Contact: Peter Warren, 213-630-1126/cell 310-809-4381
Karen Nikos, 213-630-1139/cell 323-839-0479
Ron Lopp, 916-551-2042/cell 916-501-769

SAN FRANCISCO—Medicare reforms, covering the 41 million uninsured in America, boycotting magazines that accept tobacco advertising, equalizing health care for minorities, as well as a plethora of attacks on childhood obesity including ending the sale of soda and fast foods in public schools are among the nearly 200 proposed policies up for consideration at the California Medical Association’s House of Delegates March 22-25, 2003.

About 700 doctors – 400 of them delegates representing their geographic communities, ethnicities and specialties from throughout the state -- will convene at the San Francisco Hilton and Towers, 333 O’Farrell Street, for the CMA’s 132nd annual session. The media are welcome to attend all Annual Session public meetings and events. Resolutions before the House of Delegates set the 35,000-member association’s policy on public health, science, reimbursement and insurance issues.

Actions before the House of Delegates include:

The election of officers – CMA will inaugurate Ronald Bangasser, M.D., of Redlands, as president of the 151-year old association on Monday, March 24, at 1 p.m.; Robert Hertzka, M.D., of San Diego, will take office as CMA’s president-elect.

Wendy Ring, M.D., of Eureka, will receive CMA’s 2003 Frederick K.M. Plessner Memorial Award Saturday, March 23. The award is given annually to a physician who "best exemplifies the practice and ethics of rural practitioners." Dr. Ring created the Mobile Medical Office, a nonprofit community health clinic on wheels, to serve the medically indigent in remote communities in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

Yank Coble, M.D., president of the American Medical Association, will speak at 10 a.m. Monday.

Actions of the House of Delegates frequently lead the way for policy change in California and the nation. In 2002, the delegates proposed hiking the legal age for the sale of all tobacco products in California to 21. The legislation is currently under consideration by California lawmakers. Following closely on 30 years of CMA anti-tobacco policy, this year’s resolutions include proposals for a public boycott of publications that run tobacco advertisements and publicly thank those who do not, and to ban the sale of tobacco in pharmacies and drug stores, among others.

There are nearly a dozen resolutions that propose a variety of fixes to Medicare and how California and the nation address health care coverage for the uninsured.

Several issues framed by resolutions are particularly apt for California, where Latino, African Americans and Asians make up a majority of residents. One calls for CMA – in its legislative, political, economic and legal advocacy – to develop strategies to eliminate disparities in health care for the nation’s racial and ethnic populations. The resolution cites last year’s Institute of Medicine Report on racial disparities as a building block for further work by physicians in improving cultural sensitivity and eliminating barriers to treatment and improved clinical care for minorities.

Another resolution calls upon CMA to oppose a ballot initiative – the Racial Privacy Initiative -- which would prohibit state and local governments and public universities from collecting or using data about race, ethnicity, color or national origin. The initiative, promoted by activist Ward Connerly, would prevent – the resolution states – medical professionals from collecting data crucial to tracking and preventing disease, planning for health services and determining distribution of resources. "Having less information," the resolution says, "will result in health and prevention programs which are costly and less effective."

While childhood nutrition has been a common theme in years past, this year the physicians will discuss recognizing childhood obesity as a disease and guaranteeing its treatment by health plans. The physicians will also propose that the state Board of Education seek legislation to ban the sale of fast food and soda at schools. An additional resolution calls for CMA to support restructuring physical education programs at schools.

Also before the House of Delegates is a resolution proposing that CMA examine the appropriateness of "concierge" or "boutique" medical practices, with an emphasis on providing guidance for physicians wishing to provide such customized medical services.

For a complete list of resolutions, media members can go to www.calphys.org/html/bb163.asp

Newsroom Operations Guide

CMA’s newsroom: The newsroom will be on the second level, Green Room. Please stop by the newsroom to receive a media identification badge, which will admit you to public meetings.

For those trying to contact the CMA media relations representatives by phone, please leave a message on the first number listed for each if you don’t reach them on the cell phones, as cellular reception quality can vary in urban hotels.