WASHTENAW COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY
Legislative action & community outreach since 1827
COVID-19 Information

COVID-19 statistics as of Wednesday, August 12:

Looking for COVID-19 testing sites in Washtenaw County? Follow this link.
Washtenaw County "Cannabis In Practice" Webinars

Mark your calendars for the newly launched "Cannabis in Practice" virtual Zoom webinars for medical professionals hosted by the Washtenaw County Health Department and WCMS.

Thursday, Aug. 20 at Noon: Stacey Hettiger
Medical and Regulatory Policy Director, Michigan State Medical Society

Thursday, Aug. 27 at Noon: John Hopper, MD, DFASAM
Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Specialist, Saint Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor

Tuesday, Sept. 1 at Noon: Mark Weiner, MD, DFASAM
Medical Director of Substance Use Disorders, Saint Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor

More details and Zoom links are forthcoming. To sign-up for alerts, please click here.
WCMS Virtual County-Wide COVID-19 Workgroup - Thursday, August 20 at 6:00 PM

Since March, WCMS has convened regular COVID-19 teleconferences to discuss resource allocation, emergency preparedness, and tracking and tracing among Washtenaw's health systems and physician leaders. The workgroup is led by University of Michigan infectious diseases specialist and WCMS Executive Council member Sandro Cinti, MD. The workgroup also receives updates and modeling data from University of Michigan Public Health epidemiologists Marisa Eisenberg, PhD, MS and Emily Martin, PhD, MPH via their MI Safe Start COVID-19 dashboard. To access recordings of past meetings, follow this link.

WCMS members are encouraged to join the next virtual meeting on August 20 from 6:00 - 7:00 PM. Please contact the Society Office for login credentials.
CME Credit Opportunity for Learning During COVID-19

In accordance with Executive Order 2020-82, LARA may recognize hours worked or learning responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as hours toward continuing education courses or programs required for licensure. As WCMS/MSMS members, physicians are asked to complete a survey identifying the learning experiences and submit it to the MSMS Education Department for CME credit. Learning includes: research, reading articles, listening to podcasts, discussing plans, and direct clinical care of COVID-19 patients.

The dates of learning eligible for credit are from March 17 - June 9, 2020 during the Governor's Executive Order.

To learn more and to complete the survey, please click here.
Helplines for Physicians and Medical Students

Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and Society
The reactions to an unprecedented event like a pandemic are complicated. Stress can take many forms. If you have burnout feelings, irritability, excessive worrying or sadness, difficulty sleeping, feelings of inadequacy at work, numbness, or feeling alone, the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and Society can help. All sessions are completely confidential. No information can be disclosed without your permission. Your first virtual call or video visit will help you to map out inner and outer experience, and create a plan to address specific issues and concerns that were identified. To make a private, confidential appointment or to get more information, call (734) 677-1590. The Society will return calls within 24 hours to set up a first virtual appointment.

Physician Support Line
The Physician Support Line is a nation-wide service available for US physicians and medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The line offers free and confidential peer support telehealth by volunteer psychiatrists. The line is available without appointment from 8:00 AM - 12:00 AM, 7 days a week. To start, call (888) 409-0141. For more information, follow this link.
Leadership Opportunities at WCMS

WCMS at the MSMS House of Delegates
The House of Delegates (HOD) is the official policy-making body of MSMS. Resolutions are the vehicles used to debate and determine the policies, priorities, and direction of MSMS. Each year, physician and medical student members serve as delegates, review resolutions, testify in reference committees, and vote on important policy decisions. WCMS was allocated 16 delegate slots in 2020.

The April 2020 meeting was postponed due to COVID-19. As of July 21, the Speaker has announced the following timeline:
  • Resolution Review Committee meets – Week of August 31, 2020
  • Post resolutions – September 14, 2020
  • Online testimony – Week of September 14, 2020
  • Reference Committee/s meet – Week of September 28, 2020
  • Online voting – Week of October 12, 2020
  • Post final report – October 26, 2020
To learn more, click here.

WCMS Executive Council
The Executive Council is the voting body that supervises the function and activities of WCMS. Council members determine annual events, legislative priorities, and community outreach directives. The Executive Council now meets virtually the first Thursday of each month.

WCMS Committees and Task Forces
Each committee meets approximately three-four times annually and members are simply asked to share a passion for the subject and interest in learning skills in the field.
  • Environmental/Climate Change Task Force
  • Finance Committee
  • Legislative Committee
  • Membership Committee
  • Programming Committee

To learn more about these opportunities, please follow this link.
*Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of members, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Washtenaw County Medical Society.
The WCMS Office has resumed modified business operations. To schedule an appointment, or for questions, please contact the Society Office via email or call (734) 668-6241.