Texas Physicians to Tackle Medicine’s Top Issues in Houston

• WHAT: Preparing physicians and first responders for an active shooter situation, a former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command who is now chancellor of The University of Texas System, and policy debates ripped from the headlines top this week’s TexMed 2017, the Texas Medical Association's (TMA's) annual conference, in Houston. Close to 2,000 TMA physician leaders and other health care experts will gather for TexMed, the largest annual meeting of America's largest state medical society. Policy debates at TexMed’s "Renew Your Passion" conference will include Medicaid block grants, Zika virus prevention, the federal immigration travel ban, and items more expected at a physician convention, including bills affecting medicine during the 85th legislative session in Austin.
  
• WHEN: Friday-Saturday, May 5-6 (See details below.)
  
• WHERE: George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston
  
• WHO: TMA member physicians from across Texas, political leaders, and notable speakers in medicine, emergency management, and politics  

• HIGHLIGHTS:
• Friday, May 5  
  • Disaster Preparedness Pavilion (Note: These panels present on Saturday as well; see Saturday times below.)
  • 9:15 am – Incident Management for the Disaster Area – The South Montgomery County Fire Department will demonstrate their motorized mobile command center on site in the exhibit hall.
  • 10 am – Active Shooter Extrication – The Pasadena police SWAT team will discuss tactics of an active shooter scene.
  • 11:30 am – Mass Casualty Ambulance Operation – The Texas Emergency Medical Task Force will present their ambulance bus “Ambus,” which has the capacity to handle multiple patients.  
   

General Session Keynote Speakers:

•  3 pm – William H. McRaven, chancellor, The University of Texas System: “Physicians in the Age of Terrorism – Stories of the Battlefield” – Chancellor McRaven, former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, will discuss policies resulting from terrorist events and the ramifications of a weak national security system.

• 4 pm – Kevin Pho, MD: “Connect and Be Heard: Making a Difference in Health Care With Social Media” – Dr. Pho, founder of nationally noted blog KevinMD.com, discusses how social media can connect physicians and patients, how social media defines an online reputation, and how social media can make physicians’ voices heard.

Saturday, May 6:

• 8:30 am-noon – House of Delegates policymaking meeting
• 9:15 am – Distinguished Service Award Presentation: Robert T. Gunby Jr., MD, a Dallas board-certified obstetrician- gynecologist and former TMA president, receives TMA’s highest honor.
• 10:45 am – Installation of Carlos Cardenas, MD, of Edinburg, as TMA’s 152nd president
  

• Throughout the morning – Policy debate: TMA’s House of Delegates will debate and consider adoption of new guidelines for medicine, the association, and Texas. Among the house resolutions up for consideration:
  
  • TMA outreach to displaced and refugee physicians
  • Medicaid block grants and per-capita caps
  • Addressing Zika through increasing Medicaid coverage of insect repellent
  • Resolving the impact of travel and immigration bans on health care provision
  • Addressing the need for improved water supply quality in Texas
  • Reducing errors in pharmacy
  • Addressing the medical inaccuracies of the mandated “A Woman’s Right to Know” booklet and related patient information
  • Healthy food in hospitals
  • Implementing a sugar-sweetened beverage tax in Texas
  • Improved concussion protocol to reduce psychological morbidity in high school athletes
    

• Disaster Preparedness Pavilion 
  • 9 am - Incident Management for the Disaster Area - (see description above)
  • 10 am - Mass Casualty Ambulance Operation - (see description above)
  • 11:15 am - Active Shooter Extrication - (see description above)

Closing General Session Speaker:

• 1:30 pm – Pete Blair, PhD: “Civilian Response to an Active Shooter Situation” –  Dr. Blair, the executive director of the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University, will discuss the frequency with which active shooter events occur and the importance of training and preparing our nation’s first responders and civilians for these critical situations.

Reporters, please join us at TexMed 2017, or call for interviews on any of the subjects presented during or after the conference, and we’ll connect you with a physician expert. If attending in person, call Brent Annear at (512) 656-7320 or Marcus Cooper at (512) 650-5336 upon arrival at TexMed, and we’ll help credential you and find what and whom you need.

TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 50,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.

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Contact:  Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320; email: brent.annear[at]texmed[dot]org

Marcus Cooper (512) 370-1382; cell: (512) 650-5336; email: marcus.cooper[at]texmed[dot]org

Enter your work in TMA’s Anson Jones, MD, Awards, by Jan. 10, 2017.

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