President’s Letter

Q IPresident’s Letter

With the first quarter of 2021 behind us, everyone is growing ever more eager to find our way back to “normal”. We’ve broken out of winter into warmer days and more of the population is either already COVID-19 vaccinated or in process. Both those realities definitively yield a sunnier outlook for the balance of 2021. Together, we can make 2021 even brighter for our community.

The Memphis Medical Society found itself in an unprecedented position in the midst of the unexpected 2020 pandemic. Rising to the challenge, MMS actively participated in initiating and assisting efforts across multiple agencies and community groups resourcing and redirecting needed pandemic supplies, including PPE and vaccinations. After a year of working more closely across community-wide efforts by non-profits, local and state government agencies, first responders, community clinics, and others, MMS is better situated to be of greater relevance, influence, and help in the community. We are now in an improved position to help make more substantial progress in a number of areas. The value of this position cannot be highlighted too strongly and the opportunities it affords absolutely should not be missed. It is with that in mind that I am delighted to share MMS’s first Strategic Plan in quite some time.

We are called both by our profession and by our MMS membership to further assist our community in confronting and rebounding from the pandemic, both as we continue our existing efforts and as we continue to identify more ways to help our neighbors emerge safely back into a more active lifestyle. It’s also time to learn from this experience: assess systems and functions for better future results, identify and engage in additional leadership opportunities and accept leadership positions in community groups that directly impact community health, and optimize improved technology and strategies to better connect in our community.

Our ability to have an impactful community presence relies on our resources: human and financial. In 2021, increasing MMS membership to 1,100 dues-paying members will strengthen our community-wide presence and help to prioritize the recruitment of diverse future MMS leaders. Reaching this goal also increases West Tennessee representation in the TMA at its board level, giving our concerns and objectives more focal prominence with TMA and lawmakers across the state. Financially, our objective is to meet operating expenses while holding, at minimum, 12 months of operating expenses in reserves. We will be exploring a number of varied fundraising methods and financial vehicles to accomplish this goal which will give greater flexibility to the MMS supporting its purpose and community.

At the core of MMS’s purpose is the creation of an inclusive medical community that supports and advocates for physicians, their practices, and their patients. While there are a multitude of ways to accomplish this purpose, we can all agree that helping Memphis, Shelby County, and West Tennessee emerge stronger than expected from the last year and better prepared for our shared future is in all our best interests. One avenue to this end is working with the TN Department of Health introducing Project Access in Memphis and West Tennessee. If you have been following the progress of this program in Hamilton County, for example, you know that since 2004 over 1,100 health care providers and area hospitals have coordinated and offered over $200 million in donated health care to over 20,000 low-income individuals without insurance or access to it. Project Access is on the horizon here and we all hope it will be a resounding success.

On behalf of the board as well as myself, personally, I would sincerely like to extend our thanks to Clint Cummins for all his carefully and artfully executed work and skilled coordination of the Society’s ongoing efforts. 2021 marks Clint’s fifth year anniversary as the MMS’s CEO and Executive Vice President. Recently speaking with Clint, he mentioned being happy, but not content, with our progress thus far, as there is still so much that needs our attention and efforts. I couldn’t agree more with his assessment and look forward to seeing how Clint and the MMS staff assist the Society, TMA, and our community to reach our collective goals.

This year has already started busy, and the pace will be increasing. I respectfully ask for your active support, engaged interest, and dedicated participation for the benefit of our families, our patients, and our community.

Andrew Watson, M.D.

President, Memphis Medical Society 2021