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Letter from the President Summer 2023

July 18, 2023

A Letter from the President

As we enjoy the last month of summer and the vacations, family and time by the water, I am reflecting on the first half of 2023, and looking forward to the things to come for the Kansas City community and their physicians. Our Leadership Council continues to work on the opioid crisis, and ways of developing effective education for the Kansas City metro. We are exploring several avenues such as an education curriculum for Narcan for area middle and high schools and video shorts created by teens for teens with physician guidance. Our Walk with a Doc program is underway with the Retired Physician organization. We are set up to help with the Rockhurst Nursing program’s health fair this fall.

Advocacy remains a priority for KCMS. From the national level (see Dr. Loethen’s update on the AMA’s annual meeting in June) and support for MSMA, we continue to elevate the physician voice. Our collaboration with the KCMS Foundation and their mission and the Wellness Committee remains robust and effective. We recently formed a chapter of the Walk with a Doc program in May, with events on both sided of the state line.

We could not do the work we do without the support of the professional medical community. We appreciate our partnerships, with North Kansas City Hospital, University Health, Anesthesia Associates of KC and Olathe Medical Center. The benefits of these partnerships are many – the sharing of ideas and experiences, networking, mentorship – all of which help to combat physician burnout. We will be meeting with leadership from areas hospitals over the next few months.

As we move forward to the second half of 2023, I am pleased with the progress of KCMS. It is truly a place for physicians to nurture their careers and be a part of their community from medical school through retirement. We are grateful for your support. Look for information about representing your hospital or practice as a part of the Leadership Council, our upcoming happy hour networking and social event, leadership and mentorship training opportunities, and information on ways to serve.

Yours truly,

Carole Freiberger-O’Keefe, DO

St. Luke’s Hospital

Critical Care Medicine

President, KCMS

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Letter from the President 2025

January 6, 2025

I consider it a sincere honor to serve as president of the Kansas City Medical Society this year. As we look forward to this new year, we celebrate our previous accomplishments and look for new ways to meet the challenges of our ever-changing healthcare environment. As we recognize our recent successes, I want to take the opportunity to thank Dr. Greg Unruh, our immediate past president, for his excellent leadership, and I look forward to his continued partnership, providing much-needed wisdom and experience to our board of directors as well as a leadership council. I am also deeply appreciative of Micah Flint, our executive director, now in his third year with the Society. As a board, we are prioritizing key areas where we believe the Society can make a difference for physicians and the communities we serve. With this in mind, we will continue our focus on wellness, advocacy, and expand our opportunities for in person social and educational gatherings. Our journal connects us in a variety of valuable ways, and we will continue its publication and expand its distribution. Under the directorship of Karole Bradford, the Society’s Foundation continues to do invaluable work. We celebrate those accomplishments and the charitable care they provide to our community’s vulnerable population. We are grateful for our individual members and corporate sponsors and welcome your suggestions of how the Society can best serve physicians and our community. Please mark your calendar for the Society’s upcoming events and consider inviting physician colleagues to join you as we gather to learn and support one another.