Health Equity

At its April Board meeting, the MSDC Board focused on public health and Society health at its second meeting of the year.

MSDC Chair J. Desiree Pineda, MD, invited MSDC members who joined since January 1 to attend the meeting, which was held both at MSDC headquarters and online. The members who were able to attend shared why they joined and participated in the discussions during the meeting.

The agenda began with a presentation from DC Health Community Health Administration (CHA). Participants learned about current COVID infection and vaccination rates in DC, and how CHA is planning to increase the rate of boosters in the District, especially in the 65 years and old demographic. The Board discussed how the physician community can assist with these efforts.

E.W. Emanuel, MD, presented an update on the Membership Committee's work to create a new membership model. He shared that the committee had gathered demographic and behavioral data on members, but there are still major gaps the Society is aiming to resolve. The Board discussed how members become engaged with the Society and how MSDC can use these avenues to increase membership and participation. The committee will be coming forward with more recommendations at the June Board meeting.

In addition to these items, the Board discussed:

• The upcoming AMA 2022 Annual House of Delegates meeting
• MSDC's advocacy agenda, especially prior authorization reform
• The Healthy Physician Foundation
• and more

The next Board meeting is June 27, 2022. Members in good standing can request an invitation by contacting Robert Hay Jr.