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Membership Matters
SFMMS Welcomes Mayor London Breed, Assemblymember David Chiu, CMA President Dr. Peter Bretan to Annual General Meeting
On September 14, SFMMS welcomed members from throughout San Francisco and Marin Counties to connect with one another, hear from physician leaders and special guests, and finalize a slate of candidates for election to SFMMS and CMA officer positions. Members participated in breakout sessions to start the evening. Robust discussions on many issues followed.
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Our sincere thanks go out to San Francisco Mayor London Breed, State Assemblymember David Chiu, and CMA President Dr. Peter Bretan for joining us for our Annual General Meeting.
SFMMS Urges More Cautious and Staggered Re-Opening of Businesses and Schools
The SFMMS wrote to Mayor Breed urging a considered and cautious schedule for opening businesses and schools at similar times, in light of the prospects of a new wave of Covid infections. Our letter follows: Dear Mayor Breed:
I am writing on behalf of the physician leadership and more than 3000 physician members of The San Francisco Marin Medical Society. We are so grateful for your hard work to safely reopen some of our San Francisco schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We firmly believe that this incremental approach with a focus on safety and equity and guided by data and science will demonstrate success and help us understand how to keep all San Francisco children and families healthy during this epidemic.
We have noticed that the Timeline for Reopening (https://sf.gov/ step-by-step/reopening-san-francisco) suggests the possibility that some high-risk activities, such as indoor restaurant dining, may resume at approximately the same time as schools are reopening for in-person learning. We strongly urge you to avoid this scenario by maintaining the current timeline to reopen schools but delaying the resumption of highrisk activities as necessary.
National data indicates that a fall surge is underway in much of the rest of the country, but thanks to our public health leaders and elected officials like you, San Francisco has been doing well as of late. We hope to keep our numbers down as much as possible.
It is vital that we understand the influence of the resumption of routine activities such as indoor dining at restaurants separately from the resumption of essential services like schools on subsequent increases in community spread of COVID-19. Opening both at the same time will make this impossible. Delaying the opening of indoor dining so as not to coincide with school re-openings will enable San Francisco to make evidence-based decisions about closing and opening strategies should a surge occur. It will allow the San Francisco Department of Public Health to collect and analyze vital information about the spread of the COVID-19 virus within these environments in the most informative way possible. It is in the interest of owners of businesses providing indoor dining, in addition to the citizens of San Francisco, to not have schools close again if it is not necessary.
Thank you for your careful and evidence-based care of San Francisco’s community in its entirety, including children and other San Franciscans who cannot speak as loudly for themselves. Sincerely, Brian Grady, MD, President
SFMMS Board Supports Resolutions Declaring Racism a Public Health Emergency
On Monday, July 13th, San Francisco Marin Medical Society (SFMMS) Board members, Consultants and Liaisons convened virtually to discuss, among other topics, racial diversity and justice. The Board heard from expert guests and discussed how to advance diversity and inclusion in our organizations, as well as the principles of racial equity and justice.
Later in the meeting, the Board voted to endorse proposed resolutions at the state, and city and county levels declaring systemic racism a public health emergency. These resolutions will be considered at upcoming state and San Francisco Board of Supervisors legislative sessions.
The state resolution, entitled California State Resolution to Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis, was introduced by Dr. Richard Pan, and co-authored by Assemblymember David Chiu from San Francisco and "White Coats for Black Lives," a joint initiative of medical students from the UC Berkeley and UCSF medical programs.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors are considering a similar resolution, entitled Declaring Anti-Black Racism as a Human Rights and Public Health Crisis.
Physicians in San Francisco and Marin Counties are uniquely situated to observe how racism acts as a social determinant of health. In endorsing both of these resolutions, the San Francisco Marin Medical Society takes an important stand alongside our members and their patients.
In September, SFMMS supported the long effort to ban sale of flavored tobacco products in Mill Valley, the latest of Marin communities to do so. The letter we sent to Mill Valley officials is below.
Dear Mill Valley Council Members:
The San Francisco Marin Medical Society strongly supports the proposal to prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products in the City of Mill Valley without exemption. This proposed policy will reduce access to the products that are the tobacco industry’s key strategy for targeting and addicting new smokers, in this case the young people of Mill Valley and the many who visit there.
As our county’s medical association with over 3,000 members, we have supported the kind of action this proposal takes for many years,
and it is now finally bearing healthy fruit. Earlier this month, Governor Newsom signed SB793 to restrict flavored products at the state level. But the tobacco industry has filed to collect signatures to overturn SB793 via the November 2022 ballot. They do not need to win, filing alone will delay implementation for the next two years. Cities must codify their own flavored tobacco policies at the local level. Mill Valley’s youth cannot afford the delay.
The tobacco industry is actively and aggressively working to addict new young people, particularly those from communities of color, with flavored tobacco products. They know that flavors like grape, mint (menthol), cotton candy, bubble gum and gummy bears mask the harsh taste of tobacco and are highly appealing to youth. In California, approximately 1 in 10 young adults (18-24 years old) currently use e-cigarettes and mounting evidence shows that young people who start with e-cigarettes are likely to become the addicted cigarette smokers of tomorrow.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, claiming on average 480,000 lives each year. Ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products will help protect our community from tobacco addiction and is crucial to preventing tobacco-related death and disease. The SFMMS respectfully asks for your support of this vital health policy. Sincerely, Brian Grady, MD President San Francisco Marin Medical Society
SFMMS Addresses Ongoing Concerns Regarding Covid Testing
Continuing a discussion that began at the SFMMS annual meeting, members of the Board, Consultants and Liaisons met on September 23 to discuss the state of COVID testing. Several issues were identified concerning the availability and quality of testing, which are now being summarized to be shared with public officials and health systems. Thanks to Dr. Mike Schrader for Chairing this important discussion.
SFMMS Political Action Committee Interviews Local Supervisorial Candidates
The SFMMS PAC Board on September 3rd met via Zoom with 10 candidates for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. After interviewing each candidate, our PAC Board members determined our financial contributions to their campaigns. Important connections were made with current and future Supervisors. Dr. Joe Woo chaired this virtual discussion, which lasted over 3 hours.
SFMMS Supports Civic Health Month
Civic Health Month is here! The San Francisco Marin Medical Society is proud to be part of this coalition of over 50 healthcare and voter registration organizations and more than 12,000 frontline providers working to build a healthier and more inclusive American democracy.
COVID-19 has drastically affected our communities and created a barrier to voting for millions of Americans. Already, we have seen up to a 70% drop in election-cycle voter registration rates as DMVs remain closed and in-person registration events are impeded by public health guidance. Voting has become a major public health issue, and now more than ever before, we need to give every American a voice in shaping health policy and empower them to do so in a safe and healthy way.
Follow Civic Health Month to stay up to date with the latest: •Twitter @Civichealthmon • Instagram @Civichealthmonth
Editor Gordon L. Fung, MD, PhD, FACC, FACP Managing Editor Steve Heilig, MPH Production Maureen Erwin
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor Gordon L. Fung, MD, PhD, FACC, FACP Toni Brayer, MD Chunbo Cai, MD Linda Hawes Clever, MD Anne Cummings, MD Irina deFischer, MD Shieva Khayam-Bashi, MD John Maa, MD David Pating, MD
SFMMS OFFICERS
President Brian Grady, MD President-elect Monique Schaulis, MD, MPH Treasurer Michael Schrader, MD, PhD, FACP Immediate Past President
Kimberly Newell Green, MD Editor Gordon L. Fung, MD, PhD, FACC, FACP
SFMMS STAFF
Executive Director and CEO
Conrad Amenta Associate Executive Director, Public Health and Education Steve Heilig, MPH Director of Operations and Governance
Ian Knox Director of Engagement
Molly Baldridge, MPH
2020 SFMMS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Edward Alfrey, MD Tomás J. Aragón, MD, MPH Ayanna Bennett, MD Julie Bokser, MD Anne Cummings, MD Nida F. Degesys, MD Beth Griffiths, MD Robert A. Harvey, MD Zarah Iqbal, MD Michael K. Kwok, MD Jason R. Nau, MD Stephanie Oltmann, MD William T. Prey, MD Sarita Satpathy, MD Dennis Song, MD, DDS Kristen Swann, MD Kenneth Tai, MD Winnie Tong, MD Matthew D. Willis, MD, MPH Joseph W. Woo, MD Andrea Yeung, MD
Cover art: By Cynthia Fletcher www.cynthiafletcherart.com/coronavirus-series “20 Seconds”, 16x20, oil on panel
As the pandemic jumped from continent to continent governments around the world told their citizens to wash their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds. Those of us in the west were told that was equivalent to singing the Happy Birthday song twice. The fact that simple soap and water was our best preventative measure is wondrous in its simplicity and at the same time deeply troubling that it was virtually all we had.
