NEWS & INFORMATION

Ann Christiansen has been selected to serve as the Executive Director of the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership (MHCP), effective September 18, 2023.  In this capacity, Christiansen will assume responsibility as the chief strategist and operations manager for the MHCP, a public-private consortium dedicated to improving health care access and health equity for low-income and vulnerable populations in Milwaukee County.

“Christiansen’s passion for the health and well-being of underserved populations and her extensive knowledge of health care and community health will further our collective mission to improve health care for low-income and vulnerable populations in Milwaukee County,” said Carrie Killoran, MHCP Board Chair and President – Greater Milwaukee PSA & Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center. “We are confident her unique skillset, existing relationships, and demonstrated success in leading cross-sector collaboration will take the 16-year consortium to the next level.”

With more than 20 years of leadership experience in public health and health care, Christiansen previously served as Vice President, Community Health-Wisconsin at Advocate Health. She also held earlier roles as Director/Health Officer at the North Shore Health Department and Assistant Director of the Medical College of Wisconsin Comprehensive Injury Center.

“I am proud to be chosen to lead the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership and the dedicated, mission-driven members whose commitment has created a culture of success for over 15 years,” said Christiansen. “I am excited about what we can do collaboratively into the future to address the most pressing health care needs in our community.”

Christiansen succeeds Joy Tapper, who served as Executive Director since 2007.

More information about Ann Christiansen and the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership is available on the MHCP website at https://mkehcp.org.

Established in 2007, the Milwaukee County Health Care Partnership is a public / private consortium dedicated to improving health care for low-income, underserved populations in Milwaukee County with the aim of improving health outcomes, advancing health equity and lowering the total cost of care. 

mkehcp.org

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Chief Health Policy Advisor Dr. Ben Weston, Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) Executive Director Shakita LaGrant-McClain, and Behavioral Health Services (BHS) are announcing the placement of 11 Harm Reduction Vending Machines to reduce injury and death from overdose, at locations across the county, informed by data and need. The machines provide free access to harm reduction and prevention supplies, including fentanyl test strips, nasal naloxone, medication deactivation pouches, medication lock bags, and gun locks. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), harm reduction is an evidence-based practice to prevent death for people who use drugs. In 2022, there were 667 drug overdose deaths in Milwaukee County.

“The opioid epidemic reaches communities in all parts of the county. It crosses all socio-economic, demographic and age ranges – there is no ‘type’ of person who succumbs to opioid addiction. Last year’s opioid settlement allow us to get to work right away funding projects that will help save lives and mitigate continued suffering for residents and their loved ones,” said County Executive Crowley. “Milwaukee County has been on the frontlines of this battle for years in the court system, and now we take the next step in bringing crucial resources to the doorstep of the communities that need them the most. By following the data and investing in the communities with the highest need, I am optimistic we will make our communities safer and healthier and help residents begin or continue their road to recovery.”

Click Here for Vending Machine Locations

Click Here to Read More

The Despesna pantry is holding a Health Fair on August 5 from 8:30am to 12:00pm.  Attendees will be able to check their blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, along with receiving lead testing, family resources and naloxone training.  The pantry is located at 1615 S 22^nd Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204.

Between 80 and 120 families are supported at the pantry, which is 90% Spanish speaking.  Volunteers are invited to help out.  The more we recruit, the more we can serve.  Looking for 20 volunteers for each Saturday. There is orientation information available for those who sign up.

This is the link for people to sign up.

Doctor Day 2023 was a success with over 300 registered physicians, residents, and medical students!

The group began their day at the beautiful Monona Terrace for a light breakfast and presentations on First Attendee Orientation, Communications/Media Training 101, Physician Wellness, and  a Legal Update. AMA President, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, then joined as the keynote presenter. Following his presentation was a State Agency Roundtable and a Physicians Priority Issues Briefing. The group had a brief lunch and then headed down the street to the Capitol where physicians met with their legislators to discuss Doctor Day's priority issues: APRN Legislation and Extended Medicaid Coverage for New Moms. 

The group reconvened at Madison's for some appetizers and drinks and to discuss how their visits went. Everyone was in good spirits and already looking forward to the next Wisconsin Doctor Day!

Basketball is the one athletic activity that defines me and I carry my game philosophy into my personal and professional life. As a leader, it is my job to bring out the best in each of my team members. I learned how to identify the unique skills and strengths of every one of the players to be able to harness them at the right time to win the game.

The basketball analogy is applicable to our work at the Medical Society of Milwaukee County. We have unique skills and diverse backgrounds and we work together to achieve the Society’s mission. Together, we advance our mission and vision because we have a well-established organization. This allows us to leverage the strength of our collective membership.

Early on, when I was serving some of our most disadvantaged and underserved populations in Milwaukee, I found the only way that could be accomplished is to have the structure and coordination in place to make the best use of limited resources. I, along with many of you, dedicate time to the free clinics for the uninsured in Milwaukee. It is an important part of who I am as a person to give back to the people in my community.

I have been fortunate to have had multicultural exposure by working and studying in countries that are underserved, deep seated have disparities that are through the roof, natural disasters are common and critical infrastructure and health care is scarce. With that said, disparities exist in modern health care models, too. I learned from these experiences that people thrive only if they have opportunities and support from their family and community.

I had been affiliated with this organization as a member for a number of years before I stepped into a leadership role. Through the Society, I was able to share my passion with other members.

It is a great honor and privilege to serve you, as fellow physicians and members of the Society. Leaders will come and go in our organization, but I want to put into place changes that will have a positive impact on our longitudinal charitable investments and organizational goals, regardless of who is in the leadership position. It is my wish to pursue these goals not by changing the entire organizational structure and constitution, but by putting in durable amendments that will have a lasting impact on this Society and serve the greater community for decades years to come. We are the largest medical society at the county level in Wisconsin. As such, we have an important, bidirectional relationship with the Wisconsin Medical Society. We must work together with other like-minded stakeholders and legislators on advocacy issues that enable us to serve our patients and ensure they have adequate coverage and can receive the health care they need, regardless of their situation.

Respectfully,

Muhammad Bilal Abid, MD, MS, FACP, MRCP, FRCP

President, Medical Society of Milwaukee County

Dr. Abid is President of the Medical Society of Milwaukee County. He is an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin with joint appointments with the Hematology/Oncology and Infectious Diseases Divisions. Dr. Abid and his wife, Dr. Paras Mughal (an orthodontist), have two children.

MSMC members were well represented at the recent WMS “Health and Harmony” Annual Meeting in Madison.  Dr Bilal Abid (MSMC President), Dr Don Lee (WMS President) and Dr Rob Riepenhoff (MSMC President-elect).  Congratulations to the WMS Foundation on a great event!

The Wisconsin Medical Society and Foundation held their 2023 Annual Meeting this past weekend.  Events featured a day-long CME and concluded with a celebration of outstanding health professionals at their annual fundraising event.  The Milwaukee area was well represented at this year’s event!

Doctor Don Lee was inaugurated as the new WMS President.  Dr Lee is a board-certified internist and practices as an internal medicine hospitalist and physician advisor for Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He most recently joined the Ascension Wisconsin Foundation Board of Directors. He has served in several part-time leadership roles including Ascension Medical Group Wisconsin Medical Director for Quality and Safety, Hospital Based Care as well as President of the Columbia St. Mary’s Physician Network. He is also on faculty as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Center in Milwaukee. In the community, Dr. Lee volunteers at a medical student run free clinic in Milwaukee and serves as the Treasurer of the Reede Scholars, Inc, a nonprofit organization started by members of the Commonwealth Fund Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy focusing on issues related to minority health.

Kyle Cass received the Presidential Scholar Award which recognizes a student entering his or her final year of medical school who has exemplified the attributes, skills and desire to become a leader in the medical profession in Wisconsin.  Kyle Cass grew up in Deforest and has a strong desire to do a surgical residency in Wisconsin, and eventually practice in Wisconsin. He became involved in the AMA and WisMed right after arriving at the Medical College of Wisconsin and was part of the MCW AMA leadership and Milwaukee County Medical Society and helped pass national AMA policy on COVID vaccination equity. He served as a student representative on both the Wisconsin Medical Society Board of Directors and on the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation Board. He is also on the WisMed Social Media Committee. His involvement with the Saturday Clinic for the Uninsured further cemented his desire to help the most vulnerable Wisconsinites both as a physician and an advocate.

Karen Watson, MD, FACOG, is an OB-GYN at Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital - St. Joseph’s Campus and leads efforts for continuous improvement regarding maternal and infant health and has implemented innovative models for hospital-based care for obstetric patients. Dr Watson received the Superhero of Medicine Award.  She is well respected by her peers for promoting and sustaining clinical excellence, performance improvement and patient safety. Dr. Watson is a hero for her championing of Blanket of Love (a social-support program that helps expectant mothers and families from pregnancy to beyond their baby’s first birthday), her efforts that led to a reduction of primary c-sections reducing complications, injuries and deaths and her generosity in sharing her time and expertise with health professionals across the state to improve the care and treatment of OB-GYN patients.   The Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation is pleased to present a donation in honor of Dr. Watson to Bread of Healing Clinic, a free medical clinic designed to serve low-income people who experience barriers to accessing ongoing health care. Barbara Horner-Ibler, MD, M.Div., MSW, Executive Director and Physician of the Bread of Healing Clinic was thrilled to hear that Dr. Watson would be recognized for her work. She notes, “We take our clinic name from the Hebrew Scriptures, ‘Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.’ (Ecclesiastes 11:1) It is a recognition that we all give and receive from the waters of life. Dr. Watson’s designation of the Bread of Healing Clinic as the recipient of her award dollars is an example of one such gift! We will hope to use it well to make more gifts available to others downstream.”

The Social Development Commission recently released a YouTube video that highlights their work in the community.  Check out this video and other resources in the Resources section of the MSMC website. 

The Wisconsin Medical Society’s 2023 Medical Education Conference is Friday, April 14 at the Monona Terrace in Madison.  The conference curriculum was developed by the Society’s Taskforce for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI).

A variety of speakers from across the state will present throughout the day.  A number of members of the Medical Society of Milwaukee County are featured:

Dr Jesse Ehrenfeld will keynote an afternoon session titled “Physician Leadership in Advancing Equity in Health Innovation”.  Dr Ehrenfeld is Senior Associate Dean at the Medical College, Director of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment and President-Elect of the American Medical Association.

Dr Karen Watson will participate on a panel discussion on Maternal and Infant Health Inequity.  Dr Watson is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist from Ascension and the 2023 WMS Foundation Superhero of Medicine.

More information on this event and registration is available on the Wisconsin Medical Society website.

The Medical Society of Milwaukee County is a proud supporter of the Milwaukee Free and Community Clinic Collaborative (FC3).  The group represents a coalition of safety-net clinics that provide free and low-cost medical services to those who are uninsured and underinsured in our community.

FC3 is committed to work in collaboration with state, regional and national free clinic associations to participate in leadership and planning, to seek resources and information, and to share experience and ideas.  Clinics in the Coalition are committed to:

• Share resources, including medications, specialty care, health education, medical supplies and equipment, grant writing, information technology, dental and mental health services.
• Support each other through information sharing, networking and expanding access points for our patients.
• Advocate for our uninsured and underinsured patients, not only giving a voice to those those who would otherwise be unheard, but working to improve health care policy that affects these patients.
• Work to reform the health care system to provide access to care for all, and by practicing what we preach.
• Promote and educate the community about the scope of services provided by free and community clinics.
• Speak with a unified voice on behalf of the clinics and the patients served by those clinics.

Interested in learning more?  Visit the list of clinics on the website (link).  Learn how to volunteer at one of the clinics.  Or contact Dr Barbara Horner-Ibler, FC3 Medical Director (email).