Kansas City Medical Society

Start the new year with a conversation with health leaders from around Kansas about a path toward Medicaid expansion. Join KCMS Foundation and partners for a virtual lunch on Thursday, Jan. 13, with Kansas Lt. Gov. David Toland and Kansas State Sen. John Doll discussing policy implications. Learn more and register: https://kcmedicine.org/medicaid-webinars/

Learn about the legislative advocacy efforts of Amy Patel, MD, that resulted in increased insurance coverage for mammography screenings, in this profile from Kansas City Medicine. This work earned her the 2021 KCMS Patient & Community Advocate Award. https://kcmedicine.org//2/11/KCM.Fall-2021-Patel-Award.pdf

Area CMOs issued an urgent call to action to the Kansas City community as COVID-19 cases threaten to exceed the number in December 2020. Hospitals are nearing capacity and risk not being able to provide care for patients with heart attacks, cancers or accident injuries. Nurses are stressed and overworked. 80-90% of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated. CMOs urged residents to get vaccinated, get the booster shot if eligible and wear masks.

COVID-19 admissions are rising rapidly in the Kansas City area, and hospitals are asking the community to help. Chief medical officers and infectious disease physicians from across the KC metro will join for a news conference at 8 a.m. Friday hosted by The University of Kansas Health System to discuss the consequences of a sharp increase in COVID cases. Watch for further details.

Learn more about the contributions of Todd Beardman, MD, and Denny Fugate, PharmD, to last spring's Operation Safe COVID-19 vaccination effort spearheaded by North Kansas City Hospital and other partners. Their efforts earned them the 2021 KCMS Community Service Award. https://kcmedicine.org//KCM.Fall-2021-Beardman-Fugate-Awar

Ruth Ramsey, publisher of "Our Health Matters" magazine, is the 2021 KCMS Friend of Medicine honoree. See her profile in the current Kansas City Medicine journal. https://kcmedicine.org///11/KCM.Fall-2021-Ramsey-Award.pdf

Thank you to all our members who have served, including Dr. Lee Norman, the 2020 recipient of the "Patient and Community Advocate" Award.

Thank you to all our veterans.

Here is a wonderful essay on Veterans Day by Charles Van Way, III, MD, editor emeritus of our journal Kansas City Medicine and a veteran himself. It was written for our fourth quarter journal publishing in early December. But we want to share it with you now on Veterans Day. Thank you to all who have served. https://kcmedicine.org/journal/in-praise-of-veterans/

Congratulations to Saint Luke's cardiologist and KCMS member Paul Chan, MD, for completing his annual 50-mile rim-to-rim-to-rim charity hike of the Grand Canyon on Saturday. He was joined by 18 Kansas Citians. He and five of the hikers did the whole 50 miles while the others completed a shorter 20-mile round trip. The 50-mile group encountered challenging condition including a four-hour rainstorm and 20-30 mph winds. The effort this year has raised more than $165,000 for Kansas City and world charities impacting hunger and homelessness. Pictured on the day before the hike, Dr. Chan, fifth from left in the rear, with some of the other hikers.

Chief medical officers from six area hospitals and health systems warned Kansas City-area government officials Friday morning on the potential impact of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases on local hospital capacity. They presented their case in a Zoom call hosted by The University of Kansas Health System and attended by 165 elected officials from around the region. Currently, the nine hospitals represented in the briefing have only 76 unoccupied non-ICU beds for general adult ...inpatient care for which staffing is in place. There are only 22 unoccupied ICU beds that could be staffed. Their message: If widespread community transmission goes up, the hospitals will be overwhelmed. We can prevent this if everyone follows the pillars of infection control including wearing masks and washing hands frequently. https://www.medicalnewsnetwork.org//Chief%20Medical%20Offi See more

This weekend, Paul Chan, MD, Saint Luke's cardiologist and KCMS member, will lead a group on a 50-mile round trip hike across the Grand Canyon and back to raise money for charity. This is his 11th Grand Canyon expedition. Read more: https://kcmedicine.org/journal/chan-hike/ Donate to the fundraising effort: https://www.crophungerwalk.org/Donate (enter Dr. & Mrs. Paul/Katie in the drop-down box)

ICYMI ... Here is the video we showed at the recent KCMS Annual Meeting announcing the Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Donald Potts, retired family physician and public health advocate. The video includes a photo of Dr. Potts and his family outside the hospital where he is recovering from COVID-19. He was most honored to receive the award. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdrHpeQ4vYo&t=13s

Local public health officials last week issued this joint news release advising that the idea of reopening schools and businesses to build "herd immunity" without a vaccine would result in a large loss of lives and place substantial pressure on the health care system. https://www.marc.org//Local-health-officials-herd-immunity

Are many low-income people and older adults being left behind by the sudden shift to telehealth? Why achieving health equity is so hard in the telehealth age. https://www.ama-assn.org//why-achieving-health-equity-so-h

Congratulations to KCMS President-Elect Scott Kujath, MD, on being named a 2020 TCAR Clinical Operator of Experience by the procedure’s developer, Silk Road Medical. TCAR (TransCarotid Artery Revascularization) is a minimally invasive approach for high surgical risk patients to reduce their risk of stroke. As an Operator of Experience, Dr. Kujath has demonstrated a focus on patient outcomes through appropriate patient selection and a well-trained and credentialed vascular specialist team. Dr. Kujath practices with Midwest Aortic & Vascular Institute.

Thanks to all who attended tonight's KCMS Virtual Annual Meeting. Congratulations to our Award recipients. Thanks to the panel of mayors for their thoughtful comments. In these uncertain times, especially with COVID-19 but also other issues such as gun violence, the mayors suggested that physicians represent a respected source of wisdom and expertise. They encouraged physicians to share their experience and expertise.

Join KCMS in honoring Brian Mieczkowski, DO, with the Rising Star Award at the Virtual Annual Meeting tomorrow, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. over Zoom. A pulmonologist with HCA Midwest based at Research Medical Center, Dr. Mieczkowski has served on the front lines treating COVID-19 patients. He also has continued his commitment as a member of the KCMS Board of Directors. He has completed medical missions to Honduras and Africa. HCA Midwest honored him earlier this year with its Frist Humanitarian Award. Learn more: https://kcmedicine.org/journal/mieczkowski-rising-star/

Join KCMS in honoring Michelle Haines, MD, with the Innovation Award at the 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting tomorrow, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Currently medical director of the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Saint Luke's Hospital, she led the development of the adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program and a 24/7 intensivist model. Learn more about Dr. Haines: https://kcmedicine.org/journal/innovation-haines/ Register now for the Annual Meeting: https://kcmedicalsociety.wildapricot.org/event/Registration