Minutes of the Arkansas Medical Society Board of Trustees Meeting
February 5 , 2020
The Arkansas Medical Society Board of Trustees met by conference call at 4:00 p . m . on Wednesday , February 5 , 2020 . Members on the call were Drs . William Ackerman , Appathurai Balamurugan , Seth Barnes , Dale Blasier , Samuel Bledsoe , Willard Burks , Josh Chance , Kay Chandler , William Dedman , Gina Drobena , Michael Hickman , James Hunt , Jim Ingram , Parker Jenkins , Joseph Miller , Darrell Over , Tim Paden , Naveen Patil , William Reding , Chad Rodgers , Jeremy Saul , Alan Schumacher , Shane Smith , Shannon Swift , Toby Vancil , Randy Walker , Gary Wheeler , Danny Wilkerson , Ngozidilenna Wilkins , Dennis Yelvington , Stacy Zimmerman , and Ms . Kathleen Connery . AMS Past Presidents present were Drs . Omar Atiq , G . Edward Bryant , Amy Cahill , Scott Cooper , Scott Ferguson , Stephen Magie , Gene Shelby , and Steven Strode . AMS staff present were David Wroten , Kay Waldo , Scott Smith , and Billie Jean Davenport . AMS Legal Counsel present was Mike Mitchell .
Chairman Dr . Danny Wilkerson called the meeting to order , reminded members of the AMS conflict of interest policy , and the following business was received and transacted :
1 . The board approved the minutes for the following meeting :
• November 6 , 2019 Board of Trustees meeting
• January 29 , 2020 Executive Committee conference call
2 . The board approved the following recommendations from the Executive Committee :
• Safe Surgery Arkansas ( SSA ) – The Committee recommended that the AMS Board of Trustees authorize $ 250,000 to be used for the General Election Campaign to repeal Act 579 .
• AMS Annual Awards – The Committee recommended that the Board of Trustees authorize a one-year pause on these awards for the purpose of conducting an evaluation and developing recommendations for improving the awards process .
3 . David Wroten presented the membership report and budget report for information .
4 . The board agreed to support the Stop the Stigma Campaign to change the way of looking at drug addiction .
5 . AMA Interim Meeting report was accepted for information
6 . Anyone interested in the Finance and Audit Committee position to replace Robert Zimmerman , MD , whose term expired in December 2019 was asked to contact David Wroten .
7 . Anthony ( Tony ) Johnson , MD was elected to the Board of Trustees to fill the unexpired term of Dirk Haselow , MD , whose term ends May 2021 in District 8 .
8 . Scott Smith reported on the Board of Trustee ’ s contributions to ARKMED PAC .
Dr . Gary Wheeler reported on the Corona Virus . The Department of Health has activated a call center to answer questions .
There being no further business the meeting adjourned .
May 1 , 2020
The Arkansas Medical Society Board of Trustees met via Zoom at 4:00 p . m ., on Friday , May 1 , 2020 . Members participating in the meeting were Drs . Appathurai Balamurugan , Seth Barnes , Bradley Bibb , Dale Blasier , Samuel Bledsoe , Willard Burks , Josh Chance , Kay Chandler , George Conner , William Dedman , James DeRossitt , Jennifer Doyal , Gina Drobena , Matt Haustein , Michael Hickman , James Hunt , Jim Ingram , Anthony Johnson , Joseph Miller , Amanda Novack , Darrell Over , Mark Ramiro , Carolyn Reeves , Chad Rodgers , Jeremy Saul , Shane Smith , Garry Stewart , Shannon Swift , Toby Vancil , Randy Walker , Gary Wheeler , Danny Wilkerson , Mark Wren , Dennis Yelvington , Stacy Zimmerman , and Joshua Hagood , Medical Student Representative . AMS Past Presidents participating were Drs . Lee Archer , Omar Atiq , Amy Cahill , Scott Cooper , Scott Ferguson , David Jacks , Gene Shelby , Gerald Stolz , Steven Strode , and Alan Wilson . AMS staff participating were David Wroten , Kay Waldo , Scott Smith , Alanna Scheffer , Laura Haywood , Penny Henderson , Tereasa Holmes , and Charles Hicks , AMS Legal Counsel . Dr . Greg Bledsoe , Arkansas Surgeon General , also participated in the zoom meeting .
Chairman Dr . Danny Wilkerson called the meeting to order and the following business was received and transacted :
1 . New officers and members of the Board of Trustees were introduced .
2 . Dr . Greg Bledsoe , Arkansas Surgeon General , gave an update on COVID-19 in the state and how Arkansas has been impacted .
3 . The board approved the minutes of the February 5 , 2020 meeting .
4 . David Wroten discussed the Arkansas Medical Society ’ s efforts to provide PPE to medical clinics across the state . He also reported on a recent conference call with Dr . James Bledsoe on the state ’ s plans to resume elective surgeries .
5 . The board approved a list of members requesting life , emeritus , and affiliate dues exemptions .
6 . A letter from Dr . Garry Stewart listing items for the board to consider was discussed . The board referred the items to the Executive Committee for their review .
The following reports were accepted for information :
• AMS Benefits , Inc . – Stephen Magie , MD , Chairman
• Arkansas Medical Foundation – Bradley Diner , MD , Medical Director
• Arkansas Medical Society Board of Trustees – Danny Wilkerson , MD , Chairman
• Arkansas Medical Society 2020 Budget – Bradley Bibb , MD , Chairman
• Arkansas State Medical Board – Sylvia Simon , MD , Chairman
• Medical Education Foundation for Arkansas ( MEFFA ) – Alan K . Wilson , MD , President
• Arkansas Department of Health – Nathaniel Smith , MD , MPH Director and State Health Officer
1 . The vacancy on the Finance and Audit Committee was announced . Dr . Robert Zimmerman ’ s term expired December 31 , 2019 . If anyone is interested in serving on this committee , they should contact David Wroten at the AMS office .
258 • The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society www . ArkMed . org