President's Report from Sean Pauzauskie, MD

Dear NCMS Members,

Happy New Year! Hoping there was ample opportunity for relaxation and regeneration over the holidays, and from all of us at NCMS, wishing you a happy, peaceful, and prosperous 2024.

Thank you, first and foremost, for your tireless service, and passion for improving the health of our patients and the community, as we continue to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic. Inspired by this selfless gift of time and talent, over the previous year, to serve you, NCMS has been engaged in multiple areas and on many levels of advocacy, education, public health, and social activities, with the coming year promising to remain active in each of these — especially intensifying in the advocacy arena with the coming elections.

Our agenda for 2023 included:

• Enhancing support for mental health services in the region, especially as it pertains to the persistent public health threat of gun violence.
• Engaging with the FBI Behavioral Task Force, NCMS members initiated a dialogue at a joint forum in May, followed by a CME event led by a special agent from the Behavioral Analysis Unit, with efforts that grew out of this dialogue now to improve mental health screening questions in the emergency department and primary care settings, to offer education to local law enforcement and school districts on behavioral health triage, and better connect our federal partners with local mental health service centers, such as the new behavioral health facilities in Loveland and Fort Collins.

The goal this year will be to grow these action items, and to combine them in a research setting. Thank you to all the members who participated, and I invite all to get involved who might want to contribute towards our shared goal of public safety. Read the full president's letter here.

Dear Members,

2023 was an amazing year for NCMS! I want to thank our board of directors and sponsors for their assistance in making our events, community service projects, and initiatives a great success. We kicked off the year with a Physicians' Book Club, judged the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair at CSU, held a casual summer social event at Pelican Lakes Island, hosted a family bowling event at Chipper's Lanes, welcomed new students with FMS Bank at a New Belgium Brewery Happy Hour among other fun networking events for members including a happy hour in Estes Park at The Good Samaritan Society community. The American Association of Medical Society Executives honored NCMS for Membership Engagement. We also worked on serious issues to address the most urgent healthcare needs in the area. We built a relationship with the FBI Behavioral Task Force to work on assisting mental health patients and local law enforcement and held a Mental Health Forum last spring. We're currently setting up our action items for advocacy efforts in 2024 as we just met with Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo.

I have no doubt this year will be just as successful as we focus on mental health issues, healthy equity, and legislative efforts. We encourage members to get involved. If you'd like to participate in our events or initiatives but aren't sure how, please contact crystal@nocomedsoc.org We want to hear from you! Don't miss our upcoming Annual Meeting on Thursday, February 22nd.

Sincerely,

Crystal Goodman

NCMS Executive Director

"Conversations on Healthy Equity"

with Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo

Pictured are Colorado Medical Society's CEO Dean Holzkamp, UC Health's Associate CMO Dr. Christine Johnston, NCMS Executive Director Crystal Goodman, NCMS Advocacy Committee Chairperson Dr. Donna Sullivan, CMS DEI Committee member Dr. Lynn Parry, NCMS President Dr. Sean Pauzauskie, and Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo.

We had a very insightful meeting with Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo regarding health equity and what that means for the northern Colorado community and statewide. We covered many topics including rural healthcare needs, Medicare and Medicaid patient care, maternal mortality rates, language barriers, physician and staffing shortages, the need for STEM programs, and mental healthcare support for youth. To read the minutes from our meeting posted on the NCMS website, please click on this link.

The NCMS Board of Directors be addressing these issues by discussing the most urgent action items during our next NCMS board meeting on January 24th. If you're interested in getting involved, please contact crystal@nocomedsoc.org We encourage members to participate in our advocacy efforts.

SB 23-144 is one of the first bills in the country to give providers protection regarding prescribing opioids for chronic pain. SB 23-144 was crafted by a coalition of chronic pain patients, including people with disabilities and older adults, and medical professionals. It has been widely acknowledged that policies implemented in response to the opioid epidemic went too far and caused harm to pain patients. The CDC has rescinded and replaced the 2016 guidance on which so much opioid related policy was created. The state Department of Health Care Policy and Financing has even created a position to give providers resources and consultation so they can safely prescribe opioids for patients in need.

To learn more listen to the podcast interview with Kate M. Nicholson, J.D. who is the founder and Executive Director of the National Pain Advocacy Center. She's a civil rights attorney and a nationally recognized expert on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). She was a Senior Fellow at Dartmouth College and is a graduate of Harvard Law School. Here's the link to the podcast. For more information about the bill please go to the Colorado Medical Society Advocacy page: 

https://cms.org/advocacy/tapering-studies

NCMS Board of Directors invites you to attend our 2024 board meetings

The Northern Colorado Medical Society Board of Directors meets to conduct important business of the society. The board invites all NCMS members to engage with the society and attend a board meeting in person or virtually.



• Wednesday, January 24th, 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 15th, 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, July 17th, 6 p.m. (virtual meeting only)
• Wednesday, September 18th, 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 20th, 6 p.m.

Meetings are held at the Timnath Town Center (4750 Signal Tree Drive), with a virtual participation option. If attending in person or virtually, RSVP to crystal@nocomedsoc.org.

Welcome New Members!

We welcome our new members to NCMS, the largest component chapter of the Colorado Medical Society.

Your membership connects you to your colleagues and a host of benefits through NCMS and CMS. Encourage a non-member colleague to join at members.cms.org/join.

• Jenna C Adams, MD
• Emily N Ahadizadeh, MD
• Danielle T Bair Burkett, DO
• Eric Biewenga, MD
• Abraham L Brass, MD
• Leon Campos, MD
• Rosa Cancino, MD
• Alexandra Chacko-Stacey, MD
• Virginia K. Clement, MD
• Gannon Curtis, MD
• Claire E Edelman, MD
• Jaclyn Fackler, DO
• Jeannie Folan, MD
• Madeline R Garza, MD
• Christopher Groh, MD
• Steven M Hill, MD
• Matthew W Jackson, MD
• Corey Jones, DO
• Polina Kaloyanova, MD

• Dilasha Katwal, MD
• Ravi S Khal, MD
• Thomas Klink, MD
• Henry Lather, MD
• Peter F Layman, DO
• Celia C Lenarz-Geisen, MD
• Scott A Linger, MD
• David Mack, MD
• Leo M Maher, MD
• Kelli M Money, MD
• Avery Neuman, DO
• Nichole Phillips, DO
• Shirish Poudyal, MD
• Jania A Ramos, MD
• Katherine Shaum, MD
• Renae A Stede, DO
• Ning S Yang, MD
• Evan Hardesty, MD
• Catherine Marmillo, MD

A Prescription for a Healthier, Safer Colorado: Colorado’s Medication Takeback Program 

sponsored by the CDPHE

As dedicated healthcare professionals, you understand the importance of safe medication storage. However, did you know that your guidance can make a significant impact on your patients' families and the environment? Encourage them to participate in Colorado's Medication Takeback Program – a vital step towards a safer and healthier Colorado. 

NCMS has posters and pamphlets available for your practices and patients. Please contact crystal@nocomedsoc.org if you're interested in helping us in keeping both the community and environment safe. You can get more information about drop off locations by clicking here.

Thank you to our 2024 "Friends of NCMS" annual sponsors!

We wouldn't be able to serve our members without the support of our friends. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, check out our website sponsorship page or contact crystal@nocomedsoc.org.