Page 9 - Delaware Medical Journal - March/April 2020

PRESIDENT’S PAGE
JOSEPH J. STRAIGHT, MD
MSD President Joseph J. Straight, MD
is a Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician with First State Orthopaedics.
MSD — Making a Difference in the Community
As a physician organization, the Medical Society of Delaware (MSD) has done an excellent
job over the past 200 years providing services, support, and advocacy for its member physicians. What many of you may not know is that MSD has also been very active in the education and support of our communities.
In the early 1990s, MSD formed two

the Delaware Foundation for Medical Services and the Delaware Medical Education Foundation.
THE DELAWARE FOUNDATION FOR MEDICAL SERVICES (DFMS)
DFMS’ mission is to enhance the quality of medical care in Delaware. It serves
as a funding vehicle for the Voluntary Initiative Program (VIP), which operates to improve access to medical care for the underinsured and uninsured patients in the state.
THE DELAWARE MEDICAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION (DMEF)
DMEF’s purpose is to improve and expand medical education as well as offer programs to educate the public on health care-related issues. MSD has been
involved in the education of our youth, their families, and the school community through the activities of our School Health Subcommittee and initiatives such as
the OBVIOUS Campaign for Kids and
the Apollo Program. Funding for these programs is supported through DMEF.
COMMUNITY EDUCATION
The OBVIOUS Campaign for Kids was developed by Stephen J. Kushner, DO during his term as MSD President in 2013. The OBVIOUS initiative was created
with the goal of educating our children, parents, health care professionals, educators, and others in the community on the topics of: Obesity, Bullying, Violence, Intelligent decision making, Opioid/substance abuse, Underage drinking, and Suicide prevention. Presentations have been delivered in the school setting and also at the MSD Building and Conference Center.
In a proclamation by Governor Jack Markell and Lieutenant Governor Matthew Denn, the week following elections each November has been declared Healthy Living Week, an initiative created by the MSD School Health Subcommittee. The School Health Subcommittee, currently chaired by Jayshree Tailor, MD, provides annual educational lectures to complement the education of seventh-grade students in the areas of physical, mental, and social
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