President’s Annual Meeting Report to House of Delegates focuses on events of April 15
Contact: Richard Gulla
781-434-7101
rgulla@mms.org
Waltham, Mass. – May 9, 2013 – Gathering less than four weeks after a tragedy that he said “shook our community to its foundation,” Massachusetts Medical Society President Richard Aghababian, M.D., took the opportunity of his President’s Report to the House of Delegates in the opening session of the Society’s 2013 Annual Meeting to praise the preparedness and response of the medical community in reacting to the bombings at the Boston Marathon on April 15.
View video of his remarks.
“Our communities, our traditions, and our daily routines were violated by assailants acting in a despicable and uncivilized manner,” Dr. Aghababian told the delegates, but “as a society of medical professionals we are very proud of how physicians, nurses, emergency personnel and volunteers care for the injured in the minutes, hours and days that followed the bombings. Their work saved many lives; perhaps more than we will ever know.”
Dr. Aghababian confined his entire report to the events of April 15 and the impact they had on the city and state, fellow citizens, and medical professionals in particular.
The work of the first responders and emergency medical personnel that saved lives “was the product of longstanding, sustained public and private investment in disaster preparedness, meticulous planning, and disciplined execution in the face of great adversity.”
Dr. Aghababian cited the Commonwealth’s “strong emergency response framework,” with disaster planners applying the “lessons learned from natural and man-made disasters that have occurred around the world.”
While emergency response personnel cared for the physical injuries wrought by the bombings, Dr. Aghababian was also mindful of the invisible injuries from the attacks. “Invariably there is a psychological toll to disasters like these, experienced by victims, their families, physicians, nurses, and volunteers,” he said.
He noted that the Medical Society hosted support sessions for Boston Athletic Association volunteers a week after the bombings, and that the Mass Support Network, part of MA Responds, continues to provide counseling services for those affected by the event. The Medical Society’s Physician Health Services, also, responded with assistance for providers and remains available to any affected physician, now and into the future.
“There are opportunities for the Medical Society to provide a leadership role in extracting what we can learn from this event and help to translate the lessons into future response,” Dr. Aghababian told the delegates. “We are currently working to develop programs that would bring together representatives of all sectors of our community. These are things we can do and should do.”
Dr. Aghababian closed his remarks reflecting on the far-reaching impact of the bombings. “From all accounts,” he said, “the people of Massachusetts inspired people across the nation. Before April 15, we all knew that we lived in a special place. Now, the whole world knows it.”
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