MSDC Launches The Healthy Physician Foundation

Being a physician in the District in the 21st century means being on the front line of the most pressing public health issues in the world. In our small geographic boundaries, physicians help address issue found in every state all in one area. The issues are too lengthy to list on one webpage but physicians are on the front lines of addressing health issues for all District residents.

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MSDC Launches The Healthy Physician Foundation

Jan 20, 2022, 09:00 AM by MSDC Staff

The new charitable organization will allow the Society to grow its Wellbeing Program and Physician Health Program.

Washington, D.C., January 19, 2022 – The Medical Society of the District of Columbia is pleased to announce the launch of the Healthy Physician Foundation, a new 501(c)3 charitable organization dedicated to addressing and preventing moral injury in the physician population, specifically in the DC area.

Physicians are the lynchpin of healthcare but are vulnerable to extreme burnout and high rates of suicide –nearly double that of the general population – a reality that has been compounded by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The Healthy Physician Foundation was established to provide physicians with new tools, resources, and leadership to overcome the crippling impact of moral injury and burnout.

Healthy Physician Foundation Chair Dr. Susanne Bathgate emphasized that “District physicians are struggling from moral injury, burnout and constant threats to their wellbeing and health. The Healthy Physician Foundation will provide them with the support that they need and deserve.”

Learn how you can support the Foundation in its important mission at https://www.msdc.org/about-MSDC/HPF.

The Healthy Physician Foundation, launched this week, marks a new phase in MSDC’s mission to stop the scourge of moral injury, burnout, and addiction. It combines in one place two existing Medical Society programs, the Physician Health Program and the Wellbeing Program, and will build on those to provide enhanced programs, resources, and community to a profession overwhelmed and overburdened by myriad stressors and challenges.

The Physician Health Program has for decades helped physicians dealing with addiction and career- or life-threatening illness. In 2020, MSDC launched a comprehensive physician wellness initiative to provide a broad array of resources and services to physicians. Currently, these resources include a physician wellbeing app, free consultations with vetted wellness professionals, a line-up of community-building programs, and articles on wellbeing.

The Foundation will house these two programs and build on them to address the full spectrum of physician health: from wellness and optimal physical and behavioral health at one end to illness--spanning physical and behavioral illness and addiction--and treatment at the opposite end. As we near the two-year anniversary of the pandemic, the need for a healthy, resilient physician workforce has never been more dire.

Through the Foundation, individuals and organizations concerned about the scourge of moral injury, burnout, and addiction can focus their giving on that single cause. Moreover, they can ensure that donations will be tax-deductible to the maximum extent of the law under the Foundation’s 501(c)3 status. The Foundation and Wellbeing Program are supported by a grant from the Institute for Technology in HealthCare, a non-profit organization, located in Washington, DC. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, see https://www.msdc.org/about-MSDC/HPF.

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Media Contact:
Pia Duryea
Medical Society of the District of Columbia
duryea@msdc.org
(202) 355-9414

About the Healthy Physician Foundation

The Healthy Physician Foundation is an affiliated 501(c)3 charitable organization dedicated to addressing and preventing moral injury in the physician population, with a specific focus in the DC area. This organization exists to provide programs, resources, and community to a profession overwhelmed and overburdened by stress. Learn more at https://www.msdc.org/about-MSDC/HPF

Sample of Health Equity Legislation MSDC Tracked

Student Access to Treatment Amendment Act (B23-467)

What does it say? The bill allows for the administration of medicinal marijuana in schools as well as allows students to bring sunscreen to schools and apply it without a prescription.

MSDC position: MSDC supports the language permitting sunscreen application in schools

Current status: A win for DC physicians and public health! The legislation passed the Council in February and was signed by the Mayor. Previous temporary and emergency legislation permitted students to use sunscreen at schools this school year already.

Electronic Medical Order for Scope of Treatment Registry Amendment Act (B23-261)

What does it say? The bill requires DC Health to establish an electronic Medical Order for Scope of Treatment registry (eMOST).

MSDC position: MSDC supports this legislation to more easily allow patients to make their treatment orders known.

Current status: A win for the physician community and our patients! The Council passed the bill in December and the Mayor signed it into law on January 16, 2020.

Healthy Beverage Choices Amendment Act (B23-495)

What does it say? The bill would implement a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on the distribution of "sugary" beverages. The money collected from the tax would establish a Healthy People, Healthy Places Open Spaces Grant Program.

MSDC position: MSDC sent a letter to Council Chair Mendelson asking for a hearing to discuss all of the issues around a beverage tax.

Current status: The bill was introduced October 8, 2019 and referred to the Committee on Business and Economic Development and the Committee of the Whole.