Political Pulse for March 25, 2022
NCMS CEO/EVP Chip Baggett shares news about an important committee meeting at the Legislative Office Building next week and offers suggestions and talking points for you to reach out to your legislators. Watch this week’s Political Pulse for his update.
WCMS holds first in-person meeting since the pandemic with speaker Col. (Ret) Robert Adams, MD, MBA
On March 15, 2022, the WCMS hosted their first in-person meeting since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the meeting, members had an informal discussion on reengaging our strong medical community. Guest speaker was a local colleague, Dr. Bob Adams, who discussed his recent book “Swords and Saints: A Doctor’s Journey.”
About Dr. Adams:
Colonel (ret) Robert Adams, MD, MBA is a US Naval Academy graduate who served thirty-six years in the Navy and Army (18 years in each service) as a Navy SEAL, the DELTA Force Command Surgeon, and an Army family medicine physician (with obstetrics). He attended Wake Forest Medical School, then an Army residency at Madigan Army Medical center in Tacoma, Washington was followed by service with the famed DELTA Force and the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, and in Iraq during the 2003-2004 war. After the military, he developed a thriving private practice in Knightdale, NC, and designed and built a 14,000 square foot clinic where he won numerous awards for clinical excellence and practiced for 13 more years. He currently works at the Fischer Clinic in Raleigh part-time while looking for more places to fish.
NCMS Golden Stethoscope Awards Gala
DIAMOND PRESENTING SPONSORS:
Make Plans to Join Us October 15th in Raleigh for the Golden Stethoscope Awards and Presidential Inauguration Gala
We have made it through two of the most challenging years the health care community has had to navigate in some time. Many of our physician and PA members went above and beyond the call of duty, placing their own lives at risk, sacrificing precious time with family and loved ones, while selflessly serving their patients. The NCMS thought it only right that we celebrate all of the health care heroes who made a huge impact on our state — that’s why we are holding our first Golden Stethoscope Awards Gala this year! Be sure to mark your calendar now so that you may attend this event created exclusively for NCMS members, their guests and event sponsors.
In addition to the Inaugural festivities where we will honor outgoing NCMS President Michael J. Utecht, MD, FACEP and welcome Arthur E. Apolinario, MD, MPH, FAAFP, as the 2022-2023 NCMS President, we plan to celebrate an NCMS member from each of the four regions of the state with a Golden Stethoscope Award.
Golden Stethoscope Award Winners Announced
Lisa Kaufmann, MD
About Dr. Kaufmann:
Lisa Kaufmann, MD is the Medical Director of the Adult Inpatient and Emergency Department Service Line at Appalachian Regional Health Care System in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains. She is also the Medical Director of their Hospitalist Program, and Clinical Inpatient Faculty in the MAHEC Boone Family Medicine Residency . Dr Kaufmann came to love the Blue Ridge during her undergraduate and medical school years at Duke. Her Internal Medicine residency was at the University of Pennsylvania. After 8 years in private practice in Tucson, AZ, she joined the faculty of the University of Arizona, and late the State University of New York in Syracuse, from which she retired early as full professor to move to the mountains she loves. Dr Kaufmann’s academic focus is on quality improvement and clinical teaching. This past experience in rapid process improvement was particularly useful during the COVID epidemic, with the need to combine disaster preparedness, coordinating with emergency management including managing supply chain and physical plant adaptations, staffing shortages and having to develop clinical protocols and training in a small rural health system. Dr Kaufmann is also passionate about addressing social determinants of care, including coordination between the inpatient team and community services like the “Food is Medicine” program. When she is not working, Dr Kaufmann loves hiking in the mountains, writing, and hanging out with her large family.
Allison Kerianne Crockett, MD, FACOG
About Dr. Crockett:
Dr. Crockett grew up outside of Charlotte and graduated from NC State in 2006. Crockett Attended Ross University School of Medicine and met her husband and graduated from there in 2012. She has been in Greenville since 2012 when she started her residency (formerly ECU/Vidant, now ECUHealth Medical Center). She graduated residency in 2016 and joined the faculty that year. Dr. Crockett is passionate about addressing the barriers to care and disparities in health outcomes the patients in our region face every day. She and her husband Adam have two little boys; Bradley (6, almost 7) and Alexander (3 and a half). Dr. Crockett lead the NC OB/GYN Society’s effort to pass protections for pregnant incarcerated women after a harrowing experience with a pregnant, shackled patient, which included the death of her patient’s infant.
Suneya Gupta Hogarty, DO, FACOI
About Dr. Hogarty:
Dr. Suneya Hogarty is a native North Carolinian. After obtaining her undergraduate degree in religious studies from Davidson College, she attended Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri, where she met her future husband, David. She completed her osteopathic Internal Medicine residency in Lansing through Michigan State University, and then moved to New Hampshire for Rheumatology fellowship at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
She returned to Goldsboro in 2005 with 2 young sons to be closer to family. She has been serving Wayne county residents since that time. During the first fourteen years in Goldsboro, her family grew to include a daughter. In 2019, David and Suneya Hogarty opened their independent private practice, Integrative Arthritis and Pain Consultants (IAPC), with the goal of providing holistic osteopathic care to the whole person, since all disease affects mind, body, and spirit. Dr. Suneya integrates both Eastern and Western philosophy in her Rheumatology practice.
Rebecca Hayes, MD, MBA-HM, CPE, FAAFP
About Dr. Hayes:
Rebecca Hayes, MD, MBA-HM, CPE, FAAFP currently serves as the Vice-Chair of Clinical and Community Operations in the Department of Family Medicine and the Assistant Specialty Medical Director of the community clinics in the Emerging Care Model Division at Atrium Health. She leads the primary care community and teaching clinics in the Greater Charlotte Area through positive healthcare delivery transformation to better care for and improve the lives of underserved communities, while also developing highly skilled, competent, and compassionate primary care physicians. In her 15 years with Atrium Health, Dr. Hayes has served as medical director and core faculty at Elizabeth Family Medicine, and associate program director for Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency Program. In addition she is currently a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She was selected as the 2009 Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency Family Physician of the year. Prior to joining Atrium Health, Dr. Hayes had the honor to serve in multiple leadership positions within the US Navy Medical Corp to include faculty and team leader at Naval Hospital Pensacola Family Medicine Residency Program, Senior Medical Officer for the Naval Aviation Technical Training Center Medical Clinic, and Regimental Surgeon, 10th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC. Dr. Hayes holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from UNC-Greensboro and is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine. She completed her family medicine residency at Naval Hospital Bremerton, WA and her Faculty Development Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Hayes earned her MBA in Healthcare Management from Western Governor’s University in 2021. Dr. Hayes lives in Concord, NC with her husband and 8 year old son. They enjoy all things Disney/Star Wars and spending time at the beach.
Golden Stethoscope Awards Gala
Sponsorship opportunities
We hope that you will join us in Celebrating Medicine!
The 2022 Golden Stethoscope Awards Gala is the North Carolina Medical Society’s way of thanking our physician and PA members for their tireless and remarkable dedication to their profession and service to their patients and communities.This year we are “Celebrating Medicine” by holding the Golden Stethoscope Awards, which will honor four NCMS members for their dedication to the profession of medicine, communities, and their patients during the COVID pandemic.
Corporate partners are invited to share in this event honoring the sacrifices of these health care heroes. Your gifts will ensure a spectacular evening spent celebrating the North Carolina physicians and PAs who helped steer us through one of the most challenging times in our history.
Please download a Sponsor Prospectus or contact Pam Highsmith for more information.
DIAMOND PRESENTING SPONSORS:
Carolina Complete Health Network
Curi and Sentinel
Our New Membership Campaign
The NCMS has launched its new member campaign for 2022 — #NCMS2000stronger — and we need YOU!
Now more than ever in this challenging health care climate, you need your voice to be heard. The NCMS is that voice for your profession and your patients — and the greater the number of voices behind us, the more powerful our impact can be.
This year, we have a new goal to increase our numbers by 2,000 brand new physician and PA members. Is this goal possible? Yes! Do we need you? Yes, yes we do!
Here's how you can help. Are you...
A current NCMS member?
Become an NCMS champion! Talk to your colleagues and find out if they are NCMS members, too. Let them know about your experience and why YOU joined. Encourage them to visit our website, review our membership information and become a member online at www.ncmedsoc.org/join. Forward them a copy of our membership handout and urge them to help make us #NCMS2000stronger!
A lapsed NCMS member?
How can we help you? Let us know about your experience and how you think we can improve by taking our latest member experience survey or by contacting us at [email protected]. We want your feedback!
Did you just forget about renewing? Visit www.ncmedsoc.org/renew to fix that.
Never been a member?
Join our NCMS community and become one of our #NCMS2000stronger heroes! Being an NCMS member has its privileges. Find out what the benefits of membership are and sign up online today! Need an invoice sent to you instead? Please contact us at [email protected], and we'll be happy to send one over.
Download our Membership Handout
NCMS Supports Governor’s Decision and Offers Recommendations on Transitioning to COVID Endemic
Since March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted and radically changed many behaviors we once considered normal, from the way we shop, work, access health care, and educate children, to the way we interact with neighbors, colleagues, family, and friends. From the onset of the pandemic, the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) supported the strong mitigation efforts to lessen the transmission of COVID-19 and its potential negative impact on the health of North Carolinians. Our members—representing North Carolina’s physicians and physician assistants—understood clearly how these mitigation efforts were critical tools for them as frontline responders treating COVID-19 patients. NCMS members also understood that these mitigation efforts were important to protecting all healthcare workers. As the key metrics begin to trend in the right direction, it is now time to use what we know about public health pandemics and endemics to critically and judiciously plan the next steps that we should take. The next steps we take should be geared more towards individual behaviors to manage and assess ongoing personal risk and less towards public mandates.
“Vaccines have been an effective tool for minimizing potential health (personal and public) hazards associated with COVID. Vaccines are also vital in slowing widespread viral transmission resulting in increased disease progression as measured by hospitalizations and deaths. We are seeing success to that end. Now, we must accept that very much like the seasonal flu, COVID-19 will be among us on the list of SARs viruses. We must learn to live with it in a safe and thoughtful way. Patients should rely on their trusted physician to help them evaluate their personal risk and safely navigate life in the new post-pandemic COVID era,” said Michael Utecht, MD, NCMS President.
Assessing personal risk includes identifying hazards where you could be exposed to COVID, deciding your personal risk tolerance on your health status and the health status of those in your immediate family and environment, and the impact on you and your family if you were to contract COVID. “Evaluating risk is something that we commonly do without thinking, like when we drive a car.” said Chip Baggett, EVP & CEO of NCMS. “Your primary physician has the deep understanding of your personal health history and lifestyle to assist you in developing a personal COVID risk determination. That is where people should now turn to for guidance.”
Baggett says: “We are mindful, however, that there are communities and segments of the population who may not have a primary care provider or local physician. Health disparities and inequities remain serious issues that we must continue to confront and address. For people who may never visit a doctor until a disease has worsened, it is important that they have clear guidance on what they can do to practice healthy behaviors to minimize their personal risk. Therefore, the NCMS will be exploring ways to collaborate with stakeholders to promote public messaging to reach wider audiences than those who have primary care physicians or meet regularly with their local doctors.”
Thank you for helping to make LEAD 2022 a success!
LEAD highlights at a glance…
Annual Scientific Poster Session Winners
Over 30 residents and students participated in the LEAD Annual Scientific Poster Session. The winners are listed below; click here to view all of the poster submissions.
Student Clinical Research Category:
3rd place ($50) – Julia Canick from Duke. “Predictive Factors in Identifying Pediatric Patients at Risk of Diagnostically Limited Videofluoroscopic Swallow Studies”
2nd & 1st place ($150) tied – Catherine Malisse, BS from Wake Forest. “Exploring Leader Identity: An Approach to Professional Identity Formation Training for Healthcare Trainees in North Carolina” and Ishaq Ibrahim from Campbell. “A Comparison of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Self-Reported Uptake and Knowledge of Other Recommended Adult Immunizations”
Student Clinical Vignette Category:
3rd place ($50) – N/A only two submissions in this category
2nd place ($100) – Morgan Belina, BS from Duke. “Pseudoporphyria associated with combined use of doxycycline and NSAIDs”
1st place ($200) – Jackson Moorefield from UNC. “A Stimulating Case of Acute Limb Ischemia”
Resident Clinical Research:
3rd place ($50 ) – Kristin Sheehan, MD from Wake Forest. “An Initiative to Improve the Utility of Best Practice Advisories”
2nd place ($100) – Matthew Sabatini, DO from Campbell. “Concussion: Underdiagnosis and Need for Raising Awareness”
1st place ($200) – Isabelle Dagher, MD from UNC. “Progression of Upper Airway Manifestations in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Throughout Childhood”
Resident Clinical Vignette:
3rd place ($50) – Chirag Patel, MD from CMC. “Renal Leukemic Infiltration and CLL”
2nd place ($100) – Vincent Tang, MD from UNC. “Bilateral Vision Loss and Headache in a Healthy Young Woman”
1st place ($200) – Jigisha Srivastav, MD from Wake Forest. “Heart Block in Lyme Disease”
NCMS Annual Business Meeting Materials
2022 State Health Directors Report to the North Carolina Medical Society
Minutes from 2022 Board Meetings
- 2022 January 15 BOD minutes
- 2022 March 19 BOD minutes
- 2022 May 15 BOD minutes
- 2022 May 26 BOD minutesNCMS
NCMS Election Results
During the NCMS Annual Business Meeting, Dr. Philip Brown, NCMS Past President and Chair of the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee, shared the results of the NCMS elections. Below are the newly elected members of NCMS leadership.
NCMS Board of Directors President-Elect Eileen Raynor, MD
NCMS Board Region 2 Representative Charul Haugan, MD
NCMS Board At-Large Member Merritt Seshul, MD
AMA Delegation Member Rebecca Hayes, MD
AMA Delegation Member Karen Smith, MD
AMA Delegation Member Roy Syracuse, MD
2022 NCMS Member Calendar Available
As you may know, the printed calendar for 2022 is now available; but did you know that it's also available for viewing and downloading online?
Take a look below at the 2022 NCMS Member Calendar!
Using the toolbar at the bottom, you can zoom in, view full screen or download a PDF version to your computer.
If you're a current NCMS member and you haven't received your printed calendar yet, please contact [email protected] and share your name and mailing address.
The images in our annual calendar are always taken by your peers -- NCMS physician and PA photographers who have an eye for beauty and who have participated in our yearly Photo Contest. The full calendar showcases all of our contestants and their stunning work, with the contest finalists being featured each month of the year.
The Fall 2021 Bulletin Is Now Online
Perfect for this season of giving, the fall edition of the NCMS Bulletin magazine focuses on the work that physicians are doing beyond the walls of their practices. Learn more about your peers and their passions outside of their clinic walls, including:
- Stuart Levin, MD, FACP, FCCP, and his work with the city of Raleigh to build more walkable spaces and better health for his patients;
- Robert Majors, Jr., MD, Benjamin Ferndon, MD, and their fellow physician volunteers who share a love of gardening and the joy of offering healthy produce to the community;
- Kerianne Crockett, MD, and her legislative advocacy to deliver dignity to incarcerated women;
- Karen L. Smith, MD, FAAFP, and her tireless outreach efforts to vaccinate more people in the state against COVID-19; and
- David T. Tayloe, Jr., MD, FAAP, and his belief in the power of physician advocacy.
NCMS/NCMGMA Lunch & Learn Webinar: Legislative Update (11/16/2021)
Watch as Dave Horne, Josh Grant and Robert Shaw from Smith Anderson provide a year-end legislative update. Tune in to find out what happened this year at the NC General Assembly and what we're anticipating for 2022.
Presented by the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation in partnership with the North Carolina Medical Group Management Association.
KIPL Power Hour: Colorectal Cancer Screenings (10/22/2021)
In 2020, there was an estimated 104,610 new cases of colon cancer and 43,340 cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed in the US according to the American Cancer Society. Despite ample research that show the impact of screening on the incidence of the diagnosis and improvement of survival, colorectal cancer is still the fourth leading cause of death in North Carolina. In addition, minorities and low-income patients have lower screening rates. With the Medicaid expansion, the aspiration is to increase screening across all groups. While there is no study that shows a direct correlation between Medicaid expansion and colorectal cancer care, simply having insurance means the patient is two times more likely to get colorectal cancer screening. Join us for this month’s Power Hour for an important conversation around this pressing topic with a group of experts and advocates including a former patient and stage 4 colon cancer survivor.
Political Pulse for October 22, 2021
Sue Ann Forrest, MPA, doesn’t have too much to report from the legislature this week, but she does have an important announcement to share. Watch this week’s Political Pulse for her update.
Our External Affairs Team:
Alan Skipper - [email protected]
Ashley Rodriguez - [email protected]
Kristen Spaduzzi - [email protected]
Political Pulse for Sept. 17, 2021
Director of Legislative Relations, Sue Ann Forrest, MPA, highlights some important events in this week's Political Pulse: today (Sept. 17) is National Physician Suicide Awareness Day. She also shares that registration is now open for the upcoming NCMS Virtual LEAD Health Care Conference. The Conference kicks off with a lively discussion among a panel of legislators on Thursday, Oct. 14. Sue Ann also offers the latest news on budget negotiations and a possible timetable for its release, as well as information on how you can become involved in legislative redistricting meetings across the state.
Related Links
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day website
NCMS 2021 Virtual LEAD Health Care Conference
House Redistricting Committee Upcoming Meeting Schedule
Political Pulse for Sept. 3, 2021
NCMS Director of Legislative Relations Sue Ann Forrest, MPA, thanks those who attended the Sept. 1st advocacy event with US Rep. Greg Murphy, MD, and NC Rep. Kristin Baker, MD, and also NCMS members who volunteered as experts for the WRAL hotline, answering viewers' questions on vaccinations. In addition, she provides an update on HB 608 (Dignity for Women Who are Incarcerated) and the slow-moving budget negotiation process. Be sure to watch this week's Political Pulse!
Political Pulse for August 27, 2021
It was a week of slow-moving negotiations on the budget process and of faster action on several healthcare-related bills. NCMS Director of Legislative Relations, Sue Ann Forrest, MPA, shares her summary of all of this week's legislative developments that could impact you and your patients.
In addition, Sue Ann invites you to attend "The Importance of Grassroots Advocacy – How You Can Make a Difference," on Sept. 1 at 6:00pm. This virtual NCMS event gives you a chance to hear from your physician colleagues who represent you and your profession at the state and national levels. NC Rep. Kristin Baker, MD, and US Rep. Greg Murphy, MD, will share their experiences and insights into physician engagement in advocacy.
Helpful Links in our NCMS Legislative Blog:
- SB 228: Allow Employers to Offer EPO Benefit Plans
- HB 608: Dignity for Women Who are Incarcerated Act
- SB 711: NC Compassionate Care Act
- House Budget Summary
- Senate Budget Summary
Political Pulse for August 13, 2021
The NC House released their budget this week and NCMS Director of Legislative Relations Sue Ann Forrest, MPA, offers the highlights that most impact health care. She also shares what's next in the budget process and provides an update on a couple of other bills that moved this week.
If you would like Sue Ann to speak at an upcoming meeting or event, please contact her at [email protected].
For the latest developments in the current session of the NCGA, visit our Legislative Blog.
Political Pulse for July 30, 2021
Additional Information:
- American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
Health Related Draft Policies at ALEC that are being considered:
https://www.alec.org/task-force/health-and-human-services/ - NCMS Medicare Cuts Action Alert
https://app.muster.com/take-action/rCzdvpbZzC/ - Language on amending SB 257
Copay Accumulator Adjustment Programs
https://p2a.co/a7O1Aqa
Most North Carolina health insurers are now implementing “copay accumulator adjustment programs," which prohibit copay assistance from any third-party, including a church, foundation, GoFundMe, or copay card, from counting toward a patient’s annual deductible or out-of-pocket maximum.
This means any third-party copay assistance will reduce a patient or family's cost sharing burden, and means that copays are paid twice: once from copay assistance and again from the patient or family. It's not fair and only pads the pockets of health insurers and PBMs.
We must include protections against copay accumulator adjustment programs in Senate Bill 257, which is currently being considered by the NC General Assembly.
Sign on now to send a message to your North Carolina legislators to ask them to help patients afford lifesaving treatment. Feel free to edit your message with your own story or perspective in your own words.
WCMS Members Enjoy Sidecar Social Club at Booth Amphitheater
On July 16, about 38 WCMS doctors and their guests enjoyed a delightful summer evening of music by the Sidecar Social Club presented by the NC Symphony at the beautiful, wooded Booth Amphitheater in Cary. A cooling early drizzle cleared by showtime leaving a delightful summer breeze and the evening could not have been more delightful with good fellowship, food on the VIP deck, and beverage.
This was the first of a series of small group events being planned for the upcoming year. Previous events before being curtailed by COVID have included a guided tour of an exhibit at the NC Museum of History and a visit to the Raleigh Islamic Center. At least four more events are being planned for the coming year -- stay tuned for announcements.
Summer 2021 Bulletin Magazine Now Online
Happy summer! In this issue of the NCMS Bulletin we explore health behavior and an innovative approach to treating patients called lifestyle medicine.
Articles Included:
- "Lifestyle Medicine: Rethinking How to Treat Patients" featuring Andrew Nance, MD, DipABLM and Bonnie Coyle, MD, DipABLM
- "Health & Wellness Coaches: Partners on the Road to Changing Health Behaviors" featuring Simone Horvitz
- "Zumba at the Doctor’s Office" featuring Lourdes Pereda, MD
- "NCMS: Committed to a Healthy NC"
Remember to send any comments or ‘letters to the editor’ to Elaine Ellis, [email protected]. We like to hear your insights and thoughts on the topics presented and will share them – with your permission – in future issues.
NCMS Political Pulse for June 25, 2021
Sue Ann Forrest, MPA, NCMS Director of Legislative Relations, has delved into the details of the Senate budget that was released this week and shares an overview of items in the proposal that could impact health care in the state. Watch the Political Pulse to learn more about the Senate budget and get the latest updates on other legislative developments from the week.
Related Links:
View the NCMS Summary of the Senate Budget.
NCMS Political Pulse for June 18, 2021
NCMS Director of Legislative Relations Sue Ann Forrest, MPA, reports from the NC General Assembly regarding the latest estimate on the release of the Senate budget and shares other legislative developments.
Related information:
HB 96 - Allow Pharmacists to Admin. Injectable Drugs.
NCMS Political Pulse for June 11, 2021
Could a budget agreement be near? NCMS Director of Legislative Relations Sue Ann Forrest, MPA, shares the latest developments on budget negotiations, as well as news on several healthcare-related bills. Get the details in this week's Political Pulse.
For more details, visit the NCMS Legislative Blog www.ncmedsoc.org/currentsession
KIPL Power Hour: End of Life and Palliative Care (6/4/2021)
Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.
Learn more about this topic from our guests:
- Christine Khandelwal, DO - VP of Education and Strategic Outreach at Transitions LifeCare
- Rikki Hooper, MSN, Chief Clinical Officer, Four Seasons Care
- Lynn Bowlby, MD - Internal Medicine Specialist, Duke Health
- Michael Nichols, MD, PhD - Coastal Carolina Oncology Center - Radiation Oncology, Cervical Cancer
Additional End of Life/Palliative Care Resources
- Atul Gawande – Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
- Center for Advancing Palliative Care
- Advanced Care Planning from the NIH National Institute on Aging
- NCIOM Task Force on Serious Illness (PDF)
- NC Coalition for Compassionate Care
KIPL Power Hour: Mental Health and Indigenous Populations
In the US, 5.2 million Americans identify as American Indian or Alaska Native (2010 decennial census) which equates to 1.7% of the population. However, compared to all other groups, there are alarming health disparities among Native Americans in terms of life expectancy as well as death from chronic illness. Even more troubling: during 2019, 18.7% of Native adults experienced mental illness and the suicide rate among American Indians and Alaska Native youth, is 2.5 times higher than the rest of the country. Alcohol dependency rates are three times higher than the national average, and almost twenty percent of deaths are related to alcohol. Many suggest the traumatic historic context has caused the alarming rates of mental health illness, allowing the tragic and disgraceful history to cause intergenerational trauma in these communities. Join us for a conversation around mental health and indigenous populations as we bring much needed visibility to this epidemic.
Guests include:
Mehul Mankad, MD – CMO, Alliance Health/ 2017 President of NCPA
Sid Hosseini, DO, PhD – CMO Eastpoint LME/MCO
Kathleen Dunlap, MD - Psychiatrist in Cherokee
Richard Bunio, MD - Executive Medical Director at CIHA; President WCMS
Freida Saylor - Clinical Director of Behavioral Health Services at Cherokee Indian Hospital
View additional Power Hours...
KIPL Power Hour: Lifestyle Medicine and Nutrition (5/7/2021)
In the United States, health care costs are some of the most expensive in the world, however our health outcomes do not reflect that cost. This discrepancy shows an urgent need to focus on healthy behaviors and their impact on health outcomes. Lifestyle Medicine is one of the fastest emerging branches of medicine world-wide as an evidence-based approach to prevent, treat, and often reverse chronic disease.
Join us for this Power Hour as we continue our conversation around Lifestyle Medicine. Our guests include board certified lifestyle medicine physicians as well as scientists who will be talking about lifestyle medicine, promoting health and the importance of nutrition and phytonutrients in preventing disease.
Featured Guests:
- Bonnie S. Coyle, MD – Public Health Director, Cabarrus Health Alliance
- Mike Cowan, MD – Co-Founder, Ruckus Health
- Mary Ann Lila, PhD - Director, Plants for Human Health Institute, David H. Murdock Distinguished Professor, Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences
- David C. Nieman, DrPH, FACSM - professor in the Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, at Appalachian State University, and director of the Human Performance Lab at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC)
Additional Resources
- Boosting Immune Function with Polyphenols Nieman Lila
- Building better guidelines for healthy and sustainable diets 2020-2025 AJCN Willett Criticisms 2021
- NutritionFacts.org
NCMS Political Pulse for May 7, 2021
NCMS Director of Legislative Relations Sue Ann Forrest, MPA, provides the highlights of a busy week at the NC General Assembly. With crossover approaching, hundreds of bills were filed this week and a flurry of bills moved forward through the legislative process. Sue Ann shares which health care bills progressed and how you can reach out to your legislators on specific issues through our Action Alerts.
Please note you can always view the latest health care bill summaries and sign up for Action Alerts on our legislative blog: www.ncmedsoc.org/currentsession.
KIPL Power Hour: Healthy behaviors during and beyond the pandemic
The pandemic has impacted our lives and shaped new consumer behaviors, whether that is increasingly relying on drive-through services, re-thinking going to any crowded places or approach to health. Recent articles highlight the need to focus on the latter and examine potential changes with respect to health behaviors. Apart from changes in sleep, substance use, exercise routines and diet there are also alarming issues such as social determinants, racism and implicit biases that need to be part of the conversation. Join us for this Power Hour as we discuss the importance of clear communication with patients, provider assumptions versus patient understanding, and the fundamental importance of building trust in patient relationships.
Featured Power Hour guests:
Anu Rao-Patel, MD - Lead Medical Director, Care Management and Government Programs at Blue Cross Blue Shield NC
Cynthia M. Gary, MPH, PA-C - Johnston County Public Health Department
Michelle Hughes, MA, MSW - Executive Director, NC Child
KIPL Power Hour: Telehealth (Part 2 - 3/19/2021)
Due to COVID-19, telehealth is now a necessity, rather than a complementary service, to operate business across the healthcare spectrum. The CARES Act passed by Congress in March 2020 in response to COVID-19 included key provisions to eliminate geographical restrictions for telehealth use in Medicare Advantage plans and ultimately expand access to telehealth and other connected technology services. Additionally, in a response to promote telehealth services, many health plans waived cost-share requirements for their members, while expanding paid telehealth services to providers. With these shifts, telehealth companies were catapulted into the healthcare spotlight, and telemedicine has become big business.
Featured Power Hour Guests:
Steve North, MD – Vice President of Medical Operations and NC State Medical Director, Eleanor Health
Ken Dunham, MD – Psychiatrist, Kairos Medical Consulting; CMO Behavioral Health, Carolina Complete Health
Kathy Wibberly, PhD – Director, Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center
Matt Lastrina – Director of Telehealth, Carolina Complete Health
Lunch & Learn Webinar: Diabetes Prevention Program
More than 84 million Americans or 1 in 3 adults has prediabetes, and the majority of them don’t know they have it. Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions, and if prediabetes is left undetected and untreated, the progression to diabetes will continue to place a tremendous strain on physicians, clinical practices and health care costs associated with diabetes care and management. Through the statewide initiative in North Carolina to prevent type 2 diabetes called DiabetesFreeNC, physicians and care teams have an opportunity to support their patients with prediabetes with a free or low-cost, evidence-based National Diabetes Prevention Program.
This presentation featuring Dr. Karen Smith and NCMS Vice President of Rural Health Systems Franklin Walker, addresses the growing epidemic of type 2 diabetes in primary care and will discuss actions that physicians and care teams can take immediately to identify and manage their patients with prediabetes, including referral to an evidence-based lifestyle change program.
View additional Lunch & Learn Webinars
KIPL Power Hour: Black Maternal Health
In honor of Black Maternal Health Week (April 11th-17th), we focused this Power Hour on how statistics bear out a distinct health inequity in outcomes for black mothers and their infants.
Health inequity in the US has become more apparent during the pandemic, with COVID-19 disproportionately hitting populations of color. Statistics confirm similar health outcomes for this population in other areas like maternal health. The US has the worst maternal mortality rates overall compared to other developed countries, with black mothers at least three times more likely to die in childbirth than white mothers. Black babies have a mortality rate almost four times the rate of their non-Hispanic white counterparts.
Joining us to examine this issue are Power Hour guests:
- Michaela Penix, MPH – Director, Maternal Infant Health with the March of Dimes
- Venus Standard, MSN, CNM – 4Moms2Be (https://4moms2be.com/)
- Tammy McNeill – Cumberland Co HD, ICO4MCH Breastfeeding Program Coordinator
- Kaitlyn Franklin – Cumberland Co HD, ICO4MCH Reproductive Life Planning Program Coordinator
Spring 2021 Bulletin Magazine Now Online
The spring issue of your NCMS Bulletin focuses on the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on health care in North Carolina. Read NC Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen’s, MD, MPH, views on how health care may be different post-pandemic. Also see how the NCMS Foundation has responded during this critical time in health care and in our nation's history.
Lunch & Learn Webinar: Arm Yourself - COVID Vaccine Planning and Resources
This webinar featuring Bill Shenton, JD, a partner at Poyner Spruill, provides an overview of key considerations in planning a COVID-19 vaccine administration program in a medical practice and will touch on some available resources that can be accessed to prepare. Topics covered include:
- Planning and organizing the effort
- Selecting and training staff to administer vaccine
- Administration of the vaccine and documenting immunizations
- Planning for contingencies
- Addressing HIPAA compliance issues
View additional Lunch & Learn Webinars
KIPL Power Hour: Schools and COVID-19 (3/5/2021)
Recently the NCMS and NC Pediatric Society issued a joint media statement supporting students and teachers returning to in-person schooling based on the important role schools play in children’s educational achievement, health and wellbeing. Our panel discusses this statement, their thoughts on the pandemic and considerations about school staff and teachers.
Power Hour guests include:
Christoph Diasio, MD - Pediatrician at Sandhills Pediatrics and current president of the NC Pediatric Society;
Yun Bolyston, MD - Pediatrician at Burlington Pediatrics and current board member with the NC Pediatric Society;
Elizabeth Hudgins, MPP - Executive Director of the NC Pediatric Society;
Michael Utecht, MD - Emergency Physician at the Durham VA Hospital and current president of the NC Medical Society