I want to personally invite you to join the Pueblo County Medical Society for our 4th Annual Symposium on Oct. 20, 7-10 a.m. when we will gather virtually to discuss state and local COVID-19 trends. More than the education you can gain by attending, it's an opportunity to connect with your colleagues from around our community. More than ever, this pandemic has shown us the necessity for human interaction -- even if it must take place through our computers. Register here and find more information in the events section below.

I also ask you to vote in the 2020 PCMS Election. Four outstanding Pueblo County Medical Society members are running for election/re-election to the PCMS Board of Directors and we need all voting members to vote to affirm them. Please use this link to access the electronic ballot. Thank you for your continued membership and work in the Pueblo area!

Hello PCMS members! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am taking over as your Pueblo County Medical Society representative to the Colorado Medical Society Board of Directors after Dr. Brad Roberts recently stepped down. First and foremost, please allow me say thank you to Brad for serving our community so well in the past. I hope I continue to represent PCMS as well as he has.

 

Like Dr. Roberts, I am an emergency medicine physician and currently work with SCEMA at Parkview. I am a board certified D.O. and couldn’t be happier to be able to come home to practice here in Pueblo. I was a three-sport varsity athlete at South High School. I am a CSU-P graduate and also played D-II soccer on scholarship during my four years in undergrad. My husband, Ronnie Romero, and I are both Pueblo natives with deep family ties to the area. The sense of community and small-town vibe in Pueblo are two of the things we love most about our hometown. I hope to continue to foster those values through my new role with PCMS and CMS.

 

I am excited to serve both my community and colleagues through this position and also get to know more of you over the coming months. Thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow professionally in our community.

Pueblo natives and PCMS members Kati Foechterle and Ronda Orndoff made history by being the first two students in the history of Colorado State University Pueblo to earn doctorate degrees. Both earned doctorates in science of nursing practice. Foechterle is a nurse practitioner with Pueblo Pulmonary Associates. Orndoff currently teaches cardiology as part of acute care at CSU Pueblo. Congratulations to these outstanding Pueblo health care providers! Read more here from the La Junta Tribune-Democrat.

A cow from a raw milk dairy in Larimer County recently tested positive for Brucella abortus RB51, a cattle vaccine strain. Colorado cattle have been free of brucellosis since

1995. It is unknown how many dairies in the state continue to vaccinate cattle with Brucella RB51.No human cases of brucellosis RB51 associated with consuming raw milk in Colorado have been reported to date. Clinicians who suspect a patient has brucellosis should contact CDPHE at 303-692-2700 or 303-370-9395 (after hours) for guidance. The preferred test to diagnose Brucella RB51 in humans is blood culture. No serologic tests for

Brucella RB51 are available for humans at this time. If blood cultures are ordered, please advise the laboratory that Brucella is suspected so that appropriate laboratory containment and precautions can be observed.

The Pueblo Food Project is seeking quotes from food service businesses to supply fresh Potica, tamales and Italian cookies to include in the COVID-19 relief food baskets for our community. Quotes are due back by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. The driving force behind the Pueblo Food Project is to find ways for the local and regional food system of Pueblo County to provide more safe, fresh, and healthy foods to improve access, food security, and the health of all Pueblo County residents. Find more information on the quote request here and please share this with anyone who may be interested.

As you know, people who are 65 and older are at high risk of having serious health complications from the flu. Especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone needs to do their part to prevent the spread of flu. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has developed new flu vaccination resources for people with Medicare and they're calling on providers to educate people with Medicare about the importance of flu vaccination.

Additional resources for all patients:

The Sperry S. and Ella Graber Packard Fund for Pueblo is launching the Youth Action Council — a six-month program rooted in leadership, philanthropy, and community impact. The council will convene beginning in January 2021 and will include a diverse group of high school freshmen passionate about solving community issues and making the world a better place. The program guides students through a three-step philanthropic process, including a community needs assessment, fundraising, and grant-making. All high school freshmen in Pueblo County are eligible to apply; application here - due Nov. 30. Facilitator applications are due Oct. 30; more information here.

Please plan to join us for our next event, the 4th Annual Symposium Virtual Event: 2020 COVID-19 Trends: State and Local, co-hosted by PCMS and the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, 7-10 a.m. Click here to register. 3 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available to physicians who attend this event.** CME evaluation provided the day of the event and must be completed and returned to cheryl.law@pueblocms.org to receive CME credit. Click on the following links to download the agenda and event flyer.

Event topics are rich in content about COVID-19: What is the statewide view, what are the local concerns, how is public health addressing the changing times, what is happening in the emergency department? If you have questions, please email cheryl.law@pueblocms.org or text/call 719-281-6073.

**Parkview Medical Center is accredited by the Colorado Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians.Parkview Medical Center designates this live activity for a maximum of 3 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Office Hour Calls provide an opportunity for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding the federal CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and health care systems to increase hospital capacity, expand the health care workforce, reduce administrative burden and promote telehealth in Medicare. Upcoming calls are:

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 3-4 p.m. MT

Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 6379959

Audio Webcast link: https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2607

Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 3-4 p.m. MT; save the date, dial in to be provided

The Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention’s Provider Education Work Group will conclude their series of free lunch and learn sessions on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 12:30-1:15 p.m. Lesley Brooks, MD, will present "Medication-assisted Treatment Best Practices." This presentation is eligible for 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. To receive CME credit, you must pre-register here. If you would simply like to drop in, no pre-registration is required. The session will be held via Zoom at this link / Password: 620980.

Join health care providers from across Colorado to explore the convergence of substance use disorder and the COVID-19 pandemic. Local and national experts will discuss issues related to racial inequality in health care, the methamphetamine and fentanyl epidemics, reproductive health considerations for women with substance use disorder, and the impacts of COVID-19 on substance use disorder, including self-care for frontline workers. This activity is certified for up to 5.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Please register for this Zoom webinar here. For more information, please contact info@corxconsortium.org.

During this webinar, the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign will provide a snapshot of the federal CMS’s recent data release to raise awareness of the decline in services. Physicians can help to drive better health outcomes for families with eligible but uninsured children to ensure that children receive the care they need with Medicaid and CHIP. You’ll also hear about the Campaign’s newest resources. Register here.

This ECHO Colorado series provided in partnership with Children's Hospital Colorado offers clinically relevant topics for primary care providers (MD, DO, APP) who provide or are looking to build, expand, and improve care to preteens through young adults. Once completed, participants will be able to evaluate and manage common conditions in adolescent reproductive health. Over the course of six virtual sessions -- held Thursdays 7-8 a.m. Oct. 15-Nov. 19 -- the series will include an overview of adolescent reproductive health issues, best practices in adolescent contraception and common adolescent gynecology concerns. CME: This series will be reviewed and acceptable for up to six credits by the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians. Sign up here.

The nomination period for the 2021 Colorado Medical Society Election is open through Jan. 31, 2021. The Colorado Medical Society encourages all members to consider nominating a colleague or self-nominating for one of the open leadership positions: president-elect (one position) or AMA delegation (eight positions). The election manual, which contains all of the information a potential candidate needs about the duties, eligibility, requirements and election process, is available on the CMS website. Read more here.

MISSION: Facilitating meaningful collaboration of medical professionals in Pueblo County through social networking, education, and advocacy! 

VISION: To create a medical society that serves as a venue for collaboration for the betterment of healthcare in Pueblo County, and improve the practice of medicine and life of medical professionals, locally.

Board Officers: President: Marcel Junqueira, MD; President-Elect: open position; Secretary: Kathleen Brown, MD; Treasurer: Robert Tonsing, MD; Past-President: Tom Greidanus, MD | Directors: CMS Representative Brad Roberts, MD; Teresa Braden, DO; Brittany Carver, DO; Ross Patrick, MD; Jacob Mathew Jr., DO; Cheryl Walker, DO; and Kevin Weber, MD | Chief Executive Officer: Cheryl Law, MA, MNM

Visit our website at www.pueblocms.org