A Message from the President, Barbara Savage, 2019-2020
Welcome to NCMSA 2019-2020 - REIGNITE!
I am proud and honored to serve as your 2019-2020 president. Eighteen years ago I held this same position in Iowa. Some things have remained the same and much has changed. I look forward to serving our members to the best of my ability this year. Our theme this year is REIGNITE!—borrowing the title of Dr. Clark Gaither’s book. Dr. Gaither was our guest speaker at our annual meeting last May. In his speech Dr. Gaither focused on physician burnout, but much of what he said applies to any type of burnout. We live in challenging times. How many times have we all heard that? It almost seems chaotic at times. As physician families and Alliance members we share a common mission—to improve the health and well-being of our communities. Yet the health needs of our communities persist – hunger, homelessness and access to care, addiction, mental illness, just to name a few. It is overwhelming and exhausting to think about and easy to feel burned out. But there is good news? Our Alliance and other nonprofit groups with the same commitment have become a driving force behind community change. Our financial support, our advocacy and our volunteerism have helped to raise awareness and create positive changes in our communities. The Alliance has a pivotal role to play in creating change in our communities. Having a seat at the table and a voice in the discussion is at the core of our mission. But to have a seat we need to have active members supporting our efforts and also joining us at the table. Our membership is declining. Like many volunteer organizations, many of our members are just burned out. We must work to stop the membership bleed and the burnout. So, my vision is to REIGNITE enthusiasm in this Alliance. I have a dynamic board that will work to get the embers blazing. They are on fire! Let’s get the members to the table. We have much to offer. I look forward to working with each of you to reignite the mission of the Alliance. We will focus our efforts on creating partnerships with statewide organizations that share our commitment to serve North Carolina communities. We welcome your participation as members and as volunteers to continue our work. Last year we spent many hours reviewing our strategic plan and have designed a Six System format similar to that of the AMA Alliance. We have also drafted a Plan of Work for the year. The Six Interfacing Systems are Governance, Finance, Membership, Communications, Programs/Resource Development, Events. The board is going to implement these and see how they work this year. Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns or feedback in terms of how, as a state organization, we can help serve you and your Alliance.
Join or Renew your Alliance membership today.
Your membership will help strengthen the voice and the impact of the Alliance in your community, state and across the nation. Alliance membership focuses on the following:
- Belong to the family of medicine. Alliance members offer a wealth of opportunities for developing lifelong friendships and building your network. You will experience firsthand a powerful support system to help you face the unique challenges of life in a medical family.
- Make a difference in your community. Raise money for scholarships and research, stage public health projects in your community, and advocate for policy change to assure a bright future for medicine. Even if you cannot be active, your membership dues will work to promote good health in your county and state.
- Enrich your life. Use Alliance seminars and networking opportunities to build your professional skills in the areas of advocacy, health promotion and leadership.
The NCMS Alliance brings members together to address key issues impacting public health and the future of medicine. The NCMS Alliance also develops and delivers resources that address the unique interests, challenges and concerns of physician families. Your Alliance membership is put to work every day furthering our efforts to implement valuable health education and advocacy programs throughout the year.
What does the Alliance mean to you? For me, the Alliance is best represented by the actions and impact of its members.
- Hearing the gratitude in a father’s voice as he described the day his son collapsed and was revived in his high school music department with an AED donated by the local Alliance;
- Boosting the success of a child by identifying his need for glasses during the Alliances’ annual vision screening for second and fifth graders;
- Seeing the sense of comfort on the face of a broken woman at a battered women’s shelter as she takes refuge in a room newly redecorated by Alliance members;
- Empowering promising students in nursing through Alliance scholarships;
- Providing a listening ear and meals for members in need – from the young mother new to town to those who’ve have lost a spouse, parent, child or other loved one; and of course
- Supporting our physicians and the family of medicine.
This is just a snapshot of our alliance in action. Connecting and supporting us in these efforts is the umbrella of the North Carolina Medical Society Alliance.