Vital Times 2022 - 8

At the ASA BOD meeting in August with (left to right): Dr. George Williams (President of the TSA), Dr. Tony Hernandez Conte (President-Elect of
the CSA), Dr. Crystal Wright (Immediate Past President of the TSA and Assistant Treasurer of ASA)
an amazing week of learning and family time and
reinforced the value of CSA and its educational events
in fostering community. I also participated in a face-toface
meeting of the Hawaii Safer Care initiative, part of
the Improving Surgical Care and Recovery collaborative
supported by the Agency for Healthcare Quality and
Research. Led by anesthesiologist and patient safety
leader Dr. Della Lin, this project has involved three
statewide health systems within Hawaii, leading to
major improvements in perioperative care despite many
challenges, and may serve as a model to inspire our
statewide efforts within CSA.
I was part of the CSA delegation at the August
ASA Board of Directors meeting in Chicago. Three
resolutions in the Board packet were authored by
CSA members and were catalysts for productive
conversations amongst the members present. Differing
views were presented and issues were debated, but
there was clear support for protecting the practice of
medicine, preserving the physician-patient relationship,
and defending physicians in our specialty when they
provide medical care. As a result, the ASA Board
passed resolutions to develop a process for issuing
timely and relevant statements on current events and
to release an updated ASA comment on the Dobbs
decision, and these have since been approved by the
ASA HOD.
We held the September CSA Board of Directors meeting
in our state capital of Sacramento and hosted a
networking reception for residents, local delegates and
members along with our CSA leaders. Board members
discussed anticipated budgetary challenges presented
by Treasurer John Hsieh, MD, FASA, and Assistant
Treasurer Dr. Phillip Richardson. Like our individual
investments, our organizational investments have
suffered in the current economic downturn. In addition,
the costs associated with hosting continuing medical
education events have increased, as we are working to
ramp up in-person attendance to previously-popular
CSA conferences. However, the longer-term financial
future of CSA looks bright. Already, CSA Fall and Winter
Anesthesia Conference registration numbers have
exceeded last year and are approaching pre-pandemic
levels. In addition, Secretary Phil Levin, MD, FASA, and
8 | CSA Vital Times

Vital Times 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vital Times 2022