TAFP Loses Family Physician Leader

Raymond R. Thomas, M.D., of Eagle Lake suffered an aneurysm and died on March 14, 2001. Thomas attended UTMB Galveston and began practicing in Eagle Lake in 1954. During his many years of practice, Thomas gained the respect and admiration of colleagues and patients alike. He served as chief of staff of Rice District Hospital and Eagle Lake Hospital. He was vice president and board member for the Texas Academy of Family Physicians as well as president of the Colorado/Fayette County Medical Society and TMA Delegate. He served as a preceptor before and after the creation of the Statewide Preceptorship Program in 1973, encouraging young people to consider rural family practice. Over 100 students and residents rotated through his practice.

In addition to his leadership in the medical community, Thomas directed the local acting troupe and his church choir and served on numerous community boards. Thomas was featured in the Houston Post in 1987, and used as an example of a true rural family physician on CBS in 1993. In 1997 he was named Family Physician of the Year by TAFP. Thomas is survived by his wife Elfe and his children Russell, Kurt, Julia and Griff.

  
 

New Officers Inducted in Local Chapters

The Tarrant County Chapter welcomed their new leaders at their 50th Annual Inaugural Ball on Feb. 3, 2001 at Ridglea County Club. TAFP President, Lloyd Van Winkle, M.D., was on hand to induct the chapter’s officers for 2001. Linda Siy, M.D., of Fort Worth replaced Chris Ewin, M.D., as president. Erica Swegler, M.D., of Keller is the president-elect, Steven Cole, M.D., of Fort Worth is secretary and treasurer and James Harvey, M.D., of Fort Worth is the program chair.

The Alamo Chapter installed their new officers at their 25th Annual Mid-winter Seminar, February 9-11 in San Antonio. Paula Lyons, M.D., replaced Douglas Denham, D.O., as president. Homer Reyes, M.D., is president-elect, Jeff Pickens, M.D. is vice president, Rosalie Pena, M.D., is treasurer and Mary Nguyen-Poole, M.D., is secretary and parliamentarian.

30 Years of Service to State Legislators

In January 1971, the academy, then known as the Texas Academy of General Practice, began the Physician of the Day program. Thirty years later, the Academy is proud of its record of never missing a day in regular or special session. The Physician of the Day serves at the Capitol First Aid Station, which will see anyone in the capitol building or on the grounds during an emergency and members of the legislature, their families and staff presumed to be in Austin on a temporary basis. This voluntary program was started as a cooperative effort with Texas Medical Association, which arranged for the office, a registered nurse and equipment. Originally coordinated by TAFP member, Lamar McNew, M.D., of Bryan, the program is currently run by Greg Herzog, TAFP legislative aide. Operating consistently for 30 years, this program offers an excellent opportunity to showcase the talents of family physicians and the breadth of their practice.
 
Linda Siy, MD, of Fort Worth with Rep. Anna Mowery and Speaker of the House, James "Pete" Laney.

The Physician of the Day program began and remains a service to the people who serve the state of Texas. TAFP does not use it as a political tool—volunteers are there to treat patients. “Volunteers are expressly told not to lobby or testify on behalf of TAFP or any other organization during their time as Physician of the Day,” Herzog says. TAFP members who volunteer every session donate a full day of their time and must arrange for their own transportation. While their role is not political, Herzog feels that the exposure is helpful at getting members involved. “They learn that the Capitol is not some ‘off limits’ kind of place,” he says.

A typical day at the Capitol begins by meeting the current permanent face at the Capitol First Aid Station, Tim Flynn, RN. Volunteers are asked to meet Flynn at the station, located in the underground extension, by 9 a.m. The physician’s name is read and recorded in both chambers of the Legislature. At some point in the day, the physician is introduced to their senator and representative and they get a certificate and a photo to commemorate the occasion.

An average of 20 patients a day are seen by the physician of the day for everything from colds and allergies to heart attacks and broken limbs—many stairs equals many falls. “Like any first aid clinic, you don’t know what’s coming through the door next,” Herzog says. The station is mobile and ready to respond to emergencies anywhere on the grounds.

TAFP’s role in the program is one of coordination. Before every session, an ad is run in Texas Family Physician to solicit volunteers. That is all it usually takes to fill the slots. Many of the physicians come back year after year.

With doctors’ busy schedules, last minute replacement volunteers are the true heroes who have made sure that the station is always attended. Last session a volunteer had to cancel at the last minute and two TAFP past-presidents stepped up to the plate and filled in for the day. Harold High, M.D., of Cuero took half the day and Tom Mueller, M.D., of La Grange took the other half. “After 30 years, the program developed a level of trust such that the physician of the day is highly respected in the building,” Herzog says.

 

 Dallas Hospital Names First Female Medical Staff President

 Judith K. Werner, D.O., became the first woman to be named president of the medical staff at Charlton Methodist Hospital, a facility owned and operated by Methodist Hospitals of Dallas. She began her one-year term Oct. 1, 2000.

Werner received her medical degree from Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth and completed her residency in family practice at Methodist Hospitals of Dallas and U.T. Southwestern Medical Center. She has been in private practice at CMH since attaining board certification in 1990.

A member of TAFP since 1990, Werner serves on the board of trustees and the executive committee at CMH as well as the corporate medical board of Methodist Hospitals of Dallas. She has also chaired the CMH family practice department and the family practice executive committee of MHD, and last year she was named among the best primary care physicians in the country by Town & Country magazine.

“We are excited to have Dr. Werner as the president of our medical staff,” says John M. Haupert, executive director of CMH. “She comes to this post with an excellent reputation for patient care and a firm commitment to our organization.”

“People are the main reason I enjoy this profession,” Werner says. “It is tremendously rewarding to develop relationships with my patients as well as the staff at Charlton. They are all my family and this is a great place to practice medicine.”

Medical museum opens in Humble

The community of Humble, Texas, gathered on March 18 to honor a great leader, citizen and physician, Haden E. McKay, Jr., M.D., and to dedicate his clinic in the heart of the old town to the Humble Museum so future visitors can experience the look and feel of family practice in the last century.

In 1919, Dr. Haden E. McKay, Sr., moved his family to Humble, Texas, from Bardstown, Ky., where he had practiced medicine for 26 years. Much of the equipment he brought can be viewed in the existing clinic he and his son built in 1938.

The younger McKay saw patients in the clinic until the day he died in 1996, and Humble residents attest he was always available to aide and council the community. Ever dedicated to public service, McKay served 14 years on the city council and the next 24 as mayor.

The crowd lined the walls of the Deerbrook Baptist Church on Main Street for the dedication ceremony on what would have been McKay’s 92nd birthday. Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jerry Eversole acted as master of ceremonies and lead a distinguished cast of speakers, including Reverend Dr. Tom Fritts, pastor of Deerbrook Baptist Church; Humble Mayor Wilson Archer; former 8th District U.S. Representative Jack Fields; Thomas M. Leach, M.D.; Mike Byers, president of the Humble Area Chamber of Commerce, and Monsignor Paul Procella of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church.

Congressman Jack Fields described McKay as a protector and father figure for Humble, remembering how the physician had driven to Field’s house to be with his mother the night his father died. "Dr. McKay and his wife Lillian personify everything that is good and great about Humble, Texas," he said.

Thomas Leach, M.D., said he was fortunate to see a “master at work” when he practiced under McKay, then the first chief of staff at Northeast Medical Hospital.

According to Leach, a trip through the clinic is “like going back in time.” Glass syringes, cast iron sterilizers, textbooks from the early 1900s, the first X-ray machine to be used in the area and EKG machines from the 30s are all in place along with McKay’s countless honors and awards, like the prestigious Nathan Davis Award he won in 1992. For more information on the McKay Clinic, call 281-446-2130.