By Rafael Fernandez, Jr., MD
During my Presidential Inauguration speech as the incoming Dade County Medical Association (DCMA) President, I shared my point of view about how we must work together as a collective group to protect the community standard of care and provide the best quality healthcare to patients in Miami-Dade County. It is critical that this message reaches the broader physician community locally so we can unify and advocate for the changes necessary to reach our goals. If we are not at the table, we will be on the menu.
Rafael Fernandez, Jr., MD
My goals for the year ahead were crafted from advice that I received from one of the many mentors in my career, Dr. Gustavo Espinosa. Dr. Espinosa is a Radiologist of half Cuban and half Colombian descent who is at the University of Illinois and winner of innumerable Golden Apple Awards. His opening line during our rotation was, “God gave you five fingers to remind you that you need to know the top five causes for what you are seeing on the x-ray.”
Following his teachings, I developed the five causes for my tenure as President of the Dade County Medical Association.
- Defend
The Dade County Medical Association is the organization of choice for physicians who advocate for patients and for the quality and sustainability of the practice of medicine. The practice of medicine, as many of you well know, routinely provides us the unmeasurable joy and satisfaction of helping other human beings during some of their most difficult times, a feeling that few experience outside of medicine. In order to protect this privilege, we, the physicians of Miami-Dade County, like the forefathers of the United States, should continue to strive for a more perfect union in medicine through organized medicine (Dade County Medical Association).
- Educate
Let’s reinforce to the public that we are physicians, not providers. We are men and women skilled in the science and art of healing. That our vocation is the practice of medicine. And that they are patients, not customers or clients.
“The close link between clarity in language and clarity of thought has not been lost by power-seekers of all stripes”.
III. Unify
The DCMA shall continue, as it has in the past, to welcome all physicians who wish to join our ranks. Our diversity is our strength, but our unity will ensure our success. I encourage all members and non-members to join our organization, to be vigilant to important social issues but to focus our efforts in defending the independent practice of medicine.
They said that President Reagan was at his best when they “let Reagan be Reagan.” Physicians are in my opinion at their best when they are allowed to be physicians.
- Challenges
I encourage each member of the DCMA to reach out and recruit a minimum of one physician who is not a member and to devote at least one hour a week to the DCMA.
I encourage all retired physicians (lifetime members, retired and semi-retired), to participate in the DCMA, mentoring medical students and residents through real-life experiences, and also to serve as liaisons between organized medicine and our elected officials (commissioners, legislature, and local government).
- Rewards of Involvement – Why should we be involved?
Emma Webb of “Newspeak,” on St. George’s Day (St. George being the patron saint of England who as legend has it, slayed the dragon) addressed a group of viewers and supporters of an organization who were tired of hearing about what was wrong with Britain and the West without providing any solutions.
She referenced Jordan Peterson as well as Alexander Solzhenitsyn Peterson. Peterson believed that there is a profound reward to standing up to and slaying dragons. Solzhenitsyn stated: “If we shrink away, let us cease from complaining that someone does not let us draw breath, for we do it to ourselves”.
I personally invite you to join us and be part of the DCMA (www.miamimed.com). Let us go forth together to slay some dragons!
