For generations, the Columbus Medical Association & Affiliates have been pillars of leadership, advocacy, and community, and a trusted convener and champion for physicians and the patients they serve. We have served our community and supported physicians and their ideas, passions, and goals for more than 150 years. Now, it’s time to think about the next 150 years.

The world around us, and within medicine, is evolving rapidly. Technological innovation, shifting models of care, changing reimbursement structures, funding cuts, and rising pressures on physicians have fundamentally reshaped the healthcare landscape. To remain a vital, trusted partner, we know we must evolve, not just to keep pace with external forces, but to actively lead in a way that reflects the voices of our physician community.

Our first step in planning for what’s next for our organization was engaging a new public policy consultant, Daphne Kackloudis, to guide us through these turbulent times and give us concrete action steps to advocate for public health and safety, as well as effective healthcare policy outcomes.

Next, we will work to deeply understand the needs and concerns of the central Ohio physician community and identify meaningful ways to strengthen your experience and connection with our organization. We have engaged Dr. Mrunal Shah to lead this renewed focus on physician engagement and outreach. 

Dr. Shah brings nearly 28 years of clinical experience in Columbus and has been an active member of CMA and Physician CareConnection (PCC) for much of that time. With a rich background that spans clinical practice and executive leadership, he is uniquely positioned to listen to our physicians, elevate their voices, and help CMAA align more deeply with the realities and aspirations of today’s medical community.

Over the coming weeks and months, Dr. Shah will meet with physicians and stakeholders through one-on-one and group discussions. He will also help introduce new feedback mechanisms to ensure your insights are heard and incorporated as we prepare to strategically plan for our future. We encourage you to engage, share your perspective, and help us shape the future of CMAA.

CMA member physicians have been clear: they want a professional home that is responsive, relevant, and reflective of their needs. Together, we will craft a shared vision for CMAA’s future that honors our 150-year legacy while positioning us to thrive in the next 150.

Thank you for your commitment to our association and to the greater Columbus medical community. We look forward to this important work ahead and to building a future as bold and inspiring as our past.

With so much going on in the health care industry today, it has never been more important for physicians to care for their mental, emotional, and physical health. As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end, we want to remind our members of a confidential, physician-centric resource available to them.

In the article from our partners at the Ohio Professionals Health Program (OhioPHP), “Substance Use Disorders in Healthcare: Why It Happens and How to Seek Help,” they remind us that healthcare professionals under immense pressure and suffer from stress and burnout at the same rate as the general population. 

Peer support programs are a great resource for physicians to meet with others who truly understand their experiences and are fully committed to helping them recover. The CMA’s Doc to Doc program, made possible by funding from the CMA Foundation, provides access to an empathetic network of physician peers who have been trained to support their colleagues in need. The program is 100% confidential and no record of the conversations are ever made.

Learn more about the Doc to Doc program on our webpage. To get started complete this form or call 614-385-6660.

The COTS team recently hosted emergency management professionals from Lithuania to discuss emergency preparedness and response.

The Grove City Rotary Club approached COTS leaders about hosting an information-sharing session with the experts as part of their sponsorship of the Open World program with the US Congressional Office of International Leadership (COIL). Open World brings emerging leaders from Eurasia to the United States to engage with their professional counterparts. 

On Wednesday, May 14, COTS and CMAA leaders, along with representative from other central Ohio agencies, gathered at the COTS office to share best practices in emergency preparedness and response and learned a few tips from them. 

“It was an incredible opportunity to make new friends and learn from one another on the life-saving strategies deployed in emergencies,” said Sherri Kovach, COTS president.

This isn’t the first time COTS has worked with an international delegation through this program. In 2019, the COTS board and several partners met with the Ukrainian Minister of Health and his team to share COTS regional work and how a large urban and rural healthcare coalition operates.

Advocacy Alert: Emergency Preparedness Funding at Risk
President Trump's federal budget eliminates funding for the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), the primary source of funding for health care preparedness and response. COTS coordinates emergency preparedness and response for 36 of Ohio's 88 counties for the Ohio Department of Health, which administers the HPP in Ohio. COTS does this in collaboration with fellow preparedness experts in Toledo, Cleveland, Akron, Dayton, and Cincinnati. The complete elimination of this program is an existential threat to the safety of all Ohioans. Learn more about the proposed cuts and how the steps you can take to alert your representatives about this issue in this advocacy alert: Hospital Preparedness Program – Funding at Risk.