PCMS Bulletin March 2025 by PierceCountyMedicalSociety

PCMS Officers

President Neil Batta,

President Elect

Secretary/Treasurer

Courtney Kennel, DO

Immediate Past President

Julian Arroyo, MD

PCMS Directors

C. Blair Campbell, MD

H. Matt Davis, MD

JT (John) Heffernan, MD

James “Jay” Miller, MD

Nicholas Rajacich, MD

Camille Samujh, DO

Executive Director

Linda Krause

Office Coordinator

Tanya McClain

PCMS Member Colleagues,

I hope 2025 is treating you well! I wanted to take a moment to review our goals for the Pierce County Medical Society (PCMS) this year and share some exciting updates.

One of our key priorities is to continue encouraging high school students to pursue careers in medicine through our support of the Healthcare Careers Academy (HCA).

On January 24, 2025, I had the opportunity to spend time with students at Mt. Tahoma High School as part of the HCA program, alongside Anchor Physical Therapy. It was a fantastic experience and the students had a great time learning about careers in physical therapy and medicine. Some photos from that day with Brandon Roadman, PT, DPT are on page 4.

In 2025 we are also focused on growing our members' understanding of all the benefits PCMS has to offer, including advocacy, social events, collegiality, and our efforts to strengthen relationships with local and state legislators. Additionally, we continue to emphasize charitable contributions to our community with the support of the PCMS Foundation.

To help foster greater engagement, we are planning a social event each quarter for PCMS members. The first of these will be a late St. Patrick’s celebration and March Madness kickoff on March 20, 2025. We’ll be partnering with TRA at their Crescent Lounge facility (1304 S. Fawcett Ave, in the old Ford building). Join us at 6:00 pm. RSVP for the March 20th event. This is a free event.

As always, we remain committed to working alongside the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) and maintaining open dialogue with our state legislators on issues that matter to us, including physician burnout and access to care.

We’re excited about the opportunities ahead in 2025 and look forward to working together to make this year a success.

Sincerely,

Neil Batta, MD President

Left to Right: PT Brandon Roadman, Neil Batta, MD and Noel Montgomery-HCA Teacher

HCA Student Project on the Cardiovascular System

Dr. Batta going over the spine

PT Brandon Roadman going over ankle injuries with the classroom sign language instructor

HCA student project on the food guide pyramid in various countries

Stop the Medicare and Medicaid Cuts Urgent Action Needed!

Protecting Medicaid and Medicare and Your Ability to Provide Care to Your Patients

Tell Congress to Protect Patient Access to Care and oppose Medicaid Cuts.

On Feb. 25, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a “Concurrent Budget Resolution,” the first step in the reconciliation process, opening the door to upwards of $880 billion in potential cuts to the Medicaid program.

Reach out to your members of Congress in both the House and Senate today and demand that they protect Medicaid funding.

These cuts could dramatically impact the lives of nearly 2 million of Washington’s most vulnerable populations children, pregnant women, seniors, and low-income families many who rely on Medicaid for essential care. Medicaid provides Washingtonians not only health care coverage but also economic security, especially in rural and underserved areas.

Current proposals being discussed by Congress threaten to slash Medicaid funding by reducing federal Medicaid matching funds, establishing per-capita caps that would cripple the Medicaid system and disproportionately harm rural and at-risk communities across the country. READ MORE

Please take a moment and contact your representative and senators today and urge them to oppose per capita caps and any Medicaid cuts that are proposed:

TEMPLATE Letter to your US Senators and US Representatives

Anchor Physical Therapy in Tacoma and Lakewood serves the South Sound community.

Are you an athlete looking to level up your game? Are you in need of injury rehabilitation that works?

At Anchor Physical Therapy, our solutions-based approach to physical therapy will help you improve function and performance so you can achieve your goals and live a healthy, active life

At Anchor Physical Therapy, our mission is to serve others by caring for the health of the South Puget Sound community. We treat the cause, not the symptoms. We’ll work closely with you to identify the source of your injury or impairment, then prepare customized treatment plans to help resolve the issue rather than simply alleviate the pain

Lakewood Office

Tacoma Office

5815 Lakewood Towne Center 1407 E 72nd St, Suite A 100 Blvd SW, Suite G1 Tacoma, WA 98404

Lakewood, WA 98499

P: 253-235-3856

P: (253) 235-3856 F: 253-474-7479

F: (253) 433-3134

Mon-Thurs: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm Mon-Thurs: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm Friday: 8:00 am - 5:30 pm Friday: 8:00 am - 5:30 pm

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s mission is to protect and improve the health of all people and places in Pierce County

February 21, 2025

City of Tacoma, Town of Steilacoom receive Healthy Communities Award

The Healthy Communities Awards recognize local jurisdictions that make a special effort to improve the health of their residents.

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department recognizes 3 recipients that showed leadership in 2024 to improve community health outcomes:

City of Tacoma Planning and Development Services.

City of Tacoma Environmental Services. Town of Steilacoom.

“How our communities are designed and built affect our health,” Board of Health Chair Joe Bushnell said. “I want to extend my deepfelt appreciation to the recipients of these awards for their hard work. The decisions they made will protect the health and well-being of Pierce County’s residents. This work is critical in our holistic vision of Healthy People in Healthy Places.” read more...

Free Vaccine Locations for Children

Vaccines are free for children age 0 - 18 years in Washington. Your child’s healthcare provider is the best place to get vaccines because they do important health checks.

You can get free vaccines at clinics and pharmacies in the Childhood Vaccine Program. Bring your child’s vaccine records to their appointment. Get your records at MyIRmobile.com For local pop-up events, visit tpchd.org/kidsvax

Clinic Locations:

Acts Pharmacy & Healthcare Services: 1901 South Union Ave , Bldg B, #2011, Tacoma (253) 272-0324

Kirk’s Pharmacy 104 Mashell Ave. North, Eatonville (360) 832-3121

Mary Bridge Children’s Immunization Clinic Mary Bridge Tacoma WIC 316 North L St., Tacoma (behind Frisko Freeze) Call (253) 403-1767 to make an appointment. No walk-ins.

Sea Mar Lakewood Pediatrics Lakewood Medical Clinic 7424 Bridgeport Way West, #103, Lakewood Call (253) 581-2111 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are first-come, first-served.

Shallae Hobbs, BSN, MN, RN, NCSN Director of Health Services-Tacoma Public Schools

Pierce County Medical Society Upcoming Events

March 25, 2025

PCMS Board of Directors Meeting - Open to all PCMS Members. RSVP to attend. RSVP March 25th Meeting.

6:30 pm start

March 20, 2025

March Madness-First Round Social with TRA at the Crescent Lounge

6:00 pm start. RSVP TODAY! Free event.

August 10, 2025

Annual Resident Event at Cheney Stadium-Free for residents!

1:35 pm game

September 17, 2025

PCMS 2nd Annual Meet your District Representative Event with TRA

6:00 pm

December 9, 2025

PCMS Annual Holiday Event

5:00 pm

Your generous contributions through our holiday card fundraiser enable us to provide grants to local nonprofit organizations We deeply appreciate your support in 2024

Your donations have a meaningful impact on small local nonprofits, helping them thrive and serve the community. Thank you for your continued support with your 2025 donation.

Sincerely,

Charles Weatherby, MD, Mark Grubb, MD and Larry Larson, MD

PCMS

Foundation Board of Directors

Donate today! https://www.pcmswa.org/pcms-foundation

"The proper aim of giving is to put the recipients in a state where they no longer need our gifts." –C. S. Lewis

Would you like to represent your colleagues in Pierce County September 20-21 in Bellevue WA?

Represent Pierce County Medical Society at the WSMA Annual Meeting and House of Delegates Meeting.

September 20-21, 2025 at the Westin Hotel in Bellevue WA

Join your colleagues at the WSMA House of Delegates Meeting this Fall. Limited stipends are available from PCMS.

Alert your colleagues that you are a delegate for Pierce County and ask for comments and recommendations on WSMA programs and policies.

Collaborate with the PCMS Delegation to review and discuss proposed resolutions, while networking with peers from across the state.

The PCMS Resolution Review Meeting will take place on September 16, 2025. RSVP to confirm your attendance.

Participation is exclusive to active PCMS members.

Date: September 20-21, 2025

Location: Westin Hotel, Bellevue WA

More information on the meeting

To be part of the PCMS Delegation, please contact Linda Krause, PCMS Exec. Director at: linda@pcmswa.org by August 15, 2025. Thank you.

Over the years, MultiCare physicians’ and PAs’ annual Pierce County Medical Society membership dues were paid and renewed by MultiCare. Beginning in 2024, your membership dues will not automatically renew by your employer.

MultiCare will still pay for your membership dues to Pierce County Medical Society, but it will be at your request and through your annual CME funds provided by MultiCare.

We appreciate your membership in PCMS over the years and look forward to your continued support in 2025. If you have any questions about renewing your membership dues with us next year, please let us know. We value your support.

We will send out more information about this change in the coming months. If you have any questions, please let us know. PCMS office: 253-572-3667; or email us at: pcms@pcmswa.org.

Thank you,

Linda Krause Executive Director