Values
and GoalsIt is an honor and a privilege to serve the membership of the San Bernardino County Medical Society as your 109th president. Being 109th means that I follow the successful leadership efforts of 108 illustrious presidents, who have all left their marks on the history of our society. At this time I would like to take the opportunity to salute my most recent predecessors, past-presidents Dev Gnanadev, Kenneth Lane, Victor Ching, and Peggy Fritzsche. Although it will be difficult to fill their shoes, I will do my utmost to lead this organization as effectively as they have done. I also look forward this year to working more closely with the officers, the board, the delegation, and the medical society staff.
Both SBCMS and IWIN are dedicated to improving public health and we offer many community services. As a group, our physician members have instituted several programs to benefit the community. I would like to mention a few of our successful ongoing programs. The African American Health Initiative (AAHI) was designed in 1999 to organize community action aimed at reducing or eliminating health risks and improving the overall health quality among the African American population of San Bernardino County by building coordinated health systems. Representatives from the Public Health Department and over 30 organizations have joined with SBCMS and IWIN. They have agreed to work on the initiative to bring data, service coordination, expertise and other resources to address the health disparities of African Americans. AAHI was not designed to provide direct medical services, rather, to build a comprehensive infrastructure that provides education to professionals and patients alike, and builds linkages to health services through schools, the faith community, local businesses, and the public/private health and human sector.
The "Live and Then Give" program is a partnership designed to improve health and save lives by making more donated organs and tissues available in the Inland Empire. The SBCMS, IWIN and the Riverside County Medical Association implemented this program to increase the number of pledged organ and tissue donors in our community. Other programs well worth mentioning are our Healthy Lifestyle Contest, an annual event for elementary school children providing cash awards and certificates; and the "Superheroes Protecting Kids" Crusade that promotes anti-smoking and bicycle safety at events, school assemblies and area malls.
Last but certainly not least is our Medical Museum, the vision-come-true of the Historical Committee, a collection of medical artifacts and a medical library with volumes dating back to the 1800's. The museum is a valuable teaching experience for students and community groups who are interested in the history of medicine and an effort well worth the Medical Society's continuing support.
Placing a more disciplined focus on our Medical Society's core mission and purpose is one of my goals for the year. I would like to quickly review our mission/purpose and our motto, and then I would like to share with you what I envision as our values, our objectives, and our future.
Core Mission and Purpose: The San Bernardino County Medical Society, founded in 1878, is a professional membership organization comprised of physicians practicing medicine in San Bernardino County. The purposes of this Society are to promote and develop the art and the science of medicine, to conserve and protect the public health, to promote the betterment of the medical profession, to cooperate with organizations of like purposes, and to unite with similar societies of other counties of the state to form the California Medical Association.
Motto: The motto of the SBCMS is Physicians Who Care.
My Envisioned Values: Excellence in all we do
Integrity and ethical behavior
My Envisioned Objective: To be an authoritative voice and influential advocate for patients and physicians.
Our Envisioned Future: I envision the future of SBCMS/CMA as an essential part of the professional life of every physician.
My other main goal this year is to increase membership. We all recognize that membership is key to a thriving organization. At the heart of all we do is serving our members and their professional needs. An active and growing membership is central to the overall success of our effectiveness. Far beyond their financial contribution, it is our members' presence and voice that drives our organization.
Organized medicine will help keep medicine in the hands of physicians, bringing them together in common purpose and making their voices heard. In this way, your membership becomes a means to a vital end: protecting, preserving and promoting the science and art of medicine. Physician and patient advocacy cannot be conducted without a strong, energized membership. Nothing is more important than sustaining, maintaining, and nurturing our relationship with our members.
We have much to do this year. We will lobby for a 20 percent increase in Medi-Cal reimbursement for 2001/2002. We would like the reimbursement raised to at least 80% of Medicare. We have been successful in the past with mighty efforts to protect the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) from trial lawyer assaults, and creating an average savings of over $35,000 per physician in annual malpractice insurance savings. New assaults on MICRA are expected, so we must not drop our guard but remain vigilant. The government is not doing enough to address the impending collapse of our health care system. We will put more pressure on our legislators to bring about solutions to these problems before it is too late.
We know in reality we cannot be all things to all people. We are, when all
is said and done, an organization of, by and for physicians. Let's make our
voices heard.
