First Southern California Burnout Symposium Registration is Now Open for LACMA Members!

The Southern California Burnout Symposium is scheduled for February 23-25, 2023, at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center featuring HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and California Surgeon General Dr. Diana Ramos, it will be groundbreaking.

From an immersive experience for physicians to nationally recognized speakers to the first-of-its-kind physician panel discussion on gun violence sponsored by the Cooperative of American Physicians, the multi-day event will feature CMEs and solutions to the epidemic plaguing the profession, physician burnout.

If you register before December 2nd, you will get a $200 early bird discount, and as a LACMA member, you get an additional $400 off registration. Groups of three or more get an additional 15% off registration. Click here to learn more, register, and access all available discounts.

LACMA Members can contact Stephanie@lacmanet.org for an additional discount code to register for this historic and worthwhile event!

House of Delegates Concludes

The 151st CMA House of Delegates held at LA Live this past weekend was a success, and LACMA had the largest delegation in attendance to address a multitude of issues facing physicians, including workforce, mental health, and health care reform. 

The House heard from a multitude of experts and speakers, including the newly appointed California Surgeon General, Dr. Diana Ramos, who will also be speaking at the 2023 Burnout Symposium.

Dr. Donaldo Hernandez was elected as the new CMA President. Los Angeles family medicine physician Jack Chou, M.D., was elected the new Speaker of the CMA House of Delegates at the association’s annual meeting. He previously served three years as vice-chair. Joining Dr. Chou on the dais was the newly elected vice speaker, San Francisco dermatologist Lawrence Cheung, M.D. Kudos to AltaMed Health Services, a LACMA member organization, for leading the newly established Community Health Center Mode of Practice Forum! 

We would also like to thank the outgoing LACMA Delegation Chair, Dr. Valencia Walker, for her leadership and service this past year.

Dr. Jerry Abraham is seen above with Dr. Ludwig, Dr. Huang and other members of the Young Physician Section, who presented the Joseph F. Boyle MD, Young at Heart Award to Dr. C. Freeman for her commitment to helping young physicians become tomorrow’s leaders.

Patient Care Foundation Los Angeles Healthcare Awards is November 4th!

To those who used the excuse of the House of Delegates this past weekend as the reason for not buying tickets to the marquee event in Los Angeles - - now is the time to purchase your tickets and show support for the physicians of tomorrow as proceeds from the event go to medical student scholarships. 

Thanks to those organizations that stepped up early on to support the non-profit arm of LACMA – the Cooperative of American Physicians, Aledade, California Hospital Medical Center, AMBA/Mercer, AltaMed Health Services, L.A. Care Health Plan, Larta Institute, Charles R. Drew University, Molina Healthcare, Huntington Health, Keck SOM of USC and UCLA! 

Help us sell tickets and raise dollars for scholarships for these incredible, deserving medical students facing tremendous challenges. 

Diwali festival is one of the most important festivals within Hinduism. Generally, it lasts five days (or six in some regions of India) and is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashwayuja (according to the amanta tradition) and Kartika (between mid-October and mid-November).

Measures HC & J in Duarte and Inglewood Should Be Rejected

It’s been a tough couple of years for medical workers battling a global pandemic. Our members have been at the forefront caring for the Los Angeles community every day working tirelessly to serve everyone who walks in their doors, regardless of economic or documented status. Health care workers are indeed heroes, today and every day. 

However, Measures HC and J on the Inglewood and Duarte City ballots this November would unfairly discriminate against the vast majority of health care workers in each city. While the measures purport to help caregivers, the reality is that they add insult to injury to workers in those communities. What’s worse, these measures will strain our health care delivery system at the worst possible time, especially threatening access to care for underserved and disadvantaged communities.

Measure HC in Inglewood and Measure J in Duarte would increase pay for some workers, at some health care facilities. But the measures exclude the vast majority of health care workers in those two cities. In fact, in Inglewood, workers at 73% of health care facilities are completely left out, excluded. In Duarte, workers at a stunning 90% of health care facilities are left out. 

We firmly believe that every person who works at a hospital or health care facility provides a valuable service and is integral to providing patient care. That’s why the Los Angeles County Medical Association strongly opposes Measures HC (Inglewood) and J (Duarte). 

The provisions of these measures are unequal, unfair, and make no sense. Some workers at private hospitals are included, thousands of workers at Duarte and Inglewood community clinics, public clinics, urgent care centers, nursing homes, Planned Parenthood, mental health facilities, physicians’ offices, outpatient centers and more are completely left out. Even though these workers do the exact same jobs, they are treated unequally. 

Read the full statement here.

It’s Time to Renew Your 2023 Membership Dues!

Gustavo Friederichsen

Chief Executive Officer

Los Angeles County Medical Association

“If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”