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In this Issue:
- RI ACP Chapter has an Anti-Racism Statement
- Governor Election
- Annual RI ACP Chapter Meeting
- Intrezted Internal Medicine Education Podcast - Resident Podcasts!
- Five Days to Friday: A Multimedia Performance About Current Challenges to Physician Mental Health
- Fall 2021 Resolutions
Kelly A McGarry, MD, FACP, ACP Governor
Dear Chapter Members:
I hope that you are enjoying your summer and getting some time for yourself, friends, and family. I wanted to take the opportunity to share a few things with all of you.
Enjoy the rest of your summer.
Best,
Kelly
RI ACP Chapter has an Anti-Racism Statement
Thanks to Drs. Vidya Gopinath and Sarah Freeman, RI ACP Chapter has an Anti-Racism Statement which is below. We don't want this to be words only. We want this statement and the commitments within to motivate us to be a better and more diverse chapter. We commit to assessing our success toward meeting these goals at the Governor's Council Meetings.
RI ACP stands with national ACP in our commitment to anti-racism. As an organization of nearly 1000 physicians members, we commit to addressing racial disparities in health care both nationally and in Rhode Island. Hispanic Rhode Islanders are five times more likely to be uninsured (24%) compared to their white counterparts (5%). Black RI residents are twice as likely to be uninsured (9%) compared to the white population, but over 20% do not have a physician. In the state of RI, there have been 19,000 covid cases per 100,000 Hispanic individuals compared to 12,800 cases among Black individuals and 7,800 among white individuals. We recognize there is no biologic basis for these differences but rather these outcomes are due to systemic racism and bias in the access to and delivery of health care.
We apologize for our lack of attention and failure to address systemic racism. Within our organization, we recognize that we must prioritize diversity among leadership and membership in RI ACP.
RI Chapter of ACP is committed to enacting change to become an anti-racist organization with the following actions:
- We will work to achieve greater diversity in membership as well as increase involvement of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in all leadership roles in the RI chapter.
- We will increase involvement with Warren Alpert Medical School to support advancement of BIPOC medical students and help facilitate diverse participation with ACP at both the local and national level.
- We will advocate for legislation that supports health equity and access to care. We will strengthen our partnerships with other local medical organizations to support a cohesive anti-racist policy agenda.
Governor Election
I am sure all of you received information about our upcoming election for the Governor Elect. Our Chapter is fortunate to have two outstanding candidates:
Charles L. Cronin III, DO, FACP
Kwame O. Dapaah-Afriyie, MBchB, FACP
We will be voting in the fall. Look for that in your email sometime in October. We wish them good luck.
Annual RI ACP Chapter Meeting
We have begun work for our Annual RI ACP Chapter Meeting to be held on March 2, 2022. We have had our first meeting to discuss venue and content. Our next meeting will be August 30, at 7:30 am via zoom. Please join us if you wish to participate in planning for the meeting content, click here https://brown.zoom.us/j/98553323259 Meeting ID: 985 5332 3259. It is already shaping up to be an outstanding event.
SAVE THE DATE IN YOUR CALENDAR NOW!
Intrezted Internal Medicine Education Podcast - Resident Podcasts!
The Resident Council under the direction of Rasan Kashyap Cherala, Dany Debs, Christelle Nzugang, Jenny Bello Ramos and Zeenat Shameem are continuing to produce informative and entertaining podcasts for residents by residents called Interezted Podcast. If you would like to take a listen to their great work, click here.
Five Days to Friday: A Multimedia Performance About Current Challenges to Physician Mental Health
ACP is working with The New Theater of Medicine to present a special live Zoom performance of FIVE DAYS TO FRIDAY, an interactive play designed to promote discussion of current challenges to physicians' mental health and strategies for improving physician well-being.
Saturday, August 21, 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET
FIVE DAYS TO FRIDAY is a 90-minute multimedia performance that uses the power of theater and dance to unpack the unseen stressors (gender bias and expectations, mental health stigma, toxic/unsupportive work environments) that all too often threaten the health and well-being of clinicians.
Developed by a team of professional artists and focus groups of physicians this presentation follows the story of a prominent physician and chief resident as they attempt to navigate a week of familiar challenges related to their professional and personal life. Characters include physician partners, spouses, and family.
Fall 2021 Resolutions
Finally, look for a separate email asking you for opinions on the Board of Governor's Fall 2021 Resolutions. This is your opportunity to give your opinion on resolutions that are being brought forth to inform future ACP Policy. Based on your input, I will take our Chapter's opinions to the national meeting so that our voice is heard. Information will be posted to our Rhode Island Chapter forum soon.