As the Southern California fires were being contained, the California Medical Association convened its House of Delegates in Anaheim on Oct. 27. The event gave organized medicine leaders the chance to offer support to those affected. The CMA board of trustees voted to waive dues for one year for any CMA member who lost his or her home or office in the fires.

American Medical Association President Ron Davis, MD, spoke at the meeting, saying the AMA would also waive dues for impacted physicians. He pointed to other AMA initiatives designed to help physicians and patients in disasters, including ICERx.org, an emergency prescription service, and the AMA Center for Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response.

An online resource, ICERx.org was developed in part by the AMA to give doctors and pharmacists access to disaster-affected individuals' prescription information, such as drug dosages and durations, Dr. Davis said. And the center offers educational material to help physicians respond effectively to disasters, including a free CD-ROM upon e-mail request to disastercd@ama-assn.org. He added that the center would explore in conjunction with relevant agencies the need to monitor the long-term health effects of the fires.