Monday Rx: 150th Member Appreciation Event, Unvaccinated Teens, Dominguez Channel, Access to Care and Upcoming Events November 1, 2021 150th Member Appreciation Event, Access to Care, COVID-19, Dominguez Channel, Health Equity Council, L.A. County, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Medicare GME reimbursement, Public Health, Unvaccinated Teens, Virtual Grand Rounds 999 150 Year Celebration This Saturday! Our 150th year celebration at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens is 6 days away! We hope you can join us this Saturday from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. The event has added significance as we honor members like you, unveil tours of the LACMA Collection of over 5,000 medical journals, books and artifacts, share our new commemorative book and give away a Four Seasons Resorts package! Click here to RSVP or email Noemi at noemi@lacmanet.org. Unvaccinated Teens Pose A Problem With Halloween behind us, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is sharing some sobering news: Unvaccinated teenagers have been more likely to test positive for the coronavirus than unvaccinated adults in Los Angeles County, officials said. The trend illustrates how a group less likely to have been vaccinated in the nation’s most populous county is playing an outsize role in continuing transmission of the highly contagious Delta variant. “The highest case rates have been among unvaccinated teens, who were eight times more likely than vaccinated teens to test positive for COVID and are important drivers of transmission across our communities,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a recent briefing. While 80% of L.A. County residents eligible for vaccination have received at least one shot, only 70% of 12- to 15-year-olds have done so, as have 76% of those age 16 to 17. By comparison, 98% of residents age 65 to 79 have received at least one shot. Dominguez Channel Incident and Health Equity Response The stench of hydrogen sulfide coming from the Dominguez Channel, which has plagued Carson residents for weeks, now appears to be moving into other communities, even after the city and county officials declared a state of emergency over the issue. LACMA’s Health Equity Council issued this statement as they support county efforts to eradicate the odor and keep residents and providers informed. “The Health Equity Council of the Los Angeles County Medical Association is charged with looking at inequities in the health care systems of Los Angeles County in addition to addressing racism, vaccine hesitancy and social determinants of health. The Dominguez Channel issue impacts thousands of people, predominantly people of color, in terms of health, quality of life and access to information and resources. LACMA is working closely with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to inform the physician community relative to how to inform patients so the public can get answers quickly, without barriers to credible information.” Access to Care Town Hall As Governor Gavin Newsom continues to push for broader coverage in California, the topic of universal health care coverage and its impact on patients and providers was central to the LACMA member survey from a few weeks ago. LACMA’s focus is to create a forum for discussion and education. The first of many forums will kick off on Monday, December 13th from 6:00 to 7:00 PM as CMA CEO Dustin Corcoran will share what’s in store for California, what does CMA support? Oppose? More details will be provided in the coming weeks. Mark your calendars now as the first town hall on this issue co-hosted by Dr. Omer Deen and Dr. Hector Flores will be informative! GME Webinar Part 2: Counting FTEs and Why It's Important To grow and diversify the physician workforce pipeline, Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC)'s GME Startup Solutions and HORNE LLP have launched a free, two-part webinar series to empower GME champions to meet California's critical access to care needs. Physician workforce development leaders considering future entrance into GME development, GME "naives," healthcare finance leaders, and new and established GME leadership can expect to learn the foundational elements of Medicare GME reimbursement and planning. PART 1: Overview of Medicare GME Reimbursement Participants will be better able to understand: How FTEs are counted including the effects of: Initial Residency Period (IRP) Research and Didactic Time Fellowships Special topics impacting FTE count such as: Displaced residents Off-campus rotations Intern/Resident Information System (IRIS) Current COVID-19 Waivers impacting FTE counts Date: November 3, 2021 Time: 12:00 - 1:00 PM Register Here Virtual Grand Rounds: Spotlight on COVID-19 Vaccines Join CMA for the next Virtual Grand Rounds: Spotlight on COVID-19 Vaccines on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, from 12:00 p.m. PT to 1:30 p.m. PT As we head into the fall and winter, the FDA continues to meet to discuss some major questions and developments around the COVID-19 vaccines. Some of these discussions include the evaluation of booster shots from several manufacturers, and the examination of data on the pediatric vaccines for children under 12. As it stands, it seems likely that new demographic groups, e.g. children under 12, will be eligible for vaccines as early as November. Join CMA in this edition of Virtual Grand Rounds to learn from vaccine experts and policy makers about the data behind the decision making. At this webinar, you will also hear from Erica Pan, M.D., California’s State Epidemiologist, about the state of COVID-19 in California, efforts to keep the virus at bay, progress on vaccines and vaccination efforts, and an update on the status of California schools. Date: November 9, 2021 Time: 12:00 - 1:30 PM Register Here #MondayMotivation "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”