Philly Leader

Dr. Marion Mass has witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic from her perspective while working as a pediatrician in suburban Philadelphia.

Her diagnosis: America needs a reopening guided by physicians, epidemiologists, and other experts who are thinking not only about COVID-19, but those vulnerable to the lockdown itself. Speaking for herself, not her facility, Dr. Mass offers these views and ideas.

“I have worked straight through the pandemic. We are not in a ‘hot zone’ like New York, in part because we are suburban and rather spread out,” she told The Philly Leader. “I’ve seen a few kids that seemed to fit the clinical picture, but their RNA swabs were negative. I was fully suited up for them and every patient that was at risk.”

Mass said there are a lot of people who need to be closely watched and assisted through this difficult time.

“I believe we need to protect the vulnerable. Protect kids vulnerable to depression, abuse, anxiety and suicide,” Dr. Mass said. “Protect families at risk from domestic abuse, drug abuse/addiction and depression due to social isolation and economic anxieties. These groups need choices of returning to some semblance of life. Of course we need to balance this with the need to protect all at risk for mortality from COVID-19. This last group is a small subset. Every life is important.”

That’s why she joined Restore American Communities Safely, a coalition of doctors, scientists, public health officials, economists and social scientists who say they are “uniting to get the country and the economy back on its feet.”

Dr. Mass said its members and the many doctors with whom they are speaking are “very excited” to share their views.

“I joined because I feel there is so much misinformation flying around. This stems from some well-meaning media, and some sensationalistic media,” she said. “In addition, I have long been a proponent that the government has no business meddling in medical decisions. And here they are, meddling worse than ever. It’s terrible for patients!”

Dr. Mass attended Duke Medical School and trained at Northwestern in Chicago at the Robert Lurie Children's Hospital.

“I have practiced for 21 years in the Philly region, in the role of hospitalist for 13 years, (with ER nursery and inpatient experience) four in outpatient peds, and for the last three years in pediatric urgent care,” she said.

She co-founded Practicing Physicians of America, serves on the board of Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership and the editorial board of Bucks County Courier Times and Intelligencer. Mass stays busy, but not as much clinically since the pandemic.

“My institution has been great with communication,” she said. “Since COVID-19 lockdowns began, we are seeing very few patients...about 20 percent of the usual numbers.”

She said there has been an unexpected and pleasant side effect.

“I really have time with these patients. Lots of them have questions,” Dr. Mass said. “Many teens and parents are scared that they will not have a full and normal life. A few are dealing with incredible anxiety.”

While she has been working through the pandemic, she has not felt at risk.

“I have not felt scared for my own mortality. I'm 51, so in a younger age bracket, and I don’t have any pre-existing conditions. I am very fortunate,” Mass said. “But I think getting an HIV-positive needle stick as a med student prepared me to know that my career would have times like this.”

Dr. Mass offers this prescription for healing the nation:

“We should move forward together, playing as little Monday morning quarterback as possible,” she said. “Check our fear and anger at the door, and not allow politics to come into play. We need to be ‘purple’ Americans — not chosing to side with a political party, but with a bright future for all Americans.”