News

At the risk of sounding a little like a 1970's rock band roadie, last week’s California Medical Association PPE Relief Week was, in a word, epic. Some context: CMA was able to secure enough PPE for 3,000+ physicians just in Los Angeles alone with an estimated value of approximately $12 million. The PPE was made available to physician practices free of charge by the State of California. Funding for the distribution of the equipment was provided by Altais, a new health care services company that helps physicians maximize the health and well-being of their patients in a way that is sustainably affordable and maintains professional satisfaction.

We then confirmed five different sites over five days to give each participating physician enough PPE for 2 months. Starting at the historic Rose Bowl, the collaboration with CMA helped almost 700 physicians. Thanks to CMA’s Mike Steenburgh and Hjalmer Danielson who brought the trucks filled with supplies, manned the forklifts, co-designed traffic flow and worked side by side with LACMA staff including Lisa Le, Vitelio Aguilar and Sheila Hoyer, resulting in a patchwork of successful events from Pasadena to Torrance, Arcadia to Culver City and finally Woodland Hills. Five events, five different locations, thousands of physicians helped during the pandemic.

It was also incredible to see our leadership, from LACMA president Dr. Diana Shiba, immediate past president Dr. Sion Roy, president-elect Dr. Jeffery Lee and board members Dr. Jack Chou, Dr. Roxana Yoonessi and Dr. Stephanie Booth all pitched in to distribute boxes of PPE, greeting participating physicians and thanking staff and volunteers. Simultaneously, Orange County and San Diego held their events. In fact, nearly 40 events will take place over three weeks to deliver much-needed PPE to physicians in practices with less than 50 doctors across the entire state. We had various video and photo crews at each event as we have shared unprecedented events via social media.

I wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to the entire CMA organization, our staff, our leaders, video and photography teams and the volunteers for making our week a success. It was a herculean effort just in Los Angeles. Imagine the challenge of replicating our events across an entire state? If you get a chance to thank Dustin Corcoran, CMA CEO or Mike Steenburgh and his crew, please do so!

Click below to see some of the highlights from each event!

Last Thursday was significant for another reason thanks to LACMA Board and Executive Committee members Dr. Hector Flores and Dr. Troy Elander. LACMA and our Patient Care Foundation were a part of the alliance to bring COVID-19 testing to the residents of Boyle Heights. The partnership included Hyundai Motor Company’s Hope on Wheels initiative, the Consulate General of Israel, Supervisor Hilda Solis and Total Testing Solutions. Through this collaborative, hundreds of residents with potential COVID-19 symptoms can get tested at no charge over the next two weeks. The goal is to extend testing through the end of 2020 so more funders are needed.
 

Click below to see highlights from the COVID-19 testing event.

With these 6 events behind us, LACMA now pivots to following up with members and non-members alike, to see how we can provide further assistance, make a difference, and solve real problems. We will continue to work with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and other organizations to address COVID-19 issues, from supply chain to testing solutions and work with CMA to monitor Congress and federal regulators who have been active in responding to the crisis.

CMA has developed a summary of the legislation (6 bills) enacted by Congress, a brief summary of the regulatory waivers and potential, future legislation. Congress has dedicated more than $3.5 trillion to the COVID-19 relief packages.

We are also excited to be in production mode for the 149th President and Officers virtual installation, a first of its kind event.