Hon. Dr. Ewart F. Brown, member of the National Medical Association, was elected as the leader of Bermuda’s ruling Progressive Labour Party and the premier of the country on October 27, 2006. Premier Brown, an internationally acclaimed physician, spent many years practicing medicine in the U.S. and served as Medical Director of Bermuda HealthCare Services. He was the first appointed Minister of Transport following the General Election of November 1998 when the PLP swept to power. After the General Election in July 2003, he was returned to government as the Minister of Transport and was also appointed as the Deputy Premier of Bermuda.
Link to the PLP website for more information.

The National Medical Association, in collaboration with the National Black Caucus of State Legislators,  presents the 8th National Colloquium on African American Health, to be held at the Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, VA, on March 24-27, 2007. This year's theme will be “The Quality Movement and Its Impact on Healthcare Disparities.” For more information, please contact the NMA's Dept. of Health Policy at 1-800-NMA-0554. To view an announcement of the event, click here. To view an agenda of the event, click here.

The first federal analysis in a decade of sickle cell disease hospitalizations shows that admissions of adults remained stable from 1997 to 2004. In 2004, roughly 83,000 hospital stays were for adults and 30,000 were for children. Of the latter, 2,000 stays were for infants, according to the latest News and Numbers issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. For the full report, click here.

The Cobb Institute, named for the anatomist, anthropologist, physician, and activist William Montague Cobb M.D., Ph.D., is an institute housed at the NMA. The goal of the institute is “the study and development of solutions that will reduce and ultimately eliminate the many health disparities that exist between non-minority and minority populations.  To view the first copy of the Cobb Institute Newsletter click here.The Institute also recently co-sponsored a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the Medicare Part D prescription drug program and Pay for Performance (P4P). To read highlights from this meeting, click here.

Dr. Thaddeus J. Bell, NMA member, Family Practice Physician and the Associate Dean for Diversity in the College of Medicine of the Medical University of South Carolina, has taken on the reduction of healthcare disparities as his mission. He began to focus on this problem at NMA’s Annual Convention in Hawaii in 2002, and he started Closing the Gap in Health Care, Inc. (CGHC) as a vehicle for delivering health education and health disparity abatement programs in 2004. He currently broadcasts health tips and other information on those health issues that have a disparate impact on the African-American community to over 70,000 people a month through the radio broadcasts, and CGHC issues a weekly e-newsletter of health tips and health news. To see his latest e-newsletter, click here. For more information about Dr.Bell, click here

The NMA recently made available on its website a webcast of "Heart Failure: A Roundtable Discussion." To view the webcast online, click here.

We will be webcasting a roundtable discussion on Asthma in the near future. More information to follow.

Healthy Living is an official health publication of the NMA created for doctors and their patients. Articles in the fall 2006 issue include a Q&A with anxiety-disorder expert Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett, "Up in Smoke: Chronic lung disease plagues many smokers", and "Senior Solutions: Caring for Elders?"
View online or call 202-347-1895 for free copies for you and your patients.

“Bring your heart to the podium.  The hearts of those who listen to you will be waiting for you there.”

Every health care professional should learn the skills involved in effective public speaking. To read an article by Dr. Coleman-Miller on physicians and public speaking, click here.  

The National Medical Association has convened a Task Force on Pay-for-Performance (P4P). The Task Force has proposed that the framework for Pay-for-Performance be constructed with seven key considerations in mind, articulated in a summary position statement. To review the position statement, click here.

The U.S.Department of State has launched the “Franklin Fellows Program.”  This effort provides unique opportunities for mid-level professionals with five or more years of relevant experience to serve as Fellows at the Department of State. In particular, NMA members are encouraged to apply to become a fellow with the Avian Influenza Action Group (G/AIAG). For more detailed information, click here.

The National Medical Association was awarded a 3-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the program titled “HIV Prevention with National Medical Associations.” Dr. Virginia Caine and Dr. Wilbert Jordan will serve as Co-Principal Investigators of the NMA CDC HIV program. For more information, click here.

Dr. Joyce Hightower, a physician from California and an NMA member, is involved in the development of a $29 million teaching hospital funded by NBA star Dikembe Mutombo in war-torn Congo. The Biamba Maria Mutombo Research and Teaching Hospital outside the city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has 300 beds, three operating rooms, an outpatient clinic, an emergency room and a pharmacy. Dr. Hightower is overseeing the hiring of staff at the facility. To read the Washington Post article about the hospital and Dr. Hightower's involvement in the project, please click here.

In February 2005, the National Medical Association (NMA) was awarded a five-year cooperative agreement, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the “National Diabetes Education Program” (NDEP), to conduct a diabetes outreach program. To read more about the program, click here.

To raise awareness in the African-American community, the NMA commissioned a survey of African-American heart attack survivors, conducted by Yankelovich, Inc. and funded by GlaxoSmithKline. The initiative is part of the “Heartfelt Wake-Up Call” campaign, which began on behalf of Mended Hearts, a division of the American Heart Association. The campaign offers information to better support African-American heart attack survivors and their caregivers in coping with life after a heart attack. Additional information including tipsheets, survivor stories and heart-healthy holiday recipes is available on www.heartfeltsupport.com and www.mendedhearts.org. 

Project IMPACT (Increase Minority Participation and Awareness of Clinical Trials) is a program of the National Medical Association.  It was launched in 2000 to increase the awareness, knowledge and participation of African American physicians and consumers in biomedical research and clinical trials. During 2007, the project will focus much of its efforts on several goals, which include physician and patient education, development of project database and research and educational materials, and the forging of collaborations and partnerships with public and private sector organizations and individuals. For more detailed information, visit the IMPACT webpage.

On December 8, 2006, representatives of NMA met with Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, FDA Commissioner, and members of his senior team to discuss issues of concern to NMA, its membership and the African American community.  Although the agenda included such items as an update on previous NMA/FDA interactions; diversity in labeling; race, ethnicity and genomics in clinical trials; inclusion of minority populations in clinical trials; data collection; and future partnership opportunities, the meeting covered only a small segment of the agenda. One area where we are able to provide immediate follow-up includes providing a list of potential candidates to fill current and/or upcoming vacancies on various FDA Advisory Committees. If you have an interest in or would like additional information on the various FDA Advisory Committees, please contact Yolanda Fleming (YFleming@nmanet.org) as soon as possible.

Many continue to view the pejorative effects of the disaster before the hurricane in New Orleans and the post Katrina/Rita effects. It appears that aside from the New Orleans Saints there just isn't any other good news in New Orleans. "Well, there is good news,” states Dr. Weather, "and there are many smiling faces to verify such; the National Medical Association (NMA) had everything to do with this.” The NMA, via its Practice Restoration Grant Program, awarded twenty two grants to NMA members who were victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana and Mississippi.  Most of the grants were given to New Orleans members because of the number affected.

As Principal Investigator of the NMA Restoration Grant and Committee chair, I received numerous calls, emails, and letters expressing thanks for the needed funds. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who assisted in making this happen. In addition special thanks to Drs. Gadson, Britton, Morris, and LeNoir, along with members of the Grant Committee (Drs. Bright, Holloway, Harris, Sheppard, Tompkins, Walton, McCorvey, Allen, Cowan, and Webster), Research and Development Chair Dr. Peay, and Ivonne Fuller Bertrand.  For additional information on this program, contact rograms@nmanet.org">Programs@nmanet.org.

The NMA conducted its first media teleconference on “The Future of Health in the African American Community: An NMA Spotlight on Asthma, Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes.”  The teleconference included leading experts in the fields of asthma,
cardiovascular health, and diabetes who discussed issues and concerns about these
conditions specific to the African American community. Dr. Albert W. Morris,
President, NMA, moderated the discussion between Michael LeNoir, M.D., FAAP,
Speaker, House of Delegates, National Medical Association; Jerome Bettis, former
professional football player and asthma patient;  Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., FACC,
FAHA, FACP and Samuel E. Dagogo-Jack, M.D., FRCP. The teleconference was
conducted via a telephone conference call and a webcast.  

Since 1895, the NMA has been at the forefront of the conscience of American medicine and an unwavering advocate for national health policies that improve the quality and availability of health care to those who are underserved.

Through its membership, professional development, community health education, advocacy, research, efforts with federal and private agencies and corporations, the NMA remains committed to improving the health status and outcomes of minority and disadvantaged people.  For more information on all of NMA Programs, contact Ivonne Fuller Bertrand, at rograms@nmanet.org">Programs@nmanet.org or via phone (202) 347-1895.