Page 38 - Layout 1

BCMS
COMMITTEES

BCMS Communications/Publications

The Communications/Publications Committee for the BCMS for the magazine, but they can if they decide they want to do so.
provides editorial direction and guidance for the San Antonio Most members have contributed material because it’s a subject
Medicine magazine. The monthly magazine is a service to the that intrigued them. We’ve had pieces about members’ hobbies,
members of BCMS providing news, features and commentary travels, reminiscences, opinions of current events and interests
on topics and issues of interest to the local medical community. that they happen to have that others don’t know much about.
Some of the most important contributions our members make
The committee meets regularly with the editor of the magazine occur when a theme is chosen and they know someone in the
to determine the themes for future issues and to review submitted community who is an expert on the subject. Then they help us
articles. get in contact with that person and convince him or her to write
it up for us.
The committee’s major function is brainstorming ideas and
providing the give-and-take necessary for their development. The committee meets the first Wednesday of each month (un-
Occasionally, everyone is asked to read a submitted piece to see less it’s a holiday) at 6:15 p.m. in the BCMS office. Come and
if it is suitable for publication. The meetings are not formal – try us out…you don’t have to wait until next year. For more in-
no “Robert’s Rules of Order” – and everyone has a good time formation, contact the BCMS staff editor who works with us: his
while eating a light supper and getting out about an hour or contact info is below. Fred Olin, MD, is the chairman and he or
so later. the editor can be contacted at 210-582-6399.

Members of the committee are not required to write articles

San Fernando Health Fair
BCMS Public Health and Patient
Advocacy Chair John Nava, MD,
discusses diabetes prevention
at the San Fernando Health and
Safety Fair.

Public Health and Patient Advocacy

The BCMS Public Health and Patient Advocacy (PHPA) Committee is charged with evaluating and making recommendations to
the BCMS Board of Directors and members about public health issues affecting our community and patient population.

Their most recent initiative undertaken was the prevention and control of cardiometabolic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipi-
demia and cardiovascular disease) as their priority community initiative. Working alongside numerous community organizations, the
Committee hopes to assist in the prevention and control of cardiometabolic diseases in the community.

In past years, PHPA has been instrumental in community immunization programs and in planning for possible public health crises
such as disease (H1N1, Ebola, etc.). Thinking about the present and future health of our community allows physicians to provide
quality health care for their patients and serve the public.

38 San Antonio Medicine • October 2015