Monday Rx: LACMA Advocacy, Docs4LA Initiative, and Member Retreats. September 23, 2019 Docs4LA, E-Cigarettes, Homeslessness, Member Benefits, MondayRx, Physician Burnout 1206 Keep the Conversation Going LACMA continues to engage community organizations and its leaders to address some of the challenges impacting physicians and patients alike. The Docs4LA Initiative is outlined in this month's magazine. We are in conversations with nonprofits to address how to support healthier communities. We are in conversations with policymakers to address gun violence, vaping and homelessness. Last week at the LACMA board meeting, Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, who represents the 13th District of Los Angeles, spoke to our leaders about homelessness and recent news relative to affordability housing. Councilman O’Farrell has been a champion for the homeless and for those impacted by gun violence and he has fought for the underserved by expanding affordable housing, keeping rents reasonable, finding funding for the more than 28,000 homeless in the city who need housing, treatment, care and more. He has fought to keep our communities safer by forging lighting and safety initiatives while improving the quality of life for residents. He also led the discussion around requiring any city contractor to disclose if they do business with or support the National Rifle Association ________________________________________________________ Let Us Know Your Thoughts! Last week, as I do almost every week I share an innovation at LACMA to benefit our members. The LACMA Marketplace is the first of its kind portal that gives our members significant discounts on the supplies, vaccines, and products practices need to thrive. I encourage our members to use the site and let me know what they like, don’t like as we continue to assess the value of the service offered. It’s easy to access and use. Just visit www.ladocs.org and click on “marketplace” on the newly redesigned home page. Visit Marketplace ________________________________________________________ Physician Wellness As physician wellness continues to be our focus, I want to share the Medical Economics magazine survey of physicians on the subject bit.ly/Physician-Burnout-ME. Some respondents are looking to sell practices based on burnout. They share that too much time is spent doing clerical work yet, others shared that there needs to be a wall between work and home. I’ve shared that LACMA has entered into an agreement with the Four Seasons Resort and the California Health & Longevity Institute. Starting in 2020, selected members will have the opportunity to spend 3 ½ days at the property in Westlake Village to regain balance, connect, and focus on their wellness. The LACMA Member Retreats will be subsidized by LACMA so there will be significantly less paid out of pocket by our members. If this is something of interest to you or your organization, let me know and I encourage you to visit the California Health & Longevity Institute to learn more. Learn More ________________________________________________________ Cannabis, Digital Health, and Homelessness The annual House of Delegates (HOD) is set to take place on October 26-27 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. Delegates from all over the state convene to establish a broad policy on current major issues. This year’s major issues are: cannabis, digital health, and homelessness. LACMA has been allotted 35 delegate and 35 alternate delegate spots to represent their constituents at HOD. If you have concerns around any of the major issues, please reach out to Lisa Le at lisa@lacmanet.org to communicate information you’d like to share with your delegates. Please also reach out to Lisa if you would like to get involved in next year’s HOD. This is a great way to be a part of the policy-making process and have your voice be heard! Email Lisa: lisa@lacmanet.org ________________________________________________________ Addressing the Dangers of Increased E-Cigarette Use Among Youth: A Call to Action for Clinicians Many in the medical and public health communities are increasingly concerned with the use of electronic cigarette products (e-cigarettes) among youth. These electronic products, which are handheld devices designed to “deliver emissions for inhalation by heating a solution that commonly contains nicotine, a humectant, and flavoring chemicals” (i.e., designed for the act of vaping) are becoming all too common in youth sensitive areas such as schools, parks, and libraries. The devices are also often used to deliver other dangerous chemicals such as cannabis/tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Although research is underway to further study the use of e-cigarettes as a cessation aid for helping adult smokers quit using conventional cigarettes, the highly addictive nature of nicotine combined with the heavy promotion of these products to youth through subversive marketing and use of flavorings has caused a public health crisis in younger populations. LACMA has joined forces with the LA County Department of Public Health to address this epidemic. Learn More ________________________________________________________ The Billion Dollar Identity Theft Scam WHY SHOULD MY HEALTHCARE PRACTICE CARE ABOUT DATA BREACHES AND IDENTITY THEFT? Many healthcare professionals are unaware of the billion-dollar scam that will affect their healthcare practice after a data breach. LibertyID, an expert in helping healthcare practices prepare for and respond to potential data breaches, will be sharing how healthcare practices may not be as prepared as they think they are because of a billion-dollar scam. Paul Ferron, the Vice President of LibertyID, will be hosting this webinar on September 24, 2019, at 2 p.m. (PDT). RSVP to lauren@libertyid.com to attend the webinar. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Celebrating Women in Medicine Please join the Los Angeles County Medical Association starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 28, for a very special event at the Le Meridien Delfina Hotel in Santa Monica – our annual Celebration of Women in Medicine! This year’s honorees include: Anna Yap, MD – Rising Star of Physician Leadership Award Christina Ghaly, MD – Extraordinary and Inspirational Achievement Award Elaine Batchlor, MD, MPH – Rose Talbot Bullard Award – Woman Physician Champion and Trailblazer This event is free to members of LACMA; guests of LACMA members are $25 and the cost for non-members is $50 per person. Please contact Lisa Le, for further information and to RSVP for the event Email Lisa: lisa@lacmanet.org ________________________________________________________ RSVP ________________________________________________________ The annual Los Angeles Healthcare Awards honors LA County’s top physicians, healthcare leaders and institutions for their work to improve healthcare in LA County. Honorees are individuals and organizations whose outcomes are positively impacting the lives of LA County residents and improving our local communities. The Patient Care Foundation will also announce this year's scholarship recipients at the awards ceremony at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills on November 8th, 2019. Get Tickets ________________________________________________________ Register Here ________________________________________________________ #MotivationMondays “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” ― Brené Brown Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”