An update from Amy Axberg, MD, chief of staff, including elections, surveys, National Physician Suicide Day and the next general medical staff meeting:

Thank you to those who attended the General Medical Staff meeting on Thursday, Sept. 14. Here is a recap of the various topics we discussed:

Physician collegiality event

We are so excited to bring this event back to the HonorHealth Medical Staff. Come out to the ballfield, bring the family, and enjoy good company, food and baseball!

• Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Houston Astros
• 5:10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30 at Chase Field
• $20 per ticket, limit four
• Ticket includes all you can eat free food: Hot dogs, chips, peanuts, popcorn and drinks

Get your tickets today! Tickets are available in the Deer Valley, John C. Lincoln and Scottsdale Shea, Osborn and Thompson Peak Medical Staff Services offices. Please make checks payable to: HonorHealth Medical Staff. Note: We cannot accept cash or credit cards.

Elections

Amy Axberg, MD, Sam Durrani, MD, and Roozbeh Rassadi, MD, will move to past chiefs in January 2024. Sungchun Lee, MD, Zeena Merchant, DO, and Jonathan Maitem, DO, will become the new chiefs of staff. Please congratulate them when you see them!

Elections for upcoming vice chiefs of staff at Sonoran Crossing, Deer Valley and John C. Lincoln medical centers will occur in November.

• Sonoran Crossing Medical Center: Navneet (Neetu) Jalal, MD, is running unopposed. She is a respected leader and hospitalist; she been working at Sonoran Crossing since just after opening and has helped shape the future of the facility.
• Deer Valley Medical Center: Joe Sucher, MD, Neeraj Singh, MD, and Sachin Desai, MD, are running. They each gave heartfelt speeches; this will be a difficult decision, and each candidate is perfect for the position.
• John C. Lincoln Medical Center: John Hortaeras, DO, is running unopposed. He is a hospitalist and respected leader; he has served in many different leadership roles and is excited to serve as your next medical staff leader!

National Physician Suicide Day

National Physician Suicide Day was Sunday, Sept. 17. Suicide prevention was highlighted given the significant stress, moral injury and ever-increasing workload for physician. Connectivity was highlighted as HonorHealth is our community and work family. If you notice behavioral changes in your colleagues, please speak up. Please check in on each other to ensure we are well and have the resources needed to reduce burnout, depression and/or suicidality.

Resources to support you:

• HonorHealth physician/provider peer support programs
• Recommended read: “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity” by Peter Attia, MD

Next month our annual Medical Staff survey will be open from Monday, Oct. 2 to Monday, Oct. 23. Information about how to participate will be shared directly with you, as well as in this newsletter. This survey is different from the recent AMA survey and guides our efforts to continually improve the services we provide, including being a preferred place to work and a top performer on delivering safe, effective care to those we serve. We take this information very seriously and use the results to focus our improvement efforts.

Save the date: The next General Medical Staff meeting

Looking forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023 at the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess Resort. Stay tuned for more details!