Letter from the Newsletter Editor and Secretary

I think it is fair to say that we are all living in a different world than we were a year ago.  The COVID-19 pandemic has no doubt impacted all of us, both professionally and personally.  It has also impacted those of us in the Freestanding emergency centers and created even more challenges to our fledgling niche.  I believe it will make us stronger in the end as we have to navigate even more challenges, but I also believe that we offer a valuable resource and provide additional access points for the patients in our community.  My call to action for all 138 members of our section is to get involved, encourage your friends and colleagues who work in FSEDs and HOPDs to become members, and become active within the section.  There is much legislative work to be done to continue the growth of our industry.  We must maintain more than 100 members to continue as a section. Clearly, we are doing this, but I would like to continue growing and keep the momentum moving forward.  Thank you all for what you have already achieved and what we will achieve as an organization.

Current leadership for our section below:

Chair
John R. Dayton, MD, FACEP

Chair –elect
Angela Straface, MD, FACEP 

Councilor
Edward Shahen, MD

Alternate Councilor
Lonnie Schwirtlich, MD   

2nd Alternate Councilor
Open at this time  

Secretary/Newsletter Editor
Jay Woody, MD, FACEP 

Member at Large
John Ansohn, DO, FACEP 

Board Liaison
Gillian Schmitz, MD, FACEP

I am grateful to Dr. Dayton and David McKenzie for pulling together all the information about ACEP and the upcoming FSER section elections. 

All the best, Jay

Jay Woody, MD, FACEP
Newsletter Editor and Secretary,
Freestanding Emergency Center Section