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BCMS LEGISLATIVE AND BCMS physicians and staff visited with Rep. Rick Galindo (House Dist. 117)
ADVOCACY NEWS during the March 3 visit to the Capitol. On hand for the visit were (from left)
Ryan Van Ramshorst, MD; John Edwards, MD; Galindo; Pam Hall, MD; Mary
MARCH Nava and Raymond Osbourn, MD.

FIRST TUESDAY Pausing for a photo with then-
WRAPS UP Rep. Jose Menendez, now Sen.
MENENDEZ AND Menendez, are (from left) Ryan
BERNAL SWORN IN Van Ramshorst, MD; Mary Nava;
Menendez; Raymond Osbourn,
By Mary E. Nava, MBA MD, and Pam Hall, MD.
BCMS Chief Governmental and
Community Relations Officer Joining the BCMS group during
the March 3 First Tuesdays visit in
The second First Tuesdays visit to the the office of Sen. Donna Campbell
Capitol took place on March 3; many (Dist. 25) were members of the
thanks to the following individuals who Texas Asthma and Allergy Society,
participated: BCMS President Jim led by BCMS member and the as-
Humphreys, MD; Mark Croley, MD: John sociation’s president, Theodore
Edwards, MD; Theodore Freeman, MD; Freeman, MD (foreground).
Pam Hall, MD; Gabriel Ortiz, MD; Ray-
mond Osbourn, MD; Ryan Van Raymond Osbourn, MD (seated
Ramshorst, MD, and BCMS Alliance Pres- at left), visits March 3 with Meagan
ident Rebecca Christopherson. Collins (also seated), legislative as-
sistant in the office of Speaker Joe
The group participated in 13 office visits Straus, along with (standing from
with our elected officials and their staffs. left) Pam Hall, MD, Ryan Van
Several participants also stopped by the Ramshorst, MD, and John Ed-
House Public Health Committee hearing to wards, MD.
listen in on discussions about immuniza-
tions, in addition to signing cards in sup- Bexar County representatives visit with Carmen Gaddis Tilton (third from
port of House Bill 465 by Rep. Donna left), policy analyst in the office of Sen. Carlos Uresti (Dist. 19), during the March
Howard (D-Austin), which would give fam- 3 First Tuesdays.
ilies and individuals the freedom to opt out
of the state immunization registry.

In addition, Rep. Diego Bernal (House
Dist. 123) and Sen. Jose Menendez (Senate
Dist. 26) were sworn in on March 3 and 4,
respectively. Bernal assumes former State
Rep. Mike Villarreal’s seat, and Menendez
replaces the seat previously held by Sen.
Leticia Van de Putte. Villarreal and Van de
Putte resigned to run for mayor of San An-
tonio.

For local discussion on this and other
legislative advocacy topics, consider join-
ing the BCMS Legislative and Socioeco-
nomics Committee by contacting Mary
Nava at Mary.Nava@bcms.org.

28 San Antonio Medicine • April 2015