Clarissa Kripke, MD

  

By mid-February, it was clear that people with developmental disabilities served by the Developmental Primary Care Practice were at grave risk from the coronavirus; from economic struggles that would decimate the service systems upon which they depend; and from lack of access to care for their many medical, psychiatric, developmental and behavioral problems. I said, “None of us have expertise or a protocol for managing a pandemic, but that is what we are called to do. None of us think this is our job. But it has to be. Doing the best we can will be a lot better than failing to act. We need to do this now.” On a Saturday morning in early May, I met with the courageous and dedicated service providers via Zoom. Together, we agreed to protect health and safety first and sort out the legal, financial, and logistical issues later. So far, we haven’t had any clients or staff fall ill. We are very grateful that Golden Gate Regional Center and the Department of Developmental Services have now come through with regulatory relief and financial help to support us. The real challenges, however, still lie ahead.

 

Clarissa Kripke, MD, FAAFP
Health Sciences Clinical Professor
Director, Office of Developmental Primary Care
Director CART Services Mobile Consult Team
Director Developmental Primary Care Service