It’s November, and that means the election cycle in 2006 is just around the corner. Candidates for office are already on the campaign trail stumping for dollars and votes.

Like Paul Revere riding the streets of Boston warning about the arrival of British troops, this article is meant to shout to all physicians, "Part D is coming, Part D is coming." Consider the message fair notice to get educated about the changes to the Medicare program and what they mean for patients and providers.

The Orange County Medical Association hosted a Physicians Advocacy Forum on Saturday, Feb. 25, in Irvine that attracted more than 90 physicians from Orange County and surrounding areas. The forum highlighted issues facing medical staffs.

Dawn Bruner, MD, becomes the 117th president of the Orange County Medical Association in July and will be only the seventh woman to serve in that capacity.

The Orange County Medical Association, in conjunction with Orange Coast Magazine, completed the process of selecting the 2007 Physicians of Excellence that will be published in the magazine's January health and beauty edition.

The OCMA Legislative Committee, chaired by William E. Callahan, Jr., MD, met on the morning of January 30, 2008 to interview candidates for Assembly Districts 71 and 73. After listening to the responses of each candidate, the committee voted to recommend to CALPAC that it support Neil Blais for the District 71 Assembly seat and Diane Harkey for the District 73 Assembly seat.

Neil Blais -- Neil Blais is a Republican candidate for the 71st Assembly District. He serves as president and CEO of Blais & Associates, a professional grant management firm. Prior to joining Blais & Associates, Mr. Blais was the general manager of state and local government operations for ABS Consulting (formerly EQE International), an international engineering firm. In this role, Mr. Blais led a team of professionals helping fed_eral, state, and local government in all aspects of emergency management. Mr. Blais began his career in the aerospace industry.

On the political front, on January 1, 2000, a member of the incorporation team, Mr. Blais was elected to the first city council of Rancho Santa Margarita. In 2004, Mr. Blais served as Mayor. His accomplishments as councilman and mayor included creating a non-profit foundation to aid the city in obtaining funding for the construction of a community center. Mr. Blais also created an Economic Development Committee to ensure that the city was responsive to the needs of the business community.

Since 2004, Mr. Blais has served on the Orange County Fire Authority Board of Directors. He also serves on the Foothill Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, where he is working to ensure the completion of the 241 South.

If elected to the state Assembly, Neil Blais will request to serve on the Health Committee where he has committed to work with doctors to protect MICRA and soften anti-trust laws to give doctors more power to negotiate contracts and improve reimbursement.

Diane Harkey -- Diane Harkey is a council member and former mayor of Dana Point and is a Republican candidate for the 73rd Assembly District. Ms. Harkey, who holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine, has enjoyed a successful career spanning 30 years in banking and corporate finance. She has been actively involved with political issues throughout most of her adult life.

As a member of the Dana Point City Council, Ms. Harkey has worked to implement a balanced budget and a reserve policy for the city. She has championed efforts to reform government by promoting business development, encouraging regional cooperation and joint-use options to save taxpayer dollars, increasing citizen involvement by promoting new candidates for political office, and working towards commonsense solutions to growth and development.

Ms. Harkey also serves on many boards and commissions including the League of California Cities, San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency, Orange County Council of Governments and the Investment Review Committee.

Diane Harkey is running unopposed in the race. She supports MICRA, increased competition for insurers, increasing access to care, and fair payment to doctors.
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Sidebar: OCMA Legislative Committee Meets

The OCMA Legislative Committee will meet on Monday,
March 17 at 6:00 p.m. at the OCMA offices. Diane Harkey, candidate for the 73rd Assembly District seat, and Neil Blais, candidate for the 71st Assembly District seat, have been invited to attend. This meeting is open to the OCMA membership. Please RSVP to Linda Johansen by calling (714) 978-1160 x203 or by e-mailing her at ljohansen@ocma.org.

The Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations is designed to identify strategies for building the capacity of ethnic physician organizations to reduce healthcare disparities.

Fill out the OCMA Member Survey on the Fast Track section of www.ocma.org.

Nominate outstanding physicians in the county for the 2009 Physicians of Excellence award.

Our idea is to provide a "job clearinghouse."

The County of Orange Health Care Agency is now requesting Medical Services Initiative members to provide citizenship documentation and other information.

Dr. Patch Adams stated that physicians should never suffer burn-out if we focus on the giving of ourselves to assist others to restored health and a sense of well-being. Yet I struggle.

We're pleased to offer you this great opportunity to join or re-join organized medicine.

We are pleased to announce that the 2008 OCMA Membership Directory has been published and delivered to members. Each member receives the first copy at no charge; additional copies may be purchased for $40 each.

Below are the rates for non-members and organizations:
$250-Non-members
$75-Hospitals
$75-Libraries
$75-Community Resource Organizations

For additional information or to place your order, please call 714/978-1160, ext. 200.