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The We Care Network’s 30th Anniversary
JULY EDITION, VOLUME 2022, NO. 7
WE CARE NETWORK LEADERSHIP – PAST AND PRESENT: REFLECTIONS FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND PROGRAM COORDINATORS
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Pam Irwin, CMS Executive Director, 2014 - present Mollie Hill, CMS Executive Director, 1984 - 2000
Sue Conte, Initial Consultant to the We Care Network, 1992, and CMS Executive Director, 2012 - 2014
Karen Wendland, CMS Executive Director, 2000 - 2011
Robin McDougall, We Care Network Program Coordinator, 1995 - 2008
CAPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY 2022 MEETINGS CALENDAR
Shannon Lease, We Care Network Program Coordinator, 1992 - 1994
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
September 20, 2022 CMS Membership & CME Meeting
One-Hour CME Topic: Advances in Migraine Treatment Presenter: Danny Estupiñán, M.D. 6:00 pm Maguire Center for Lifelong Learning at Westminster Oaks
October 18, 2022 CMS Membership & CME Meeting
Two-Hour Required CME Topic: Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Presenter: Suzanne Harrison, M.D. 6:00 pm Maguire Center for Lifelong Learning at Westminster Oaks
MISSION: TO PROMOTE THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE FOR THE ULTIMATE BENEFIT OF THE PATIENT. (850) 877-9018 Fax: (850) 878-0218 www.capmed.org
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Paresh Patel, M.D., President
Sarah Ko, M.D., President-Elect
Helen Paulson, M.D., Secretary/Treasurer
Rohan Joseph, M.D., Immediate Past President
IN THIS ISSUE:
The We Care Network’s 30th Anniversary ..............................1 CMS Dues Invoices .......................................................................7 CMS News.......................................................................................8 CMS Welcomes Medical Students ............................................9 CMS Family Movie Night ...........................................................10 CMS Lunchtime Learning Seminars........................................ 13 In Memoriam ................................................................................14 A Message from the CMS Executive Director ...................... 15 CMS Foundation Access to Care Award................................ 16 Julia Revell St. Petery, M.D. Scholarship in Pediatrics ....... 17 Simpler Times ............................................................................. 20 Viewpoint...................................................................................... 21 Donate to the CMS Foundation.............................................. 24 CMS Foundation: We Care Network...................................... 26
Codie Bryant, CMS Alliance President
Russell Cole, M.D.
Amulya Konda, M.D.
Jonathan Nava, M.D.
Kaushal Patel, M.D.
Shawn Ramsey, D.O.
Brence Sell, M.D.
Kiana Taba, M.D.
Julia Weeks, M.D.
Pam Irwin, Executive Director, CMS
PUBLICATION
EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR Frank Skilling, M.D. Shannon Boyle
GRAPHIC DESIGN EDITOR EMERITUS Gandy Printers Charles E. Moore, M.D.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN WRITING AN ARTICLE FOR CAP SCAN?
Please contact Shannon Boyle at sboyle@capmed.org. All articles submitted will be reviewed by your peers prior to publishing.
Cap Scan is published during the first week of each month and is the official publication of the Capital Medical Society. Advertising in Cap Scan does not imply approval or endorsement by the Capital Medical Society. The opinions expressed are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Capital Medical Society.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
{JULY BIRTHDAYS}
Michael J. Ford, M.D. - 1st Amer Rassam, M.D. - 1st Raymond Shashaty, M.D. - 1st Larry C. Deeb, M.D. - 2nd Lynn Jones, M.D. - 2nd Rodrigo A. Agbunag, M.D. - 4th Muhammad Yasir Baloch, M.D. - 5th Ciara Grayson, M.D. - 5th Robert Campbell, M.D. - 12th Charles Newell, M.D. - 13th Carey Dellock, M.D. - 14th Seymour Rosen, M.D. - 14th Tobi Lawson, M.D. - 15th Daniel Conrad, M.D. - 17th J. Daniel Davis, Jr., M.D. - 17th Brence Sell, M.D. - 17th James Totten, M.D. - 17th Julia Barry, D.O. - 18th Richard L. Henry, M.D. - 18th Christine Fitzsimmons, D.O. - 19th Amulya Konda, M.D. - 19th Thomas C. Peele, Jr., M.D. - 19th Andres F. Rodriguez, M.D. - 19th Judith Lewis-Voorting, M.D. - 20th Alan Ming-Fong Chen, M.D. - 21st Walter G. Bunnell, III, M.D. - 22nd William Crawford Dixon, M.D. - 22nd Breanna J. Walters, M.D. - 22nd Paresh Patel, M.D. - 24th Rajeshri Parag Patel, M.D. - 26th Niraj Pandit, M.D. - 27th Tracey E. Hellgren, M.D. - 30th John N. Katopodis, M.D. - 30th Kaushal Patel, M.D. - 30th Adrian P. Roberts, M.D. - 30th Joseph Soto, M.D. - 31st
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! WE ARE SO GLAD YOU WERE BORN!
DID WE MISS YOUR BIRTHDAY? IF SO, PLEASE EMAIL ROSALIE CARLIN AT RCARLIN@CAPMED.ORG!
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30 YEARS OF CARING THROUGH THE WE CARE NETWORK
IN APPRECIATION OF 30 YEARS OF WE CARE NETWORK STAFF AND PHYSICIAN VOLUNTEERS
Has it really been 30 years since Capital Medical Society (CMS) members voted for a program called “We Care Network?” I can look back today and still remember the amazing support of physicians at the CMS meeting when they adopted the We Care Network program under the CMS Foundation to provide specialty care for less fortunate patients in our community at no cost.
Numerous times, I would receive calls, mainly from our primary care physicians, needing a specialty doctor to treat their patients who had no insurance. Every CMS member knows an example of where further treatment was needed to potentially save a patient’s life. After all, that is what the medical profession is all about.
In 1991, Dr. James Stockwell, CMS President, and I heard about an indigent care program in Alachua County that seemed to fit our needs perfectly. He insisted that we try and get it started in Tallahassee – and he meant immediately. Dr. Scott Medley, a family doctor in Gainesville, and Peggy Davenport, the Executive Director from the Alachua County Medical Society, helped inspire CMS members to adopt the We Care Network program. And, with the support of physician practices, their staff, ancillary services, and our local hospitals access to care for these patients was finally realized.
It is hard for me to believe that 30 years have passed since former Executive Director Mollie Hill and Dr. Jim Stockwell imagined a volunteer network of physicians to care for those in our community who had no access to necessary medical care. They not only made it happen but also created an important and lasting program that has served thousands, while gaining the trust of physicians and community funding partners. In late 1991, having recently graduated from FSU and looking for a project, I jumped at the chance to work as the first We Care Network Program Coordinator for a short two months to help create the network and get processes started. The real work was done by those who followed, each of whom devoted their heart and soul to working with patients, doctors, and staff. Many of you reading this are retired and were among those who participated in this innovative program that literally meant life or death to local patients. These were the people who were barely feeding and clothing their families instead of getting the medical care they needed and deserved.
For those of you who have joined the medical community since the creation of the We Care Network, please know that your participation in this program is critical to the health and well-being of many in our community. It is incumbent on all physicians to keep the We Care Network a vibrant program. Sadly, our world has not become an easier place in which to make it when one is struggling and without access to healthcare. The CMS staff work very hard to make We Care Network participation as easy as possible for you and your associates to share your talents with these patients.
I am exceedingly proud of the past and present We Care Network Program Coordinators for their dedication: Sue Conte, Shannon Lease, Robin McDougall, Rosemary Farrell (Evans), Rose Marie Worley, Monica Demott, Sue Michaels, and Diana Bixler. It is not an easy job.
Let’s work together to keep the word “care” in the profession of medicine. Congratulations to all as we celebrate 30 years of caring.
1992 - 1994: Shannon Lease 1995 - 2008: Robin McDougall 2009 - 2012: Rosemary Farrell (Evans) 2012 - 2014: Rose Marie Worley 2014 - 2015: Monica Demott 2015 - 2016: Sue Michaels 2016 - 2017: Rosemary Farrell (Evans) 2017 - present: Diana Bixler
While I am extremely proud of the small part I played and the huge impact this program has had, none of it would be possible without the generosity and compassion of Tallahassee’s physician volunteers. Thank you all for the time and expertise you have so willingly given and for making Tallahassee a better place for everyone.
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE WE CARE NETWORK: 30 YEARS OF MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE, POSSIBLE
“Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Francis of Assisi
Thirty years ago, I was privileged to be part of the launch of the Capital Medical Society Foundation’s We Care Network program. This physician-led, grassroots effort opened access to desperately needed diagnostic testing services and specialty medical healthcare to those in our community without insurance and who otherwise could not pay for their muchneeded, and sometimes lifesaving, treatment. Looking back, I am beyond proud to have been part of this movement that improved the lives of thousands of Floridians. In 1992, there was no (global) Internet, and building a completely novel healthcare program seemed an impossible feat. It is difficult to imagine that this local network of caring healthcare professionals would continue to grow and expand throughout the state’s 67 counties and continues to thrive today under the auspices of the Florida Department of Health’s Volunteer Health Care Provider Program.
Happy 30th Anniversary, and congratulations to the physicians, nurses, dentists, case managers, program coordinators, clinics, and hospitals that make up the Capital Medical Society Foundation’s We Care Network program. I was honored to have a small part of your very big dream to make the impossible, possible.
REFLECTIONS ON “WE CARE”
I was 17 years old when my family came to Florida. For several years, we had been experiencing a financial and social crisis. By the time we drove to Bradenton, we were homeless. We lived in a tent for a while before we could afford to get housing with four solid walls, a roof, and utilities. There have been so many kindnesses that came my way and supported me as I wound my way through my GED, community college, my Masters in Social Work, and into my career. I was inspired to the field of social work by those experiences we endured. There were so many times we needed help we could not find, and I wanted to help people in similar circumstances the way some people helped us along the way.
I came to the We Care Network at the age of 27 and, in some ways, grew up there. At the time, I was very ignorant about doctors and others in the medical field. I had allowed my personal experiences to draw a line between those I perceived to have advantages and those who were disadvantaged. My perceptions began to change when I learned there was a program through which local doctors and the medical system in Leon County were donating free specialty medical care to people in need. I never imagined something like that could exist. Actually, the Capital Medical Society Foundation’s We Care Network was only the second one in the state of Florida, inspired by Dr. Jim Stockwell and fashioned after the one earlier established in Alachua County.
The We Care Network taught me to never underestimate what can happen when people work together and give personally to help meet the needs of others. In just a few years, the program grew to include hundreds of physicians, both local hospitals, every ancillary provider in the medical community, and to inspire funding from foundations, state and local grants, and even from the same doctors and providers who were donating their services. It was a wild ride, working in such a dynamic environment where we started out serving about 200 people each year to up to 1,500 people each year.
I was inspired over and over again by the commitment of our doctors. That commitment meant different things to different people. Sometimes it meant a doctor would see more patients in a month or a year than they originally stipulated. Other times, it meant a doctor made personal donations to help fund our Patient Assistance Program (to purchase needed medications and supplies) or to meet our annual budget. And, other times, it meant those same doctors worked to recruit other doctors to make the same commitments. I don’t remember exactly how many people donated care when I started, but I think there were about 100 doctors.
Our doctors never stopped motivating and recruiting their peers, and soon the number of volunteer physicians quadrupled until almost every practicing specialist in our fourcounty area participated and donated care. Still, these doctors weren’t finished trying to help patients in need. They reached out to engage and recruit dentists and started Project Dental Care. Again, I was a part of something new and exciting, and within a few months, dozens of local dentists were donating their time to underprivileged people with absolutely no access to dental care.
About 15 years ago, two anonymous donors established a scholarship award at the FSU College of Medicine called the Access to Care Award. It was established in my name,
which was then and continues to be humbling, and honestly, it boggles my mind. My understanding is that the doctors who donated the money to establish this scholarship felt my commitment to access to care for our medically underserved community deserved recognition and might inspire medical students towards that same ideal.
But here is the kicker. My commitment to that access to care was inspired BY THOSE DOCTORS. They honored me for simply responding to the efforts they were making to make our local community a better place and to help our neighbors who didn’t have other options. I needed a job, and I was so incredibly fortunate to grow up with a loosely knit family of educated professionals who used their resources and their will to find a way to give away their skills and training to people in need. How could I not be committed to access to medical care when this was the model in which I was immersed?
When I was asked a few weeks ago to write this article, I thought about all of the statistics. But, I wanted to say something different. I wanted to say thank you to the Capital Medical Society Foundation Board members, the Executive Directors who supported my career there and enabled me to live out my personal values and paid me a salary while I did it, and to the other program coordinators and case managers who also committed themselves to access to medical care for our patients. And mostly, I want to thank the doctors who have been volunteering and donating care for the past 30 years. That statistic itself boggles my mind all over again.
I will always feel very proud to have been part of something so multidimensional and personally generous. I will never, ever forget the individual patients whose actual lives were saved when doctors and our medical community pulled together to meet their needs. I am grateful I was invited to write this article that gives me another chance to express my gratitude to the Capital Medical Society Foundation, our doctors, and the We Care Network program.
I HONOR THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WE CARE NETWORK
In 2000, I applied for the position of Executive Director for the Capital Medical Society (CMS); a strong motivator for me was the prospect of serving as an advocate for the Capital Medical Society Foundation’s We Care Network. I had met Robin McDougall, Program Coordinator for We Care, at community meetings in the mid-1990’s when the novel idea of the City and County stepping in to provide some funding for indigent care was being seriously discussed. Robin was a prime mover in this effort, and I was very impressed with her.
When I came to work at CMS, I learned about all the tremendous work Dr. Jim Stockwell and former Executive Director Mollie Hill did, along with Robin, to recruit physician volunteers and create the We Care Network. The Leon County Commission did approve funding (the City dropped out). Robin was in the lead, partnering with Neighborhood Medical Center, Bond Community Health Center, and the FAMU Pharmacy. We were instrumental in securing other consistent funding sources, including Leon County Health Department, the Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida.
In 2003, for our second Celebration Awards Dinner, we produced a video about the We Care Network. The Celebration Awards Dinner was, and still is, a great opportunity to inform our medical community and community-at-large about the incredible contribution the We Care Network makes in our four-county area. The effort is so impressive: to donate specialty medical care to low-income, uninsured people in need. I was always proud that We Care is a physician-led initiative. In 2008, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida recognized our We Care Network as a model for other programs around the state. They asked us to apply for their prestigious Sapphire Award. Indeed, we won a $75,000 award. As dentists were increasingly participating in the We Care Network, they awarded us $25,000 in 2009 in recognition of the dentists’ participation. Dentists are key leaders today.
However, 2008 was also a tough year for me because Robin resigned to open her private counseling practice. Good for her! But it was impossible to hire someone to fill her shoes. Fortunately, I had the most amazing intern from FSU that Spring, Shannon Boyle, who I could hire to help me manage the We Care Network. Shannon confidently stepped in to handle the data system and reporting requirements. She also worked on the CMS side of the office. She and Rosalie Carlin assumed many critical administrative functions for We Care. I am very grateful for the teamwork we shared. We all know Rosalie and Shannon are popular, long-time, and essential staff at CMS.
It was also my privilege to work with many devoted case managers during my tenure at CMS. They are the heart of the We Care Network, working directly with patients and medical providers. I am proud to say Roshanda Dorsey was hired during my tenure and, like Shannon and Rosalie, she is beloved and essential at the CMS Foundation.
I salute the tremendous service you physicians and dentists provide to our community through the We Care Network. Congratulations on your 30th anniversary!
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR CURRENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
By Pam Irwin, CMS Executive Director, 2014 - present Joining the Capital Medical Society Foundation and overseeing its We Care Network program has been one of my most meaningful decisions. Since 2014, 2,121 program-eligible patients have benefited from the coordination of donated healthcare. When faced with the dilemma of limited resources, no health insurance, and a looming health crisis, circumstances become paralyzing without outside intervention. Many of us have walked in those shoes at some stage in our lives, or we have watched a friend or family member choose between paying rent and purchasing prescription medications. The donating physicians and partners of the We Care Network give hope during a health crisis.
We have streamlined the program since 2014. We have added staff and cross-trained positions. We better capture the value of donated services; have created templates for grant reports; and improved program policies to remove obstacles to access to healthcare. We purchased a generator to ensure the continuity of the program in the event of a power outage, set up staff’s ability to work from home if needed, created training manuals, honed our grant-writing skills, and found new resources to fund the program. That is critical to the program, but it does not tell the whole story.
The cause for celebration on this 30th anniversary is the lives touched and the gift of improved health selflessly shared by the network of physicians and their practices as well as the hospitals where they have privileges. Physician volunteerism results in changed health outcomes for the neediest in the community. “Physician volunteerism is not the answer to uninsured healthcare,” said Dr. Jim Stockwell, the local We Care Network program founder. The We Care Network program is a BandAid on the healthcare system in a community that values access for all. THANK YOU to the physicians and dentists who have been a part of the We Care Network program these past thirty years. You are the heroes and heroines of this story. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it.
