Monday Rx: LACMA Advocacy, COVID-19 Speakers, Regeneron and Upcoming Events August 30, 2021 ACEs, COVID-19, Delta, Health Equity Council, immune compromised, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Membership, Patient Care Foundation, Public Health Council, Regeneron, SARS-CoV-2, Speakers Needed, Vaccinations, Virtual Grand Rounds 1520 Public Health & Health Equity Council Updates as New Tri Chair Joins President’s Corner: As summer winds down and school is back in session, LACMA continues to stay active! This past week, the Public Health Council (PHC) met to further its mission of promoting the physical, social and mental health of the people of Los Angeles County through advocacy, policy development, and partnership with public health and community-based organizations. Chaired by Dr. Lourdes Bahamonde and Immediate Past President Dr. Diana Shiba, the PHC addressed food security, health care coverage, vaccinations and school re-openings, and mental health. Physicians who have passion about any of these issues and other public health issues are welcome to join the PHC, as we will be meeting every 3 to 4 weeks. The Health Equity Council (HEC) also met this week, and welcomed Dr. Michael Ong as a new tri-chair! Dr. Ong joins Drs. Resa Caivano and Hector Flores on the HEC’s triumvirate of leadership. The HEC’s Community Relations workgroup is working on the need to collect more data in order to push policy changes needed to increase diversity in healthcare C-suite leadership. The Government & Communication workgroup addressed the need for COVID-19 vaccination education to overcome disparities in communities of color. The Internal and External Education workgroup will be hosting Nicolla Ross from the American Heart Association as a speaker for the Race Against Time lecture series on October 13, 2021. We are excited to have LACMA’s physicians participate and contribute on both the Public Health Council and the Health Equity Council. For those interested in participating in either the PHC or HEC, please reach out to Noemi@lacmanet.org. -Dr. Jeffery Lee Delta Rages On As the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread, breakthrough infections of fully vaccinated people are ticking up in Los Angeles County, but inoculated people remain generally well-protected against hospitalizations and death. Cumulatively, among 5.1 million L.A. County residents who are fully vaccinated, 0.53% have tested positive, 0.014% have been hospitalized and 0.0013% — or 68 people — have died. “Most of these deaths have happened, unfortunately, among people who were seriously ill with comorbidities and/or had immune compromised systems,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a recent briefing. LACMA Planning Digital Billboard Campaign to Increase Vaccinations LACMA and the Patient Care Foundation are partnering with the Los Angeles Department of Public Health and possibly Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis and LAMAR Advertising to kick off a 30-day campaign using digital billboards along busy Los Angeles freeways to share daily COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, death, and vaccination rates and important vaccine appointment information. The goal, with over 8 million impressions on the 5 and 57 freeways, is to increase utilization of the LAC DPH vaccination website and 800 number and increase vaccination rates, especially among African American and Latinx populations. LACMA president Dr. Jeffery Lee will host a press conference next week to kick off the campaign. If the campaign is a success and we see increased vaccination appointments, we may expand the effort to other freeways (5, 105, 110) budget permitting. COVID-19 Speakers Needed! Thank you to those who have already signed up to be a part of the speaker’s bureau to help educate communities about COVID-19, the Delta variant and vaccine options. LACMA is promoting this effort in support of the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. If you would like to participate click here: Click here, if you would like to participate as a COVID-19 Speaker. Regeneron for SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses. REGENERON (casirivimab / imdevimab) is a monoclonal antibody therapy that is specifically directed against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, designed to block the virus’ attachment and entry into human cells. Monoclonal Antibody treatment is accessible and available in many locations throughout Los Angeles County for eligible patients. As a primary care provider, you can refer your patients to receive monoclonal antibody infusions through your patient’s health care plans. Many local Emergency Departments and infusion clinics also offer monoclonal antibody treatment. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services, CombatCovid program can be contacted for information on monoclonal antibody resources and locations. Phone Number: (877) 332-6585 or Learn More Please click on the LINKs below to get additional information, as well as a list of local locations that offer monoclonal antibody infusions. Monoclonal Antibodies: https://dhs.lacounty.gov/emergency-medical-services-agency/home/emergi-press/emergency-medical-services-mab/ https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/therapies/anti-sars-cov-2-antibody-products/anti-sars-cov-2-monoclonal-antibodies Membership Appreciation We will be celebrating LACMA’s 150th Anniversary with our members at the Huntington Library in the Rose Hills Garden Court on Saturday, November 6, 2021, from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm. We would love for you to join us! Click here to RSVP or email Lisa La at Lisa@lacmanet.org. ACEs Online Wellness Engagement Groups - Tuesday Series Join CMA's Free, Online Wellness Engagement Groups for Physicians Screening/Treating Patients with ACEs or Toxic Stress The California Medical Association's (CMA) wellness program (CMA Wellness) is pleased to launch free, online wellness engagement groups for health care providers that conduct patient screenings for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Treating patients with multiple ACEs or toxic stress can potentially impact your personal wellness and increase feelings of burnout. CMA Wellness' engagement groups will support providers by offering subject matter experts, best practices and an open forum to share experiences, facilitated by trained, volunteer physicians. Each monthly webinar is organized around a prevailing theme with a stakeholder co-host to provide a variety of perspectives with a general discussion and breakout rooms. Registration is required, and providers will be joining the Tuesday series for a 6-month duration. Event Date: September 7, 2021 - December 14, 2021 Next Session: Tuesday, September 7, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Register Here Virtual Grand Rounds: The Nocturnists and Variants vs Vaccines Join CMA's Virtual Grand Rounds: The Nocturnists and Variants vs Vaccines Update on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, from 12:00 p.m. PT to 1:30 p.m. PT. More than a year and a half into the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, physicians, NPs, PAs, nurses and many other caregivers in the healthcare system are tired. Just months ago, most of us began to feel like we could breathe again. But over the summer we have faced a resurgence with the Delta strain of COVID-19 that makes one begin to wonder when, and if, it will all end. During this Virtual Grand Rounds we will hear from Dr Erica Pan, California’s State Epidemiologist, about the state of COVID-19 in California, efforts to keep the virus at bay, progress on vaccinations and the hope for keeping schools open this year. We are also honored to hear from Emily Silverman, MD, the creator of The Nocturnists, a medical storytelling live show and podcast where healthcare workers can pause and examine their inner landscapes. The Nocturnists helps us examine the forces that drive burnout and moral distress, and in doing so provides hope that we can find ways to flourish in the face of the extreme stresses of medical practice in general, and practice in the setting of a pandemic in particular. Date: September 14, 2021 Time: 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Register Here #MondayMotivation "There is strength in numbers." Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”