you get there.   

Check the conditions. Pay attention to the weather forecast for the time you will be traveling. Also, ensure that you, yourself, are in good health. Viral illnesses, like the flu or COVID-19, can slow response times significantly. If you are feeling unwell or the weather looks treacherous, cancel the trip.

Dress for the worst. Be sure to have clothes that would protect you from the cold, if your car could no longer be used as a source of heat or if you had to be outside for a while. Also have an extra pair of clothes to change into, should the ones you are wearing become wet. Wear or carry boots, a hat, warm gloves, scarf, and coat.

Leave extra time. Give yourself more time for travel. You may need to slow your speed and increase following distance. Do not be in a rush. Budget time to brush off car entirely, including the roof, bumpers, and all of the lights. Snow can slide off the roof of the car and impair visibility for you and other drivers. Clean the windshield and wipers of all snow and ice.

In case of an accident, leave your car only to place flares or reflective triangles at the front and rear. Don’t try to push your vehicle out of the snow. Make sure the exhaust pipe is free of snow, mud, or other objects, and keep the car running with the heat on, if possible. Call for help.

While we can’t prevent every instance of trouble, we can be prudent and prepare in ways that will improve our ability to keep ourselves and our passengers safe.

Crystal Labbe-Hasty, PA-C, is a physician assistant at SVMC ExpressCare in Bennington. It is part of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and Southwestern Vermont Health Care.  

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Resuming Regular Care

So many important medical appointments were booked for March and April and canceled during the height of the pandemic. Now we are beginning to refocus on the fact that skipping appointments, even if you are feeling well now, could become harmful.

One important group of patients that we are eager to see are those with serious chronic conditions. These diseases require patients to see their primary care provider or a specialist at least once a year and sometimes far more frequently than that. Those with heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for instance, all require regular contact with your provider.

Another group of patients we'd like to see are those with new medical concerns. We know that new medical concerns don't stop during a pandemic. Some conditions, like depression and anxiety, are far more prevalent during a pandemic than before. In many cases, new conditions are easiest to treat when patients first notice symptoms, and delaying care for these conditions can be dangerous.

Even regular care for those who are healthy is as important as ever. Other diseases—cancer in particular—haven't gone away. So, if you would normally be getting a screening such as a colonoscopy or mammogram, it's time to schedule an appointment. Many cancers can be detected and treated early with better outcomes. We can only expect those good results, if people are screened.

For children, regular vaccines are very important. If a big portion of the population neglects to get important childhood vaccines on schedule, we may be susceptible to outbreaks of measles or whooping cough.

There are many steps we have taken to improve safety for those seeking medical care. The first one is the availability of telemedicine. If the condition you are seeking treatment for does not require diagnostics or a physical exam, your provider can meet you virtually using any Internet-enabled device or over the phone. See details here.

If you do need to come to the office, you will notice check-ins at entrances, where staff check patients and visitors for respiratory symptoms and ensure that all are masked. You'll also notice efforts to space the waiting rooms to improve social distancing.

So how do you get the care you need?

  • If you have a primary care provider, call in to see what you may have missed during the pandemic. Did you miss an appointment to manage a chronic condition? Also share any new health concerns you have and check that you and your family members are up to date on all of your screenings and vaccinations.
  • If you don’t have a regular doctor, it makes sense to get one now. Locally, call the find-a-provider line at 802-447-5007 for a directory of practices that are accepting new patients.
  • Those with time-sensitive medical needs can use ExpressCare, a walk-in clinic, on the hospital campus in Bennington. Be sure to call ahead to 802-440-4077 if you have respiratory symptoms.
  • For Emergency Care, always come directly to the SVMC Emergency Department.

Most off all, we want our patients to know that we are here for them. There is no longer a need to delay medical care, whether for known conditions, new concerns, or preventive care. In every step we take, we are protecting patients against COVID-19 and helping patients with all of their other medical needs, too.

Bob Schwartz, MD, is associate medical director of Dartmouth- Hitchcock Putnam Physicians at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington and a family medicine physician at SVMC Northshire Campus in Manchester.

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