April 2022

TMAA President’s Message 

I cannot believe how quickly this past year has flown by!  With ALLMED fast approaching at the end of this month, I have been reflecting on the year and the elements and experiences that have been so rewarding and inspiring to me personally.

I thoroughly enjoyed our guest speakers, Anne Grady and Charles Vogl.  Even though we were hearing them speak virtually, I felt like they each created an intimate space by encouraging interaction, demonstrating humor and humility, and acknowledging a deep compassion for the unique medical family experience, both through the Pandemic and beyond.

I absolutely loved my monthly Zoom meetings with our County Presidents and Presidents-Elect through the County Leadership Listening Sessions. This was a new opportunity created during Martha Vijjeswarapu’s Presidency 2020-2021 that we continued over this year.  The discussions generated fantastic feedback for the needs, as well as the expertise, at the county level. We were then able to “workshop” that feedback during regular Zoom meetings with both the Membership Committee as well as the Future Planning Committee in an effort to be intentional about how the TMAA can provide meaningful value to each County Chapter as well as each individual TMAA member.

I treasured every in-person visit I was allowed to make to county chapters this year. Here are a few of the highlights:

  • Dallas County’s Presidential installation at the Aldridge House;
  • Harris County’s lovely coffee in the home of talented interior designer Chris Davies;
  • Tarrant County’s chapter held a festive Party of Medicine at a brewery
  • Smith County hosted a fabulous fashion show/luncheon/fundraiser;
  • Nueces County's holiday luncheon, which was beautiful and festive and very well-attended; and I am still anticipating an end-of-season trip to
  • Travis County, where members will recognize grant recipients with money they raised through their Party with a Purpose

The TMA Alliance is alive and well! You all are thriving and it makes me proud and honored to have served this strong and creative group over the past year. Thank you for going on this journey together. I hope to see you at ALLMed at the end of the month. It will be so much fun to be together. I encourage you to attend with the goal of making 2 new friends from counties other than your own. You won’t be sorry; it will give you a reason to lean in to TMAA.
 

My best to you,
Jennifer

 

REGISTER FOR ALLMED 2022!

Register today for ALLMED 2022, April 28-30 at the Hilton Americas-Houston. It will be the Texas Medical Association Alliance’s first in-person annual conference since 2019.

What can you expect?
At ALLMED, you’ll experience exciting and thought-provoking keynote speakers like psychologist Robert J. Wicks, Psy.D; informative leadership sessions; networking opportunities; and fun activities. Check out the schedule of activities here. ALLMED is a celebration of your achievements. Don’t miss out – register online today or call the TMA Knowledge Center at (800) 880-7955. The first county alliance to register 10 members for ALLMED will receive $1,000.

Attend the Annual Business Meeting
On Thursday, April 28, join your colleagues from around the state at the alliance’s annual business meeting at 1:30 pm. Prepare ahead of time by reading the 2022 consent agenda, and select someone from your county to serve on the TMA Alliance Nominating Committee. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the alliance and choose leaders for 2023-24.

 

Renew Your 2022 Membership and Earn Money for your Alliance


TMA will send alliance members one more email invoice and one more mailed invoice to encourage everyone to renew their membership this year. Please encourage your members to renew as well – it’s their last chance. Remember: If your county renews more than 95% of its members, your Alliance will receive $500!

New Programming
TMA Alliance has a lot of new free programming in store this year. Look for the return of the monthly enrichment series to begin in May. Also, watch for the regional conference this fall and new virtual alliance for at-large members (who do not have a local county alliance).

Help Us. Help You
Please send current membership lists and contact information to Jose Melendez, manager of TMA Alliance and TMA’s outreach programs. The alliance badly needs your most current membership lists so that we can send the correct information to current members. TMAA spends around $5,000 a year mailing invoices to members – many to the wrong address. Please let us know if you have moved or changed vital information, like your phone number or email address.

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Drinks, Dinner, and Dancing in Houston!

Above: Shannon B. Hancher-Hodges, MD, enjoying the 26th annual 2019 Big and Bright TMA Foundation gala.


Join the fun at the Texas Medical Association Foundation (TMAF) 29th annual gala, Crossroads of Culture. This fundraiser will be held Friday, April 29, 7-10:30 pm, during TMA’s TexMed in Houston.

“The TMAF gala is an event that I look forward to attending each year,” said Shannon B. Hancher-Hodges, MD. “It is a great time to network while catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Dinner, drinks and – of course – dancing all make for the perfect evening to support the foundation’s important initiatives.”

TMA Foundation’s gala supports TMA’s philanthropic arm and the critically needed public health and prevention programs it funds. This includes TMA’s powerfully relevant Vaccines Defend What Matters campaign. Unwind after a long day by visiting with colleagues over dinner, great music, drinks, and both a live and silent auction.

For more information, or to purchase tickets or a sponsorship, visit texmed.org/Gala or contact TMA Foundation at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1664, or (512) 370-1664.

 

County Alliance Roundup


Alliance members across Texas observed National Doctors’ Day on March 30. Here are just a few of the ways members celebrated physicians:


The Nueces County Medical Society Alliance recognized National Doctors’ Day with a robust social media campaign. Physician family members honored the contributions of all physicians by holding “Thank You” signs in recognition of physicians’ efforts.


The Smith County Medical Society Alliance hosted a family event in honor of National Doctors’ Day that included physicians and their families.


The Bexar County Medical Society Alliance celebrated hardworking physicians by placing Happy National Doctors’ Day yard signs at various locations around San Antonio the night before to surprise all the doctors when they arrived at work in the morning.


The Potter-Randall County Medical Society Alliance celebrated physicians by giving out goodies from Pizza Nomad & The Acai Bar for National Doctors’ Day.


In Other News



The learning center at The Health Museum in Houston named a classroom after Harris County Medical Society Alliance President Elsie Whitmire and her late husband R.O. Whitmire, MD, after the couple supported the museum and its mission for years. Pictured at the award ceremony are Elsie Whitmire, Harris County Medical Society Alliance President, and her son, Michael Whitmire, a Houston attorney and professor of law.

Save the Date: Attend the 2022 AMA Alliance Annual Meeting
The American Medical Association Alliance is hosting its 2022 Annual Meeting June 11-14 in Chicago. AMA Alliance holds its Centennial Celebration this year, so you don’t want to miss it!

Help and Hope for Physicians During Difficult Times
After he became disabled in an automobile accident, a Texas physician and his wife quickly ran through funds awarded in a legal settlement for his ongoing medical care. The physician could no longer practice medicine, so the financially struggling couple reached out to TMA’s Physicians Benevolent Fund (PBF). They qualified and were approved for assistance, easing their financial uncertainties.

After the physician passed away a few years later, PBF continued to help his wife make ends meet. This story is just one of many from PBF’s 61-year history. Others include a widow left to support herself and her young children; a physician who became disabled because of a stroke and could no longer practice; and a physician’s wife left with tremendous debt after her husband’s death.

PBF fills the gap for physicians and their immediate families when they find themselves in desperate financial crisis and cannot meet day-to-day needs. Recipients receive monthly help to pay for personal necessities – rent or mortgage, utilities, health insurance, medical bills, clothing, and food.

Fund recipients frequently express their gratitude – to PBF, to donors, and to TMA. Many describe how the funds helped them survive a difficult period and how they had nowhere else to turn.

“When our friends and colleagues are suffering, sometimes we struggle to know how to help in a meaningful way,” said Nancy Thorne Foster, MD, of Austin, chair of the PBF Committee. “PBF is here to help move someone from hopelessness to healing.”

If you know a physician or physician's family who could benefit, please direct them to the PBF webpage for qualification details and the confidential questionnaire or contact Chris.Johnson@texmed.org. TMA strives to protect the anonymity of fund recipients.

If you’d like to support physicians in need, make a secure, online donation, or send a check to the Physicians Benevolent Fund, Attn: TMA Finance Department, 401 W. 15th St., Austin, TX 78701-1680. Contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent permitted by federal law.