President's Message - Summer 2022
Dr. Bruce Colley 

     So, time goes by. I end my three-year term as President of the Chester County Medical Society in September, and this is my final President’s Message.  I thank the members of the Society for allowing me to serve as President and I acknowledge all the members and the Board for their full and complete support that allowed our Society to address significant issues. Without the cooperative efforts of the members, Board, our Past President Mian Jan, and our Executive Director David McKeighan we would have less to point to. Thank you, my friends, you are the best. 

     The past three years were certainly unique. The challenges and destabilizing forces created by the COVID epidemic, and the closure of Brandywine Hospital approached overwhelming. The Medical Society responded by holding monthly Zoom conferences addressing all aspects of COVID. Expert and community-based physicians from the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region tuned in and shared observations and ideas relating to the diagnosis and management of Covid as well as practical strategies to help physicians continue caring for the wider community in a “lock-down” epoch. 

     The professional, social, and personal stressors as we all know were considerable. To address these pressures and added responsibilities our monthly informal Medical Society meetings evolved to what we now call SCRUMS, (a rugby term that is quite descriptive of these events) where physicians can meet to discuss any and all issues relating to medical practice and as importantly lend support to each other. This mutual support, all physicians agree, is a powerful antidote for physician burn-out. The SCRUMS are held the last Thursday of each month. (time and location on website). 

     The Medical Society Board is also proud that our dues remain the same and our membership, despite the significant financial burdens placed on many physicians during the epidemic, has remained stable. Once again, a heartfelt thanks to all our member for hanging in there. We need every physician’s membership as there are always new challenges that will adversely affect our patient’s ability to access and receive good medical care. 

     The two most pressing current challenges are the loss of Brandywine Hospital and the need to re-establish a medical center in central Chester County. The other is the possibility of a Venue Rule change.  A seemingly obscure bit of legal trivia, which would allow court cases to be held in counties other than where the physician practices if changed, would make the practice of medicine impossible for many physicians. Please contact your state legislators and let them know you support the amendment to our state’s constitution (HB 2660) that would prevent this from happening. 

     Chester County continues to be the healthiest county in Pennsylvania. This propitious achievement has been and will be realized only by continuing the cooperation among the citizens of Chester County, medical professionals, businesses, and legislators that exists here.

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Fond Regards, 

 Bruce