10 minute read
Membership
MEMBERSHIP & MEMBER SERVICES
By Peter Graber NCAFP Communications Services
~ AWARDS ~
Dr. Thomas White Named 2020 NC Family Physician of the Year
Dr. Thomas R. White, a ‘hometown’ and ‘Main Street’ family physician, has been named North Carolina's 2020 Family Physician of the Year, the most prestigious award from the NCAFP. Dr. White was formally presented with the award during a ceremony early last November in Cherryville.
Dr. White currently practices at Hometown Direct Care in Cherryville, NC, a direct primary care practice he founded in 2015. Dr. White’s practice has had a tremendous impact on the health of the community. And while his practice setting and style have changed during his 32 years serving the people of Cherryville, Dr. White’s commitment has never wavered.
Dr. White’s interest in medicine began just prior to him entering undergraduate study Duke University. With a badly burned arm from an accident, he was treated over the course of several months by Dr. Marshal Anger, a well-known family physician from Cherryville. This experience inspired him greatly.
“I just remember the respect he commanded and deserved, and the dedication he clearly had,’ noted Dr. White in recalling the experience. “On the other hand, I was intimidated by the sheer number of patients he saw daily, and how little time he had to listen and deal with multiple complex issues. So I was inspired to be a community small town physician, but hesitant based on the demands,’ Dr. White explained.
Dr. White went on to graduate from Duke University, earning both his undergraduate and medical degrees. He completed his Family Medicine residency training at Charlotte Memorial Hospital and returned to Cherryville 1988 to found Cherryville Primary Care.
Dr. White’s practice would later be acquired by Carolinas Health Care System, which operated it until its 2015 closure. Dr. White subsequently founded Hometown Direct Care in Cherryville, the area’s first direct primary care practice and an ongoing success. Since opening, Dr. White has established a satellite office in Shelby and added another family physician, Dr. Joshua Carpenter, with plans to add another family physician in the summer of 2021.
White’s change in his care model has enabled him to once again deliver personalized, accessible, and comprehensive care, and leverage much-longer visit times to provide holistic care for his patients.
“When a patient tells me I listened and understood them, that is when I most appreciate the privilege of doing what I am doing,” Dr. White explained. He also thinks the change has extended his career, too. “More than that, I think it has made me better appreciate being a doctor,” said White.
Outside of his practice, Dr. White is very involved in his community and is a huge giver of his time, resources and energy to several causes. He has sponsored numerous athletic teams, quietly assisted community members with
college tuition, and sponsored the Cherryville High School Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards. In Cherryville, he was also an early member of the town’s Main Street Program, as the committee applied for and won a National Historic District designation. Dr. White has also served on multiple local boards, including the YMCA, the local Education Foundation, the Citizen Against Drugs Program and the local Rotary Club. Within organized medicine, he has also been a key contributor, serving as the NCAFP President in 2015, and also helping lead the Southeast Lipid Association, serving as President in 2020, and the National Lipid Association, in his current role a national board member.
Most recently, Dr. White has served as a leader in the community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He developed a local call-in radio program to answer questions and problem solve about coronavirus concerns, teaming up with City Manager Jeff Cash on the weekly show. In addition, he recruited local seamstresses to make cloth masks and has provided those for his patients and neighbors. Finally, he has given out well over 100 “support your local business” gift cards to his patients to help local shops survive. Dr. White credits several physicians as inspirations and role models for success throughout his career, including previous recipients Drs. Lee Beatty, Melvin Penn, Allen Dobson, Tommy Newton, Charlie Rhodes, Ophelia Garmon-Brown, and the late Bobby Jones, as well as Dr Thomas Barringer of Charlotte.
After all of his success and a wonderfully rewarding career, White’s recipe continues to be simple: “Just follow your heart.” He feels this is especially critical to medical students finding their way in a rapidly changing world.
“If you experience Family Medicine, and it resonates with your heart and reasons for choosing medicine, then stay the course,” notes Dr. White. “Do not be distracted by poorly-defined terms like “prestige” or the financial rewards. The latter will come if you are wise and patient. And think about what your community, your state, and the public needs. Family medicine is so needed. What a great opportunity to meet the needs of society.”
Duke Family Medicine Residency Director Featured in AAFP Q&A about Virtual Interviews
The pandemic has forced the unprecedented step of moving all residency match interviews online. In this Q&A from the AAFP, four Family Medicine residency program directors share their insights regarding virtual interviews. Duke Family Medicine Residency Director Dr. Will Bynum is one of the four program directors featured. You can read the article at www.ncafp.com/ virtual-interviews.
Family Medicine Represented on New Health Care Coverage Access Group
NCAFP Past President J. Thomas Newton, MD, is representing our organization on a high-level, bi-partisan group examining how to expand access to healthcare coverage in North Carolina. Governor Roy Cooper recently formed the NC Council for Health Care Coverage, which is being convened by the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. Council members include bipartisan members of the General Assembly and representatives from a variety of sectors including business, nonprofit and healthcare. The group held several strategy meetings to develop principles on how to improve affordable health coverage in our state. NCAFP is pleased to be represented on this important group. The Council is charged with reviewing the state of health care coverage in North Carolina, exploring how other states have increased health care coverage, and developing principles to guide policymakers in increasing coverage in the state. As of 2019, 17% of adults were uninsured in North Carolina, the 6th highest rate in the U.S. This number continues to grow as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Thank You for Your Continued Membership, Participation, and Support of Our Chapter
First, thank you to members who paid 2021 membership dues by the 12/31/20 deadline. You should have received an email from the AAFP with a redemption code for your renewal gift*. Please note that this code cannot be used for NCAFP meetings. This code is specifically for an AAFP CME Livestream course. Check the AAFP CME calendar page for 2021 Livestream course dates and topics at www.aafp.org/cme/browse/ by-month.html. If you have questions or cannot locate your code, please contact the AAFP at aafp@aafp.org or 1-800-274-2237.
As we begin a new membership year, we would like to share a few important details that may help in your planning:
2021 Membership Dues for Active, Inactive, Supporting & the 2021 Class of Life Members
If you missed the January 1, 2021 payment deadline for 2021 membership dues, please enroll in the installment plan or pay your balance to maintain your membership via one of the following options:
• Phone: Call the AAFP at 1-800-274-2237 x 0 (M-F between 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
• Online: www.aafp.org/quickpay (username is your email address on file with AAFP)
• AAFP Mobile App: Press More > My Account
• Make checks payable to AAFP and mail to: AAFP, 11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Leawood, KS 66211-2680.
• If your practice status has changed (fellowship, interrupted practice, retired), please contact the AAFP at 1-800-2742237 x 0 to determine status transfer eligibility.
• If you have moved out of NC, please visit www.aafp.org/relocation or contact the AAFP at 1-800-274-2237 x 0 for a required state chapter relocation transfer to avoid cancellation. Please note that AAFP membership is contingent upon active state chapter membership as memberships are unified according to AAFP bylaws.
• If you need a copy of your invoice or a receipt of payment, please call the AAFP or log on to your AAFP account at aafp.org for a paper copy.
2020-2021 Resident Dues $65
Most Resident dues invoices are sent directly to your residency program for payment (billing cycle July-June)—another perk of Resident membership!
If you happen to receive a mailed invoice to your primary address, please submit to your program coordinator promptly.
If your invoice goes to your program, your program coordinator may ask your permission to submit your dues from your allocation as uninterrupted membership is required for a 50% discount on first-year Active member dues following graduation. Please reply to that request promptly to avoid membership interruption.
Current Resident membership is also required for scholarship eligibility, Resident meeting rates, and receiving discounts on clinical courses and self-study CME as a New Physician.
2020 CME Re-Election Candidates
Members whose CME re-election cycle ended on Dec. 31, 2020 and who have not yet met the CME requirement will have an additional year to do so. This means you have until Dec. 31, 2021 to earn your CME required for 2020 Re-election.
Please note that the ABFM does not report your credits earned to the AAFP. It is best to report everything to the AAFP, and they will report to the ABFM on your behalf. If you have any questions about this extension or CME in general, please contact the AAFP at 1-800-274-2237 or visit aafp.org/cme.
Updating Contact Information
If any of your contact information has changed (mailing address, phone, fax or email address), you may update anytime at aafp.org via your profile under your account. Remember your email address on file with the AAFP is your username. You may also email your changes to aafp@aafp.org or call the AAFP at 1-800-274-2237.
Updating Credit Card for Dues Installments or Auto Pay
If you are enrolled in installments or auto pay for membership dues and need to update or check your credit card on file, please visit www.aafp.org/ quickpay or call the AAFP at 1-800-274-2237. It is important to update the credit card associated with your account to make sure installment payments go through successfully.
We are always happy to help you navigate through your membership. In addition to the AAFP resources, please also feel free to contact Tara Hinkle, Manager, NCAFP Member Services, at thinkle@ncafp. com, with any membership related questions you have.
Thank you again for all you do for your patients and communities. We sincerely appreciate your membership and commitment to family medicine. Here’s to a healthy and hopeful 2021.
*The renewal gift of 50% off each session in one AAFP CME Livestream course must be redeemed by or before 11:59 p.m. CT May 31, 2021. The code is good for one use, cannot be combined with any other AAFP offer, is not redeemable for cash or a refund, and cannot be applied to prior purchases. This offer does not apply to other membership categories (resident, student, transitional, life, international, supporting, and inactive), or any excluded courses listed below. Please contact the Member Resource Center at aafp@aafp.org or (800) 274-2237 if you have questions about this gift.
A Family Medicine Community Podcast www.ncafp.com/ncfmtoday
JANUARY - COVID-19 Vaccination
In this edition of NC Family Medicine Today, we speak to Dr. Alexa Mieses-Malchuk, a faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina about why all North Carolinians should receive a COVID-19 vaccine, especially historically marginalized populations. She also discusses her advocacy role in family medicine and how she was recently interviewed for Oprah Magazine.
DECEMBER - Mentoring in Family Medicine
Meet the new president of the NC Academy of Family Physicians, Dr. Jessica Triche, who practices at Vidant Chocowinity Family Medicine and lives in Bath, NC. Dr. Triche discusses three lessons she has learned from her mentors and why mentoring is so important in developing the future healthcare workforce. Dr. Triche also discusses her own journey into leadership positions in medicine.
NOVEMBER - Medicaid Transformation
