MISSISSIPPI ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS |
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James W. Griffin Elected President; New Officers and Board Elected
James W. Griffin, MD, of Hattiesburg, was elected MAFP President at the Annual Meeting in July. He is employed at Hattiesburg Family Health Center and previously served as president-elect, vice president, secretary and board member. Dr. Griffin is the first African-American to serve in this role with the Academy.
“I love family medicine, and I consider it a calling rather than job,” Dr. Griffin said. “I am honored and humbled to be not only elected but inducted as the next president of the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians and the first African-American to enjoy this role. I have loved this organization from the first meeting I attended as a resident years ago.”
Dr. Griffin is a board-certified family physician who practices at Hattiesburg Family Health Center, which is part of the Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative (SeMRHI). He served as chief medical officer for SeMRHI from 2012- April 2020, and he has worked for the organization for ten years.
Dr. Griffin graduated from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, with a degree in biology, then went on to receive his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed a 4-year internship and residency – where he served as chief resident -- in obstetrics and gynecology at Medical College of Ohio at Toledo, then practiced as an OBGYN in Indianapolis in the early part of his career. After deciding to become a family physician, Dr. Griffin completed a 3-year internship and residency in family medicine at the North Mississippi Family Medicine Residency Center (NMFMRC) in Tupelo, Miss. He stayed on with NMFMRC as an assistant professor before moving to the Pine Belt to begin a family medicine career. Over the years, Dr. Griffin has worked at clinics in Purvis, New Augusta, and Hattiesburg.
Other top MAFP officers include:
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President-Elect: Carlos A. Latorre, MD, FAAFP, Vicksburg
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Vice President: Paul M. Pavlov, MD, Biloxi
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Secretary: Stephen C. Hammack, MD, FAAFP, Madison
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Treasurer: Bradley J. Suggs, MD, FAAFP, Brandon
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Immediate Past President: William M. Grantham, MD
Rounding out the MAFP Executive Committee are the AAFP Delegates and Alternate Delegates:
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Delegate: Katherine Patterson, MD, FAAFP, Indianola
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Delegate: John R. Mitchell, MD, FAAFP, Pontotoc
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Alternate: P. Brent Smith, MD, FAAFP, Cleveland
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Alternate: Jennifer D. Gholson, MD, Summit
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Dr. Jack Evans Honored as Family Physician of the Year; Dr. Sarah Barowka New Physician |
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Jack Colbert Evans, MD, FAAFP, of Laurel was honored as Mississippi’s Family Physician of the Year 2020 at the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) Annual Meeting in July.
The John B. Howell, MD, Memorial Award, as the Family Physician of the Year award is formally known, was first given in 1977 in memory of Dr. Howell, a pioneer in the practice of family medicine and long-time Mississippi delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The individuals who have held the title exemplify the most outstanding qualities of a family physician. They are admired by their peers and looked up to by citizens of their communities.
Dr. Evans is a board-certified family physician who has served the people of Laurel and the surrounding area since 1983. He is affiliated with Laurel’s South Central Regional Medical Center where he has served as a past chief of staff and chair of the Department of Medicine. H has been involved in the MAFP for many years, serving a term on the Board of Directors and as program director for the Annual Scientific Assembly. He is a past president of South Mississippi Medical Society and a past director of the Mississippi Foundation for Medical Care.
Sarah E. Barowka, MD, FAAFP, of Pass Christian, was chosen New Physician of the Year. The award recognizes an outstanding practicing family physician who is less than 7 years post-residency.
Dr. Barowka is a board-certified family physician who recently moved to the Gulf Coast to practice medicine at Ochsner Health; she is practicing virtually at present and will soon be part of an Ochsner clinic opening in Picayune in the coming weeks. Before joining Ochsner in May 2020, Dr. Barowka was part of the North Mississippi Family Medicine Residency Program in Tupelo – first as a resident, then as an attending physician, including service as Family Medicine Department Chair.
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Update on Mississippi's New Health Care Providers PPE and Testing Reimbursement Program
MAFP staff met with the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) this week to discuss PPE & Testing Reimbursement Program Rules. Here is need-to-know information. We encourage our members to begin preparing now by gathering receipts, etc., so you can be ready to apply when the application becomes available.
- Intent to provide funds to reimburse eligible recipients for the purchase of personal protective equipment and providing for COVID-19 testing for employees and staff.
- Independent Physicians are eligible to receive reimbursement. An independent physician is defined as individuals licensed by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure who are actively providing care to patients, own a share of their medical practice, have key decision-making rights for his or her practice, and are not employed by a hospital or an organization associated with a hospital. Practice Groups are defined as two or more independent physicians who all provide medical care within the same facility, utilize the same personnel, divide the income in a manner previously agreed upon by the group. It may consist of providers from a single specialty or multiple specialties.
- Each physician will need to complete a grant agreement and reimbursement request along with providing supporting documentation for eligible expenses. These forms will be online and submitted to MDA.
- Eligible Expense means a cost incurred beginning on March 1, 2020 and ending on December 31, 2020, for the following:
- Personal Protective Equipment as identified by the CDC, which includes: Respirators (N95 or higher), Facemasks, Goggles, Face Shields, Protective Eyewear without gaps between glasses and face, Gloves, and Gowns
- COVID-19 testing means medical tests administered for staff and employees which are recommended by the CDC in its guidance entitled "Testing for COVID-19" which includes viral tests and antibody tests
- COVID-19 screening means those tests of individuals who are attempting to enter the facilities, clinics, or vehicles, or Eligible Recipients which are designed to detect possible COVID-19 infection
- In preparing information for your application, please compile the following: Medical License Number, types and amounts of funds received from any other federal, state, or other programs covering the cost of PPE and/or COVID-19 testing, Whether or not you have ongoing eligible expenses that are not covered by the funds you have received to date.
- Practice Groups will be required to enter into one Grant Agreement for all members of the group.
- You may not enter into a Grant Agreement for eligible expenses that you have already received reimbursement for through any federal or state program.
- Eligible expenses must be itemized on a form provided by MDA and have supporting documentation including but not limited to invoices, purchase orders, receipts, bills, charges, or other financial statements.
- 2,850 individuals of independent physicians, nurse practitioners, and optometrists will receive the funds.
- We anticipate this program opening next week, so get your information ready and be prepared to sign up.
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Vanderloo to Represent MAFP as Delegate to MSMA Annual Meeting
John PFH Vanderloo, MD, FAAFP, of Jackson will represent the Academy this weekend as our delegate to the MSMA's 152nd Annual Meeting, which is taking place virtually.
The MSMA Speakers' Update Letter is available online, candidate speeches are available to watch at msmaonline.com, and reports and resolutions are also published there.
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Newly-Elected Academy Board Members Represent Their Areas of the State |
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At the Annual Meeting, several brand-new MAFP Board of Directors and MAFP Foundation Trustees were elected.
New District Directors include:
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Lakeisha R. Chism, MD, of Verona Medical Clinic in Verona - representing District 8
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Erik P. Lessman, MD, of South Sunflower Medical Center in Indianola - representing District 6
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Scott C. Martin, MD, FAACWS, of Merit Health Clinton Family Medicine in Clinton - representing District 4
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Jeremy B. Wells, MD, of Hattiesburg Clinic in Hattiesburg - representing the state At Large
New Foundation Trustees include:
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Ricky Chance, DO, of Memorial Physician Clinic at Medical Park in Biloxi
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Barbara Goodman, MD, of Primary Care Associates in Meridian
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Cierra Green, MD, of Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative in Hattiesburg
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Four Recognized as Fellows of AAFP |
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Four physicians were recognized as Fellows of the American Academy of Family Physicians at a convocation ceremony conducted at the Annual Meeting in July. The Degree of Fellow was conferred by MAFP President Dr. Bill Grantham. Each of these physicians met specific criteria and qualifications to be a Fellow. From left to right: Drs. Christie Theriot, Sarah Barowka, Edmund "Ned" Miller and Scott Carlton.
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MAFP Executive Director Celebrates 20th Year
Beth Embry, MAFP's Executive Director, recently celebrated her 20th anniversary with the Academy. At the Annual Meeting, past presidents presented her with a financial gift and a special keepsake quilt made out of past t-shirts from MAFP events. Drs. Lee Giffin and Susan Chiarito led the past presidents in honoring Embry and they made the presentation at the Annual Business Session.
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Beth Embry, left, is presented with a keepsake quilt on behalf of the MAFP past presidents at the Annual Business Session. Drs. Susan Chiarito, center, and Lee Giffin recognized her for 20 years of service to the Academy. |
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Foundation Announces Sale of 'Family Medicine Strong' Print
At July's Annual Meeting, the MAFP Foundation unveiled a watercolor print it had commissioned from artist Katie Erickson called 'Family Medicine Strong.' The watercolor features a white doctor's coat and other equipment used by a family doctor.
Only 150 prints were made and each is signed and numbered. Proceeds from the sale of the 12 inch by 18 inch print - $100 each - benefit the MAFP Foundation. A $5.00 mailing fee will be added to each shipped order.
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MAFP Resources for Physicians
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