AMA President-Elect William Plested To Discuss Health Care At Springfield College
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Jan. 17, 2006 -- As the United States confronts a growing shortage of physicians, Dr. William Plested, president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA), will speak to Springfield College students who are preparing for various careers in health and medicine on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006, at 10 a.m. in Fuller Arts Center on the campus. The program will be open to the public.Plested, who welcomes public discussion of current issues in medicine, will speak about changing and growing workforce needs in health care with students in the college’s School of Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Studies. More than 530 Springfield College students major in physician assistant studies, physical or occupational therapy, rehabilitation and disability studies, emergency medical services management, and pre-medicine.
Plested also will discuss public access to health care and health care coverage. Throughout his 37-year medical career, he has advocated for physicians’ autonomy to make medical judgments based on clinical evidence, in partnership with patients, and without undue interference from government or insurers.
According to William Susman, dean of the Springfield College School of Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Studies, “Dr. Plested’s insights are especially valuable to our students at this time when health care is increasingly interdisciplinary, with teams of providers delivering a continuum of care from the moment that a patient faces an acute medical crisis, through clinical care, and into rehabilitation. All levels of health care providers play important roles in increasing the quality, accessibility and affordability of this care. This program promises to be an engaging public discussion with a national figure in the debate on the current state of health care in this country.”
Plested, a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon in California since 1970, began his involvement in organized medicine during the medical liability crisis in the early 1970s. He worked with other physicians in support of the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA), which helped stabilize the liability environment in the state. Today, the MICRA is the basis of the AMA’s proposed federal liability reforms.
Plested has held leadership positions throughout his medical career including all major offices in the Los Angeles County and California medical associations. He is a member of the boards of the Santa Monica-UCLA Hospital Unihealth Foundation, Audio-Digest Foundation and Medem. He also is a member of several medical associations.
Last year, Springfield College established its School of Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Sciences to structure and expand its longstanding undergraduate and graduate programs in the health sciences. The college also won state approval for its doctor of physical therapy program. Since 2002, Springfield College has formed agreements with several medical schools which guarantee acceptance of its qualified graduates.
Springfield College students of health sciences serve internships or perform volunteer work that is related to their studies at Baystate and Mercy Medical centers, Providence and Shriner’s hospitals, state agencies, schools, health centers and clinics, insurance companies, and other venues. The college plans to expand internships and learning through service.
Recent Headlines
- Springfield College Dance Concert, William Simpson Fine Arts Series
- Springfield College, MCDI to Serve Community Thanksgiving Dinner
- Springfield College Featured in New Museum of Springfield History
- Springfield College Receives Super 60 Award as Major Contributor to Regional Economy
- Springfield College Event to Address Baha’i Persecution in Iran