MISSISSIPPI ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS
Newsletter - July 2, 2020
Dr. Alton Cobb of Jackson, right, is presented June 21 with the MAFP Humanitarian Award by his son-in-law, MAFP past president Dr. Tim Alford of Kosciusko.
Dr. Alton Cobb Honored with MAFP Humanitarian Award
Alton Cobb, MD, MPH, of Jackson, was presented with the MAFP Humanitarian Award on June 21. The award is given by fellow physicians in honor of a Mississippi physician with a lifetime of service in uplifting humanity, social justice and the health of all citizens, especially the underserved and those in greatest need. This is only the third time MAFP has given the award -- the first was to the late Dr. Gilbert R. Mason of Biloxi in 2012, and the second was to Dr. Robert Smith of Jackson in 2018.

Dr. Cobb spent most of his 38-year career in public health, from the time he graduated from medical school in 1954 to his retirement in 1992. Most notably, he served as Mississippi's State Health Officer at the Miss. State Department of Health from 1973 to 1992. More about Dr. Cobb and the Humanitarian Award.
MS Protects Minors With Anti-Vaping Legislation

MAFP has worked hand-in-hand with various groups for the last 14 years to promote Mississippi's Juvenile Tobacco Prevention Program. Several years ago, we incorporated anti-vaping messaging into our Tar Wars programs and legislative agenda.

Rep. Nick Bain of Corinth championed this legislation in 2020, working with MAFP, the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Mississippi State Medical Association, Mississippi Oncology Society, Mississippi Cancer Action Network, the Mississippi Chapter of the American Heart Association, and the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi to bring a strong and responsible message to the Capitol regarding the dangers of vaping, especially in young adults.

MAFP sought out input from the Mississippi Convenience Store Association on how to navigate prohibiting sales to minors. The result was a coalition geared toward keeping dangerous vaping products out of the hands of minors that mirrors Mississippi's highly successful Juvenile Tobacco Prevention Program.

Sen. Nicole Boyd of Oxford, who helped write the original tobacco prevention laws, worked diligently with Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins and Bain, who is chair of House Judiciary B Committee, to protect Mississippi's youth from the dangers of vaping. SB 2596 now heads to the desk of Governor Tate Reeves for signing.

We are grateful to the leaders in the Mississippi Legislature who recognized the dangers of vaping and took action to protect Mississippi's youth from nicotine products.
MAFP Foundation provides funds to Miss Mississippi who teaches young schoolchildren to say NO to tobacco and vaping.
MAFP Foundation sponsors Dr. Tom Payne's visit to each Family Medicine Residency Program annually to teach residents how to talk to their patients about smoking and vaping.
MAFP Foundation provides Tar Wars presentation materials to all M3 students at UMMC and to all OMS-1 students at WCUCOM. They in turn talk to kids about saying no to tobacco and vaping.
Legislature Continues to Fund Primary Care

MAFP's Legislative Committee spent May and June advocating for federal CARES dollars sent to Mississippi to be spent supporting primary care in the state. Both Chambers passed HB 1782 Wednesday night with allocations for private practice physicians to receive a $2500 per physician reimbursement for PPE expenses, or up to $25,000 for PPE reimbursement for a group of physicians.

Additionally, lawmakers allocated funds for residency programs through the Office of Mississippi Physician Workforce and funds for the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program to be able to offer more scholarships to medical students. We will have more details as they are made available.

The bill now goes to Gov. Tate Reeves for his signature.
Nominating Committee Releases Slate
MAFP's Nominating Committee, chaired by Dr. David B. Wheat, has released the slate of officers and board members for the 2020-21 year, including board representatives. The slate will be voted upon at the Annual Business Session at the Annual Meeting in Sandestin later this month.
Resident, Student Board Members Selected
Eight resident and student board members have been selected by the MAFP Nominating Committee from applications submitted to MAFP this spring. Those filling the board positions are as follows:

MAFP BOARD OF DIRECTORS
  • Dr. Craig Bullock, PGY-3, UMMC FM Residency - Resident Voting Member
  • Dr. Falan McKnight, PGY-2, N. Miss. FM Residency - Resident Alternate
  • Weston Eldridge, M4, UMMC - Student Voting Member
  • Lane Williamson, M3, UMMC - Student Alternate

MAFP FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES
  • Dr. Claire Harper, PGY-3, ECHealthNet FM Residency - Resident Voting Member
  • Dr. Shreena Dhawan, PGY-2, UMMC FM Residency - Resident Alternate
  • Daulton Newman, M3, UMMC - Student Voting Member
  • Huong Nguyen, OMS-4, WCUCOM - Student Alternate

These residents and students will attend MAFP events for the next year and serve on the boards for the Academy and Foundation. Resident and student input benefits the academy by providing new perspectives as well as leadership opportunities for younger members.
Annual Meeting: Hotel Room Block Extended, Safety Protocols Issued
For the Annual Meeting July 18-22, Sandestin Resort has extended the deadline to reserve hotel rooms inside the MAFP room block to July 8. Click here to reserve rooms online now . Last week MAFP announced Safety Protocols it will follow during the Annual Meeting. Members may still register for the event.
Practice Innovation Webinars Now Archived, Available for Free on Demand
Recently MAFP and 13 other state chapters developed a webinar series aimed at teaching physicians critical practice management skills during this time of unparalleled crisis in American healthcare. Three 1-hour webinars were held in May and June. These webinars are now posted online and are available on demand for free.

Application for CME credit has been approved by AAFP. Our thanks to Aledade ACO for working to create the webinars.

Raffle Donations Needed
Members are invited to donate items to the MAFP Foundation Raffle which will be held Tuesday, July 21, at the MAFP Annual Meeting in Sandestin. Last year's raffle items included several donations from physicians. All proceeds benefit MAFP Foundation's scholarships and programs.
News You Can Use

BLUE CROSS EXTENDS TELEHEALTH THROUGH END OF YEAR : On June 25, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi announced an extension of telemedicine coverage through December 31, 2020.

CMS ENDS EMERGENCY BLANKET WAIVERS : The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is ending the waiver of the requirement for nursing homes to submit staffing data through the Payroll-Based Journal System. On July 29, staffing measures and star ratings will be held constant.

RECEIVE 20 CME CREDITS FOR PRACTICE TRANSITIONS DUE TO COVID-19 : The American Board of Family Medicine has created a COVID-19 Self-Directed Clinical Pilot that allows physicians to get 20 hours of CME credit for changes you've made to your practice due to COVID-19 - things like process effectiveness and efficiency, patient satisfaction, safety and more. This activity helps you meet your Practice Improvement requirement under ABFM. Five-Minute How-To Video from an Ohio Family Physician

FDA APPROVES HPV VACCINE GARDASIL FOR HEAD AND NECK CANCERS : On June 12, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved an expanded indication for Gardasil 9 for the prevention of orpharyngeal and other head and neck cancers. For females and males, the vaccine is now recommended for ages 9-45.

CHAMP EXPANDS STATEWIDE FOR PHYSICIAN CONSULTATION: Many physicians are unaware of the completely free services offered to physicians by Child Access to Mental Health and Psychiatry (CHAMP) at UMMC. The CHAMP team supports primary care physicians with questions about mental health care such as diagnostic clarification, medication adjustment, or treatment planning. The CHAMP consultation line is open from 9 am to 4 pm weekdays at (601) 984-2080. CHAMP 2-Minute Video by Pediatrician Dr. Tami Brooks.