Continuity grows

In 2018, there were 389 diabetes-related deaths in Cumberland County, according to the CDC’s multiple cause of death data. Nationally, men are more likely to have the illness as a contributing cause of death than women. Amro Ilaiwy, MD, associate program director of the internal medicine residency program at Cape Fear Valley Health, knows all about diabetes and the medical problems it can spawn, including heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, amputations and others. Ilaiwy wants to turn things around in Cumberland County and hopes the Cape Fear Valley Residency Endocrine Clinic can help do just that. Plans call for the clinic to open inside the Cape Fear Valley Continuity Clinic this September. The Continuity Clinic, which is staffed by resident physicians under the supervision of internal medicine physicians, was created to address the growing number of patients who need ongoing care but don’t have a primary care physician. Patients can be referred to the clinic by a hospital, emergency department or self-referral. Each patient is taken on by a resident who then becomes their primary care physician. While the Continuity Clinic hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, the Residency Endocrine Clinic will be open to patients on Mondays. “We have private endocrinologists at Cape Fear Valley who provide excellent care. Our clinic aims to provide additional access to endocrine care in the Fayetteville area and help shorten the time needed to see an endocrinologist,” Ilaiwy said. “We’ll be able to help patients with diabetes, weight management, thyroid disorders and adrenal and pituitary disorders. There’s a big need in Fayetteville for this clinic.” Currently, there are 58 residents in Cape Fear Valley Health’s internal residency program. Each Monday the clinic is open, patients will be seen by a resident and Ilaiwy. Dieticians and a pharmacist will also be part of the program, he said. “Having a dietician and a pharmacist on site will allow more access to specialized care so that patients won’t have to travel as far for appointments,” he said. “Also, people with pending appointments in the Cape Fear Valley system will be able to be seen sooner.” The new endocrinology clinic in Fayetteville will be a teaching clinic, enabling patients to receive extended care with visits lasting between 30 and 45 minutes – a considerable length of time to spend with a physician.

“As an educator of my patients and resident physicians, it’s my intention for the clinic to take a holistic approach to the patients’ needs while demonstrating a deeper understanding of their medical problems. We will try to take care of our patients as a whole.”

Ilaiwy said about 50 percent of the patients who present for primary care clinics at Cape Fear Valley Health have diabetes type 1 or 2. At the new endocrinology clinic, they will be provided with continuity of care. “I serve both as a primary care attending physician (internal medicine specialist) at the residency primary care clinic and as an endocrinologist within the health system, so I wear two different hats,” Ilaiwy said. There’s no question Ilaiwy is the right person to run the new endocrinology clinic. Since joining Cape Fear Valley’s internal medicine residency program as associate director in 2021, he has become an integral part of the faculty at the continuity clinic. He completed his internal medicine residency training at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and also did fellowship training in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Duke University. As a clinician with deep roots in academia, Ilaiwy has published many articles and is passionate about teaching. He’s excited about the opportunity to use his expertise as an educator to work with patients, while teaching them about their health and providing the tools they need to achieve their goals. He has also been a physician long enough to know that educated patients have a better chance of improving their conditions than those who lack knowledge about their medical circumstances. “If we can educate patients about their health through the new endocrinology clinic, I think it will empower them to become more vested in improving their health,” Ilaiwy said. “That is certainly one of our goals, and I hope for the sake of our patients, we succeed.” The Continuity Clinic is located at 1218 Walter Reed Road, Fayetteville, NC 28304. For more information on appointments or referrals call (910) 615-3960.