By Aileen E. Wetzel
Our close partnership with the California Medical Association is one of the reasons SSVMS is successful supporting our members and enhancing the practice of medicine in our region. That was particularly true in 2024, when we worked together to pass a historic ballot measure securing Medi-Cal funding and protecting physicians from huge tax increases planned by the City of Sacramento.
Elsewhere in this issue you’ll see the list of wins for CMA — and for you — over the past year. It was a year in which Gov. Newsom signed all of CMA’s priority bills and, overall, 115 CMA-supported bills were enacted into law while dozens of others were either successfully opposed or amended to remove elements problematic to physicians.
SSVMS — the largest medical society in the state with over 7,000 members including medical students and residents — plays an important role in determining CMA policy. Our members are very active in the District XI delegation to CMA’s House of Delegates, including having our own Sean Deane, MD as chair of the delegation. Our 2025 president, Adam Dougherty, MD, not only sat on the Proposition 35 campaign steering committee, he was featured in the statewide TV campaign that helped the initiative win by a two-to-one margin. Dr. Dougherty, along with our Past President Vanessa Walker, DO and Robert Oldham, MD, are members of the CMA Board of Trustees, CMA’s governing body.
Our work with CMA to ensure physicians in California are not overburdened by state laws or subject to regulations that intrude on your ability to treat patients is just part of the SSVMS story. While CMA leads state and federal advocacy efforts, SSVMS leads local efforts. We work tirelessly with local health officials to implement programs that bring care to those who need it most in our community, such as through our SPIRIT program, promote public health including through efforts to address the opioid crisis in Sacramento County, and are taking the initiative to create the next generation of physicians through our new mentoring program that you can also read about in this issue. Each year we also visit Washington, D.C. with local officials on the Cap-to-Cap trip where we talk directly with congressional staff, elected officials and members of the administration about issues vital to your practices such as Medicare reimbursements and pre-authorization regulations.
There will be plenty to do in the coming year as we face an incoming administration that has shown a willingness to ignore science and potentially put public health at risk. We know 2025 will present numerous challenges, but we are committed — along with CMA — to supporting your ability to make a living practicing medicine and to fulfill your calling to treat your patients so that they may lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.
None of what we do would be possible without your support as volunteers for our leadership and committee positions, your generous donations to fund our community programs, and the time and inspiration you provide to our Future of Medicine students and others who are considering a career in medicine. Because of all you do, we are able to be instrumental in making CMA a stronger, more influential organization that speaks with a unified voice on behalf of the California’s physicians.
