admin| Date: February 21, 2013 | Media Contact: | Chuck Moran |
| Pennsylvania Medical Society | ||
| For Immediate Release | (717) 558-7820 |
(Harrisburg, PA) Physician members of the Pennsylvania Medical Society will answer questions and discuss medical concerns with local residents, anonymously and free of charge, on Tuesday, February 26, as part of the state society’s public service program “Docs on Call.” The program will air live on WGAL from 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., but, for the first time, the phone lines will remain open until 7:30 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.
“Partnering with WGAL for ‘Docs on Call’ allows us to help a wide variety of people, many of whom have important health care questions and concerns that they might not otherwise address to their private physicians,” says C. Richard Schott, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society.
“Last year, our physicians spoke with more than 300 viewers. This year, we’ve expanded the time frame for another hour so we can provide much-needed advice to even more people.”
This is the 11th year the Pennsylvania Medical Society has partnered with WGAL-TV to broadcast “Docs on Call.” WGAL president and general manager John Humphries sees tremendous value in the public service program. “Our viewers have always responded well to ‘Doctors on Call.’ By keeping the phone lines open from 5:00 p.m. all the way through 7:30 p.m., we hope to reach more people than ever before with this important community service.”
Local physicians volunteering for “Docs on Call” include:
Lancaster City & County Medical Society: Paul D. Allegretti, DO, Gastroenterology; Paul S. Brown, Jr., MD, FACS, Thoracic Surgery; Jeffrey H. Chaby, DO, Ophthalmology; William D. L. Hunt, MD, Family Medicine; Joseph J. Irwin, MD, Family Medicine; William T. Monacci, MD, FACS, Neurosurgery; Musaddiq N. Nazeeri, MD, Family Medicine; Stephen F. Nichols, MD, Anesthesia; Michael R. Pavlica, MD, Ophthalmology; Laleh S. Radfar-Baublitz, DO, Physical Medicine & Rehab; Karen A. Rizzo, MD, FACS, Otolaryngology; David J. Simons, DO, Anesthesia; Tuyet-Nga Q. Vu, DO, Family Medicine; Thomas R. Westphal, MD, FACS, Orthopedic Surgery; Bryan L. Yingling, MD, Obstetrics/Gynecology
Dauphin County Medical Society: Denise F. Harr, MD, Family Medicine; Emad G. Iskandar, DO, Internal Medicine; Viswanathan S. Iyer, MD, Nephrology; Pooja Jhaveri, MD, Allergy & Immunology; Punit N. Jhaveri, MD, Pediatric Gastroenterology; Dan Nguyen, MD, Neuroradiology; Andrew J. Richards, MD, FACS, Colon & Rectal Surgery; Thomas J. Weida, MD, Family Medicine, James A. Yates, MD, FACS, Plastic Surgery
York County Medical Society: Thomas L. Bauer, MD, FACS, Surgical Oncology; Catherine H. Bene, MD, Ophthalmology; David J. Bene, MD, Ophthalmology; Natalie I. Bene, MD, Dermatology; Cathy P. Carpenter, MD, Family Medicine; Joseph V. De Santi, MD, Family Medicine; Conrad H. Knudson, MD, Family Medicine; David D. Vega, MD, FACEP, Emergency Medicine
Cumberland County Medical Society: Katarzyna M. Ferraro, MD, Emergency Medicine; Anthony J. Guarracino, DO, FACEP, Emergency Medicine; Mark N. Perlmutter, MD, Orthopedic Surgery
Lebanon County Medical Society: Jilian G. White, MD, Obstetrics/Gynecology; Beth P. Williams, MD, Obstetrics/Gynecology
Adams County Medical Society: Rita B. Harrison, MD, Family Medicine
The patient-doctor relationship has been the priority of the Pennsylvania Medical Society since its founding in 1848. Today, the physician members continue to focus on better health for all Pennsylvanians. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Medical Society, visit the website at www.pamedsoc.org.
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