2018 Washoe County Medical Society Installation Speech

Ronald Swanger, M.D.

I would like to start by extending my appreciation and gratitude to Mary Ann and Wendy for making this event possible. I would also like to thank my partners: Ross Golding, Eric Kraemer, and Vijay Sekhon for their understanding and flexibility in coordinating schedules to allow me to participate in the Washoe County Medical Society. Most importantly, I want to thank my mother, who I am so happy can be here tonight, and my wife and four boys, who I could not make it through life without. I love you Diane, thank you for always encouraging and supporting me. Finally, I would like to thank our colleagues from the Alliance, Clark County Medical Society, Dr.s Adashek,Baron and Havins, with Executive Director Alex Silverman, and Cat O’Mara, Executive Director of the NSMA, for attending tonight.

I am truly honored and privileged to be your 112th President of the Washoe County Medical Society. Many of you are my friends, and many of you I do not know. For those that know me, I have recently been described by Reno Diagnostics Centers staff as, “dependable and always patient with any questions from the staff, treats everyone with respect and kindness, has a contagious sense of humor, and has an incredible bedside manner and puts our patients at ease.” The last one is my favorite. I had to put that in for all the people in the room who think that radiologists are antisocial geeks who sit in dark rooms spending their days talking to a computer. For those who do not know me, I value and try to instill in my children a strong work ethic, philanthropy, and showing love to your friends and family above all else. I really do try my hardest, and give it the most I can at the time. I genuinely feel bad when I make a mistake and will admit to it. The last thing I want to tell you about myself is that I pride myself on being highly approachable. I would hope anyone, no matter what specialty, institution, or practice, would feel comfortable talking with me. I view it as my duty to be your impartial President, maintain your confidence, and represent the Society to the best of my ability.

The Washoe County Medical Society is in a rebuilding phase. We have a new Executive Director, new office, and new software to integrate our membership database information, billing, and website all in one. In the past several years, we have begun reaching out to the local hospitals and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. We will continue these partnerships conducting community outreach and physician education, with our first symposia this year discussing the impact and implementation of AB474, the Governor’s opioid bill. This, and many other great efforts, are only possible through the tremendous work of staff and volunteer time of your fellow physicians. (more…)

2018 Washoe County Medical Society Farewell Speech

Andrew Pasternak, M.D.

Washoe County Medical Society had a fantastic 2017.   I want to thank each and every one of you for your membership and for your individual contributions to WCMS. Under the leadership of our executive director Mary Ann McCauley, WCMS has been striving to better meet the needs of our members and our community. We are going to see some great new member benefits in the next few years and I am excited about where WCMS is headed.

I specifically want thank everyone on the WCMS board, the committee chairs and everyone who served on committees for sharing your precious time and knowledge. As I talk to young physicians, residents and medical students about why they should become WCMS members, the biggest perk for me personally has been having the opportunity to interact with so many incredible colleagues and learn in so many ways

To Mary Ann and Wendy- your work this year was incredible!

While this is a bit of a report, it’s good to remember that this is truly a list of the member benefits of WCMS and NSMA. These accomplishments were the direct result of your membership and the energy put in by you and your fellow members.I ask you to please spread the word about the efforts of WCMS and NSMA to your non-member colleagues in 2018. (more…)

2017 Washoe County Medical Society Farewell Speech

Sowjanya Reganti, M.D.

It’s been a very productive and exciting year. We spent a great deal of time on membership, which is the key to our success.

Here are some of our key initiatives:

We met with our local hospital CEOs to engage in a dialogue about the importance and role of the medical society.  This was an important meeting because many of the bills under debate would impact all practicing physicians in Nevada.  The meeting went well and I would like to thank St. Mary’s for their support in the process.

Due to rapid changes in health care policy, we re-devoted ourselves to monitoring and better understanding these changes and sharing this information through the CME format and conducting town hall meetings. The ability to understand any changes currently being discussed and making sure that there is a thoughtful discussion and explanation of the changes is critically important to healthcare providers and the community we serve. (more…)

Commissioners Seek To Set Up Local Drug Task Force

Staff Report

June 12, 2018
Nevada Appeal

With the distribution of the state’s share of medical marijuana revenue, Churchill County Commissioners reconvened the topic and approved to support the Board of Health Strategies and body cameras for law enforcement with the funds on June 7.

The county collected $88,235 of funds and approved to proceed with New Frontier’s Adolescence Substance Abuse Prevention Program, as well as toward programs targeting pregnant women about the effects of marijuana and childbirth, and further education to youth about the substance.

The Churchill County Health Taskforce requested $50,260 for projects and $5,000 toward New Frontier’s program, while $32,000 is for law enforcement body cameras.

With that, Sheriff Ben Trotter also clarified on the county’s Drug Task Force, as Fallon Police Department and Churchill County Sheriff’s Office is developing its own. (more…)

Crisis Call Center Sees Spike In Calls After High-Profile Suicides

By Ed Pearce

June 8, 2018
KOLO News Reno

The phones were rarely quiet at Reno’s Crisis Call Center Friday.

Following the deaths of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain, that came as surprise to no one there.

“The volume just goes up quite a bit because it makes people think about it,” says Rachelle Pellessier, the center’s Executive Director. “Not so much think about suicide, but think about any issues they might have and think about help.”

Phone numbers and websites available to people considering suicide

On the other end of each of these conversations is a person in crisis.or someone close to them. (more…)

University Of Nevada, Reno School Of Medicine Medical Students Honor Anatomical Donors For Their Gift Of Teaching Anatomy And Discovery

By Tessa Bowen

June 8, 2018
University of Nevada School of Medicine

Death can advance life. Anatomical donors – people who donate their bodies to medical education and research after passing away, teach medical students about far more than gross anatomy. Cadavers posthumously teach medical students how to care, detach, work as a team and develop a sense of curiosity and discovery. And anatomical donors give a gift to medical students in how to navigate the emotions they’ll face when delivering bad news and putting patients through painful experiences in order to make them well again.

University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) first year medical students have the unique opportunity to take anatomy classes in the only gross anatomy lab in the state with an additional 40-50 people in their lab – people who have donated their bodies for the purpose of cadaver dissection, human body teaching tools in three-dimensional physical reality, who are an essential part of medical education. (more…)