September 3, 2019 Issue 88
Angela Dearinger, M.D., Named Commissioner of Public Health

KMA member and 2018 KPLI graduate Angela Tackett Dearinger, M.D., has been named as the new commissioner of Kentucky's Department for Public Health.

Doctor Dearinger is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Public Health and General Preventive Medicine. She is an associate professor at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. In her most recent professional educational roles she served as Assistant Dean of Accreditation in Graduate Medical Education, and as Associate Chief of Staff for Education at the Lexington VA Health Care System.

Tobacco-Free for Students: Partnership to Donate Signage to Newly Tobacco-Free School Districts

Kentucky school districts that adopt tobacco-free campus policies under a new 2019 law are eligible for free tobacco-free campus and vehicle signage, thanks to a partnership among the Kentucky Medical Association, the Kentucky Foundation for Medical Care and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky . The “Tobacco Free for Students” program will cover the chief cost of implementing the new law and significantly help improve community compliance.

KMA President Bruce Scott, M.D., said, “Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the United States and it is estimated that today there are 119,000 kids under the age of 18 in Kentucky who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking. Given that nearly ninety percent of adult smokers began using before the age of 18, preventing our youth from ever picking up a cigarette or tobacco product of any kind is imperative to protecting these future generations from the harms of such an addiction.”

Photo: Doctor Scott addresses attendees to the Tobacco-Free for Students press conference with Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky President Ben Chandler.
 
Prescription for Health: KET to Film Town Hall Forum During 2019 KMA Annual Meeting

Attendees to the 2019 KMA Annual Meeting, to be held Sept. 20-22 at the Louisville Marriott East, will have the opportunity to be part of the filming of an upcoming KET special on public health.

Prescription for Health: A KET Forum is being produced in conjunction with KMA’s Annual Meeting and will bring together KMA physicians and health care professionals in a single setting to address determinants of positive patient outcomes. Topics will center around issues that contribute to poor health and early death across Kentucky, including smoking, obesity, type 2 diabetes and substance abuse. These focus areas are included as part of KMA’s AIM for Better Care: Administrative Improvements in Medicine initiative, which seeks to eliminate barriers to treatment for Kentucky patients. 

The event, the first of its kind for KET, will feature a panel comprised of KMA physicians, policymakers and public health officials. KET’s Renee Shaw, host of the Emmy award-winning show Connections and Kentucky Physicians Leadership Institute graduate and Kentucky Health host Wayne Tuckson, M.D., will moderate the discussion, as well as solicit additional input from the audience. Attendees must have a ticket for this event, so members are encouraged to register for KMA’s Annual Meeting as soon as possible to secure a seat. Registration for Annual Meeting is available at https://kyma.org/2019-annual-meeting/ . 
MEMBER NEWS
Squires Joins Baptist Health Medical Group Women's Care

KMA member Christopher Squires, DO, joined Baptist Health Medical Group Women's Care, Madisonville.

Doctor Squires is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and is a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
UK Dean DiPaola Selected on Committee

KMA member Robert DiPaola, M.D., University of Kentucky College of Medicine Dean, was selected as a professional member on the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting body for programs leading to the M.D. degree in the United States.
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