Elissa B. Gartenberg, D.O.

05/04/2022

Seeking a great medical assistant to join our fun team! We have the best patients! Great benefits including insurance!

06/08/2021

Using the Drug ivermectin to treat COVID-19 can be dangerous and even lethal. The FDA has not approved the drug for that purpose.

05/13/2021

The agreement is one of several new measures the White House hopes will help the nation reach 160 million fully vaccinated adults by the holiday.

03/24/2021

07/17/2020

05/30/2020

A detailed county map shows the extent of the coronavirus outbreak, with tables of the number of cases by county.

05/09/2020

This is a diagram from a medical journal depicting how the COVID-19 virus was spread at a restaurant in China. You can see that one person was diagnosed January 24th was carrying the virus and infected 9 others at the restaurant that evening. As a medical professional, I advise not to risk exposure going to restaurants or beauty salons until we have better containment of the virus.

While the state of AZ has opened up dining establishments and beauty salons, it is difficult to wear masks while eating and getting your hair done. No matter how nice and wonderful these establishments are, from a medical standpoint, we don’t know who is carrying the virus. We don’t have acceptable testing methods yet. I have young patients sick with the virus with unusual blood clots and strokes. Because there are different strains of this supervirus and we know the virus is currently mutating, going out in public without a mask is very risky! While we all want to get back to normal, remember sneezing and coughing can aerosolize the virus which spreads the droplets to a wider and farther distance.

One person (maybe you) can be carrying the virus with no symptoms and accidentally infect multiple others by not taking the spread seriously. You could be the cause for other asymptomatic people catching it and dying. Or you could be the one catching it. Our government is obviously more concerned about the economy than your individual health. While this message is not meant to be political, our politicians are interfering with the public’s health. This message is to educate so, people can take educated risks.

04/08/2020

I am so disturbed by our elected politicians’ circus tricks and delayed actions. There is no leadership! There is a complete disconnect from the medical reality and the government’s delayed actions. The governor of AZ is making medical decisions for everyone right now! When did he go to medical school?

I call the health department multiple times a day for various questions and get the same very vague answers. They defer everything back to me the treating physician. No guidance. No help! So, I found a resource where I can text physicians in China and other countries to get medical advice for my patients with COVID-19. Due to lack of Protective Equipment, I’m limited in how I can work up and treat patients. It is beyond frustrating when other countries have more resources than we do right now! China was completely prepared before the virus even started! They are doing much better now because they have been through viral outbreaks before and are hard core communists taking charge of the pandemic from the beginning and enforcing quarantine. Other Asian countries had safety measures already in place, as well. Countries with socialized medicine also have more strict procedures and guidance from their governments. In the USA, we have a lack of leadership and guidance.
We have no standard of care. Politicians are not listening to public health recommendations. Trump flat out rejected the W.H.O.’s recommendations today!

What is going on? Politicians don’t trust medical decisions makers! They seem to care more about big business than the health of individual citizens!

I have patients with the virus having fever and cough refusing quarantine because they have to go to work to make a living! When I tried to report my concerns, the health department told me there is nothing they can do but tell me the exact same thing over and over - they need to quarantine and isolate until they are completely 100% better for 72 hours. But what do we do when the patient refuses?

Yesterday, a nurse at the AZDHS told me to call the governor’s office because he wasn’t allowing them to do anything. Tuberculosis patients are forced to isolate and quarantine but not COVID-19 patients!

Apparently, Arizona Governor Ducey is not heeding the health department’s advice and the health department workers are frustrated with hundreds of calls like mine. Our governor is fostering the spread of COVID-19 with his politics and delay in taking action.

After multiple unanswered emails and calls to the governor, I finally got through to someone at his office today! I learned that because we live in a democratic country, we have the freedom to spread our germs! This freedom is far more precious for the governor to uphold than to enforce a patient to stay in quarantine! There are no mandates or fines or act of crime to go to work knowingly sick; knowing you are spreading a potentially fatal virus to others! There are no benefits to my patient to want to stay home and miss work and miss getting paid.

While I feel for all of the “essential businesses” out there and appreciate my freedom of speech to post this message, I warn everyone to please be extra careful! We must be defensive in this country to protect ourselves from the virus spreaders because there is not much assistance from our government in stopping the spread. So, stay home, wear a mask over your nose and mouth. Wear gloves. Wash your hands multiple times. Wipe down everything you touch.

All food handlers should be wearing masks and gloves at this point in the pandemic. Please be very careful ordering take out and delivery! Make sure the food handlers are wearing protective masks and gloves because there are no mandates (except for gloves)and I have a food handling patient going to work at a popular restaurant who may be coughing on your food! (I can not give out any details due to HIPAA but this individual is not the only person out there infected and working). Be careful!

All groceries and packaging needs to be wiped down with disinfectant. Buy veggies that are wrapped in plastic and wipe them down before opening. If they are exposed, you can use some soapy water to wash off the skins and rinse well or remove the skins before consuming.

Also, look out for tons of scams out there! There are lab testing scams and charity scams. Question everything and only trust reliable sources. Please stay home and stay safe! By staying home, you are a home warrior!

03/15/2020

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Call your doctor if you develop symptoms.

03/06/2020

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/926089?src=WNL_trdalrt_200305_MSCPEDIT&uac=111596SX&impID=2300885&faf=1

According to new information from a Chinese patient cohort, the fatality rate may be 'considerably less than 1%,' instead of the 2% previously reported, write Anthony Fauci, MD, and colleagues.

03/02/2020

Find local events on Nextdoor, the neighborhood hub.

02/03/2020

If you are 50, it’s time for your senior picture and a wellness check! You can book your appointment online at www.modernfamilymedicine.com

10/22/2018

We are hosting our 3rd Annual Pappy Hour TM in awareness of Breast Cancer month and Women's Health! We are offering an evening of quick pap smear appointments with the physician and hosting a party in our classroom! Simon Med is catering food, make up artist doing demos, Dr. Anna Natcher, podiatrist, will make shoe recommendations for proper shoes for your feet, Dr. Sarika Desai will be giving suggestions on integrative heart health. Gilat Ben-Dor, Life Coach and entrepreneur, will be signing her books. Attendees can make a FREE aromatherapy spritzer. All registered guests will receive a gift bag with lots of great samples! To register, please call 602-363-1631. You don't need to book a pap smear to attend. Men also welcome. No charge for the even but we request that you pre-register to reserve your spectacular gift bag!