Date: September 17, 2012 | Media Contact: | Chuck Moran |
Pennsylvania Medical Society | ||
For Immediate Release | (717) 558-7820 |
(Philadelphia, PA) – Physician members of the Pennsylvania Medical Society will answer questions and discuss medical concerns with local residents, anonymously and free of charge, on Wednesday, September 19, as part of the state society’s public service program “Docs on Call.” The program will air live on CBS-3 from 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
Since its inception, “Docs on Call” has provided a way for hundreds of Pennsylvania physicians to help make a difference in the communities where they live and practice. Member physicians donate their time in order to answer health-related questions and offer information on free and low-cost health clinics to those without medical insurance or without access to personal physicians. These phone sessions are not meant to replace office visits. Physicians answering the phones will happily provide guidance to callers, but will not diagnose conditions or prescribe specific treatments.
“Docs on Call” gives us a direct line of communication with people, many of whom may not have any other access to a physician,” says Marilyn Heine, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society.
“Last September, 400 people, ages 19 to 87, called CBS-3 and were able to get much-needed advice from our physicians. That’s very rewarding.”
Local physicians volunteering for “Docs on Call” include:
Bucks County Medical Society: Ashish Sitapara, MD, Internal Medicine, Geriatrics; Benjamin Sussman, DO, Family Medicine
Delaware County Society: George Avetian, DO, Family Medicine
Montgomery County Society: Victoria Cirillo-Hyland, MD, Dermatology; Janine Darby, MD, Family Medicine; Kimberly Jones, MD, Psychiatry; Stuart Lessin, MD, Dermatology; Mark Pyfer, MD, Ophtalmology; Scott Shapiro, MD, Cardiology
Philadelphia County Medical Society: Judith Adams, MD, Internal Medicine; Glenn Cooper, MD, Cardiology; Michael DellaVecchia, MD, Ophthalmology; Michelle Eisenhower, MD, Family Medicine; Sana Ghafoor, MD, Neurology; Preeti Khetarpal, MD, Hematology/Oncology; Harvey Lefton, MD, Gastroenterology; Kurt Miceli, MD, Psychiatry; Curtis Miyamoto, MD, Radiology/Oncology; Louis Petrone, MD, Family Medicine; Suzanne Steele, MD, Family Medicine; Deepak Sudheendra, MD, Vascular and Interventional Radiology
The patient-doctor relationship has been the priority of the Pennsylvania Medical Society since its founding in 1848. While there are always issues being debated about health systems and reform, the physician members of the Medical Society continue to focus on better health for all Pennsylvanians. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Medical Society, visit its website at www.pamedsoc.org or its patient website at www.myfamilywellness.org.
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