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There is never a dull moment in healthcare. This is doubly so when policy intersects with politics. Conventional wisdom suggests steering clear of politics in the course of one’s work, and by and large I agree. Yet public health, medicine, and all our endeavors to work with and improve our patients’ and communities’ lives are deeply intertwined with – you guessed it – the political process. Working closely with elected officials to deliver better care for our neighbors isn’t advocacy, it’s common sense. Working together with legislators to craft better ways of delivering medical education for Delawareans isn’t politics – it’s essential to the lifeblood of our state’s healthcare workforce. Studying and promoting the most evidence-based ways to deliver better care at lower cost with improved satisfaction (for patients and their providers) isn’t selfish, it’s necessary. And it’s the right thing to do.
Perhaps advocacy got a bad rap from the legal system, where two sides argue for a certain side, regardless of what they may actually believe. This deliberately adversarial system relies on a variety of checks and balances: fair representation on both sides, a systematic way of presenting and reviewing evidence, books of rules governing discourse, and impartial judging (or jurying). Health care arguments are fundamentally different and essentially have none of those structured checks and balances. Lobbying can be unbalanced and there is no obligation to provide equal types of lobbying for all causes. So where does that leave us as the Academy/DPHA? Our role, as always, is to provide not just the dry facts, but informed opinions, through the various filters of our Board, our staff, and our values. At the end of it, we do take a stand. We do not shy away from promoting the best healthcare evidence we know: that climate change is real and poses threats to our health; that healthcare for
everyone
in our communities is essential for a vibrant and healthy country; that government should generally stay out of the exam room and from discussions between a patient and her doctor; that an important role for government would in fact be to guarantee that preventive and other services deemed necessary should be part of what every insurer (public or private) is required to provide.
We believe in the public’s health. We believe in their right to be seen by a well-informed, well-rested and happy physician, nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, social worker or any other healthcare professional involved in their care.
This isn’t pie in the sky; it’s what works to bring down costs in every other industrialized economy in the world.
Several years ago, those of us particularly enamored of manual transmissions in cars became part of a national movement to encourage new drivers to ‘learn to drive stick;’ to remind car manufacturers that manual transmissions are not only cheaper to make and fix, but also a lot more engaging and fun. I don’t have large-scale data to support this, but my experience suggests a higher degree of alertness and near-zero room for distracted driving when my hands, feet and senses are fully occupied with operating the automobile. Too early to tell if we’ve won that particular battle of bringing back stick shifts, but all manufacturers recognize that consumers vote with their wallets. If we want something and are willing to spend hard-earned money for it, we’ll probably get it.
So it is with health care. This massive and necessary enterprise is largely connected with public and employer funding. Guess whose money that is? Most broadly speaking, ours. So join us in discussing the best models of health care. Let’s debate and discuss the issues, let’s educate and inform each other to come to broad consensus. Let’s remember our obligation to ourselves, our fellow human beings and our planet. Let’s drive, but carpool. Let’s ride, but do it together.
As always, we welcome your thoughts, and value your contributions in making us a healthier Delaware and a better community.
Omar Khan, MD MHS FAAFP
President
Delaware Academy of Medicine/ Delaware Public Health Association
Editor in Chief, Delaware Journal of Public Health
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Delaware Journal of Public Health
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The final issue of 2019 focused on
Health Policy.
What is the "Road to Value?" In this latest issue of the Delaware Journal of Public Health, Guest Editor Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services has brought together articles that support and enhance primary care in Delaware. We also take this opportunity to share with you peer-reviewed articles on nutrition and homelessness as a social determinant of health.
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The Academy/DPHA is continuing our partnership with ChristianaCare for the Global Health Curriculum, an interdepartmental collaboration supporting the Global Health Tracks in the Departments of Medicine, Family Medicine, and the Med-Peds Residency. There is no charge to attend, and anyone is welcome!
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Delaware Academy of Medicine Annual Meeting
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Save the Date: May 14, 2020
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his year marks the 90th year of the Delaware Academy of Medicine!
Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Geoffrey Tabin, co-founder of the Himalayan Cataract Project.
We will welcome S. John Swanson, MD, as our next president of the board, and vote on a new slate of officers and directors. Current board president, Omar Khan, MD, MHS, will close out his two-year term of office by presenting the Lewis B Flinn President's Award; and Executive Director, Timothy Gibbs, MPH, will present the Nonprofit Recognition Award.
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Medical Lecture Series at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
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Tuesdays, from 9:00 - 10:15 am
The Academy/DPHA is honored to once again lead the Medical Lecture Series at the University of Delaware's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute! This semester will include presentations on the genetics of disease, persistent fevers, basic lifesaving techniques, series accidents, and more!
Class starts on
February 11
, we hope to see you there!
View the full class schedule
here
.
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Frank M. and Robert R. Hoopes Medical/Dental Lecture
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Tuesday, February 25 from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Together with our partners ChristianaCare and the Delaware State Dental Society, we are pleased to offer the 2020 Frank M. and Robert R. Hoopes Medical/Dental Lecture.
Our speakers this year are Daniel J. Meara, MD, DMD and Etern S. Park, MD, DDS. They will be speaking on the topic of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Treatment. Dr. Meara will speak on Maxillomandibular Advancement, and Dr. Park will speak on Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation.
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Thursday, February 27 to
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Designed for individuals who want to gain a deeper understanding of the world of medicine, Mini-Medical School is a free, six-week series of lectures for adults of all ages and high school students co-sponsored with ChristianaCare.
Attendees learn about important trends in diagnosing and treating illness and general health topics. Faculty will provide in-depth lectures and allow time for questions to enhance the experience. There are no tests or grades. No previous medical training is required. Participants who attend all six sessions will receive a Certificate of Achievement.
Light refreshments will be served, and pre-registration is required.
This year's topics include:
- Special Health Care Needs - Making the Transition to Adulthood
- Kidney Transplant
- Psychological Assessment - Tools and Methods
- The Evolution of the Nurse Practitioner & Physician Assistant Roles
- The New Field of Immunotherapy
- Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders
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Call for Abstracts!
The APHA 2020 Annual Meeting and Expo will be held in San Francisco, from October 24 - October 28!
APHA is now accepting abstracts for oral and poster presentations. Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts on the meeting's theme
"Creating the Healthiest Nation: Preventing Violence."
Abstracts are due February 20, and presenters will be notified via email of their abstract status on June 1.
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The advisory committee is composed of professionals in the public health community who are willing to advise, on a volunteer basis, the activities of the Delaware Public Health Association with respect to its role as the state affiliate of the American Public Health Association. In addition, and in the pursuit of collaboration as a member-driven organization, these advisors are in roles spanning a range of areas of expertise and responsibility within their own professions.
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With recent cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) reported in several countries including the U.S., health officials across the nation are increasing monitoring efforts to identify potential cases.
The Division of Public Health (DPH) has posted information on its website
Currently the risk to the general public is considered
low
. At this time, there are a small number of individual cases in the U.S. Risk is based on exposure. As you know we are in the heart of flu and respiratory disease season, and with over two thousand cases statewide, most of the population is at greater risk of contracting seasonal influenza than coronavirus. Those individuals with recent travel to any area of China, or contact with someone who has recent travel and is ill, have an increased risk for becoming ill. DPH is not recommending exclusion from work/school of asymptomatic persons arriving from China.
Delaware has a strong disease surveillance system in place that includes partnerships with hospital and clinic systems as well as local health care providers such as you. We continue to ask providers to alert us if a person with recent travel to any area of China, becomes sick with respiratory symptoms. If this is the case, we ask that you contact the
DPH Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at 1-888-295-5156. When cases are reported, laboratory samples are collected and submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmatory testing. This testing can take several days.
Read the whole statement
here
.
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American Heart Month
National Cancer Prevention Month
National Children's Dental Health Month
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Trust for America's Health: Wellness and Prevention Digest -
Subscribe
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The Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association
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Academy of Medicine
2018 - 2020 Board of Directors
President:
Omar A. Khan, MD, MHS
Vice President:
S. John Swanson, MD
Acting Secretary:
Lynn Jones, FACHE
Treasurer:
David M. Bercaw, MD
Immediate Past President:
Daniel J. Meara, MD, DMD
Executive Director:
Timothy E. Gibbs, MPH, NPMc
Directors
Stephen C. Eppes, MD
Eric T. Johnson, MD
Joseph F. Kestner, Jr, MD
Rita Landgraf
Brian W. Little, MD, PhD
Arun V. Malhotra, MD
Joseph A. Napoli, MD, DDS
John P. Piper, MD
Albert A. Rizzo, MD
Emeritus
Robert B. Flinn, MD
Barry S. Kayne, DDS
Leslie W. Whitney, MD
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DPHA
Advisory Council
President:
Omar Khan, MD, MPH
Executive Director
: Timothy E. Gibbs, MPH, NPMc
Members
Louis E. Bartoshesky, MD, MPH
Gerard Gallucci, MD, MSH
Richard E. Killingsworth, MPH
Erin K. Knight, PhD, MPH
Melissa K. Melby, PhD
Mia A. Papas, PhD
Karyl T. Rattay, MD, MS
Margot L. Savoy, MD, MPH
William Swiatek, MA, AICP
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The Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association
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