A Victory for Physician Mental Health TCMS Past President Ryan Greiner, MD Dear Colleagues, We did it. After years of advocacy, the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice has replaced the licensure question that has long served as a barrier for physicians and medical students seeking mental health care. This is a life-saving victory that was made possible by strong grassroots advocacy from Minnesota’s physicians and medical students, and by collaboration between leading Minnesota organizations, including Physicians Wellness Collaborative, Minnesota Medical Association, Zumbro Valley Medical Society, Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, NAMI Minnesota, Twin Cities Medical Society, and many more. This is a change worth celebrating, but we all know that there is much more work to be done in service of physician and medical student mental health. I am asking you to join me in continuing to take action: • Spread the news – It is imperative that physicians and medical students across Minnesota know that they will no longer be required to report mental health conditions that are being appropriately treated when they apply for or renew their medical licenses. Please join me in sharing this news with your colleagues. • Save these resources – It can be difficult to know where to turn for support when you are experiencing a mental health condition or substance use disorder. I encourage you to bookmark the resources below, so they are readily available if you or a colleague needs support. • Our partners at the Physicians Wellness Collaborative provide independent, confidential counseling at no cost for all Minnesota physicians, residents, medical students or their families, as well as for advanced practice providers. Help is available by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by licensed mental health professionals. Call (612) 362-3747 or visit pwc-mn.org. • Physicians Serving Physicians has over 35 years of experience supporting physicians with substance use disorders return to successful practice through physician-only monthly meetings and other support services. Receive secure login information by emailing psp.com. • Check in with your colleagues – The events of the past year and a half have challenged us all as physicians, as healers, and as human beings. If you are experiencing burnout, compassion fatigue, moral injury, grief, anxiety, or depression, you are not alone. Please take a few moments this week to have an honest conversation with your colleagues. It’s important that we continue to support each other and make checking in on each other the norm, not an exception. Thank you again for your advocacy. I hope you take good care of yourselves and each other during these challenging times.
Ryan Greiner, MD TCMS Past President
MetroDoctors
The Journal of the Twin Cities Medical Society
Winter 2021
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