Monthly Archives: December 2017

Welcome Gabrielle Szlenkier, new executive director to the Washtenaw County Medical Society (WCMS)! Gabrielle Szlenkier has returned to Michigan after working in Washington, DC for the past 10 years.  While in Washington, she worked on public health policy and was responsible for strengthening physicians' advocacy work on Capitol Hill.  Her enthusiasm  and experience will be a terrific asset to…

Opioid epidemic: Right-sizing surgical prescribing, the potential use of litigation and prescription tracking policy U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation From post-surgery painkiller prescribing to the legal and policy realm, IHPI members' recent work is taking on the nation's opioid epidemic from several angles.   Two teams recently published papers showing that surgeons can…

1. “On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s”, by Greg O’Brien 2. “The Patient Will See You Now: The Future of Medicine is in Your Hands”, by Eric Topol, MD 3. “Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance”, by Atul Gawande, MD 4. “Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling”, by Edgar Schein…

The Washtenaw Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage passed with 64% of voters supporting it. Millage funds will be levied on Washtenaw County residents beginning one year from now, in December, 2018. The funds will be distributed as follows: - 38% to Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office - 38% to Washtenaw County Community Mental Health…

Join MSMS and WCMS- We Have Your Back! Join more than 15,000 physicians in all specialties and all practice settings who are members of the Michigan State Medical Society with nearly 1,000 who are local to Washtenaw County Medical Society. Experience the value of banding together with one strong voice for the profession and our…

Medical research and innovation going strong at U-M, with record year for Michigan Medicine University of Michigan Research aimed at understanding, protecting, healing and enhancing the human body and brain had another record year at the University of Michigan. New data show that Michigan Medicine hit new heights for biomedical research funding, and for efforts…

Stopping opioid addiction at 1 key source: The hospital Fierce Healthcare It may not be rocket science, but a group of surgeons at Michigan Medicine through the University of Michigan have devised a strategy to curb the nation’s opioid epidemic — starting at their own hospital. Their findings appeared online in the journal JAMA Surgery.…

Influenza activity is currently increasing throughout Michigan. Several reports of confirmed influenza outbreaks in long-term care facilities have been received from different areas of the state. This is the time of the year where influenza and other respiratory outbreaks are more common in long-term care facilities and other high risk congregate settings. These outbreaks can…

Gov. Rick Snyder authorizes standing order to make naloxone widely available in Michigan Lifesaving medication now available for eligible individuals at pharmacies  Gov. Rick Snyder authorized the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to issue a standing order pre-authorizing the distribution of naloxone by pharmacists to eligible individuals. “Naloxone is a tool in the…

After years of treating the syndrome as a psychological disorder, leading health organizations now recognize that it is a serious, long-term illness possibly caused by a disruption in how the immune system responds to infection or stress. It shares many characteristics with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis but without apparent signs of tissue damage. Accordingly,…