Cinnaminson Native Advises Doctors Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

CINNAMINSON, NJ — Although the world has been dealing with the coronavirus for most of the last year, there is still much the public doesn’t know about the disease and how to protect itself from it. For instance, many people struggle with the proper way to put on a mask.

Renee Fusco, a Cinnaminson native who advises healthcare professionals throughout South Jersey, Mercer and Monmouth counties, can help.

“Doctors haven’t seen patients not want to wear a mask. They’ve seen them want to cover their mouth and not their nose,” said Advanced Infection Control Concepts founder Fusco. “They need to be reminded that wearing their mask underneath their nose is ineffective.”

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Patients make that decision not to cover their nose for no reason other than they don’t know any better. It’s more comfortable to wear their mask under their nose, and they might not know the importance of covering their nose to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there,” Fusco, who now lives in Palmyra, said. “I’ve read studies for over 30 years, and I know what good information sounds like, but the general public might not. You learn science in high school, but you forget about it when you’re in your 40s.”

Fusco studied science in high school, and then she went on to become a registered nurse for long-term care facilities and home health care centers. She was working as a nurse in a facility in the mid 1990s when their infection control professional left. The facility didn’t fill the position, and Fusco ended up in that spot. Although it wasn’t what she set out to do with her life, she embraced it and never looked back.

“I haven’t been bored in 23 years,” Fusco said. “I don’t work in direct care anymore, but I have the ability to impact physician and patient safety.”

She became certified in 2000, and is re-certified every five years. She also retains her nursing certification. Fusco advises ambulatory centers, dialysis centers, doctors and dentists, helping them to understand what they need to do to be in compliance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations. This pandemic has provided a great challenge across the board.

“Patients still need healthcare, and physicians and staff are concerned for their own safety,” Fusco said.

She said it’s important for them to continue to care for patients who need help beyond the pandemic. For their own safety, she’s advised healthcare professionals to see patients via telemedicine first if possible.

“For example, a dermatologist can have you take a picture of your lesion and treat it without direct contact,” Fusco said.

Virtua Health has said it has helped tens of thousands of South Jersey residents with its telehealth program amid the coronavirus pandemic. It recently received a $75,000 grant from TD Bank's charitable arm to expand the program. Read more here: Virtua Health Expands Telehealth Program Amid Pandemic

But some patients are going to have to come in. In that case, the patient needs to be pre-screened, and anyone who shows any possibility of having coronavirus should be seen at the end of the day in a private room.

When all patients come in, they should wash their hands, maintain social distancing, and of course, wear a mask, Fusco said.

“Even if you’re in a room by yourself and you take your mask off, you can put infected germs out in the air and then the physician can be exposed,” Fusco said.

It’s one reason why indoor environments are more dangerous than being outside. It could be one reason the state has struggled when it comes to reopening certain businesses indoors. Read more here: Gov. Murphy To Allow Expanded Reopening Of NJ Dining

Fusco also made an argument to continue staying home.

“This infection is spread by asymptomatic people,” Fusco said. “People show symptoms of other diseases eventually, but how do you do trace contacting if you don’t know who’s infected?”

Read more here: More Than 100 Coronavirus Cases Linked To NJ Colleges: Report

“The virus will go wherever people take it,” Fusco said. “It’s important to limit your contact with other people as much as possible.”

See related: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here’s What You Need To Know