Leadership In Action

News

Have a proposal for FOGS or looking for a service?
Use this link to contact our office.
More...

Thank You!
FOGS and the Florida Section ACOG recognize their corporate supporters
More...

Liability Issues Report
Please use this form liberally to report the related practice problems you are facing
The Form

On Call Medical Coats
FOGS has teamed up with On Call Medical Coats to offer our members quality embroidered labcoats
Shop for Coats

FOGS Endorsed Malpractice Carrier offering a 5% discount to FOGS members
More Info

Lubell & Rosen
FOGS Endorsed
Pre-Paid Legal Defense
More Info

Your practice could receive a dividend of up to 24.8% of your workers compensation premium.
More Info

The President's Report

Read Other President's Reports
Summer 2008 Summer 2008 Summer 2007 Spring 2007 Winter 2006/2007 Autumn 2006 Summer 2006 Spring 2006 Winter 2005 Fall 2005 Summer 2005 Spring 2005 Winter 2005 Fall 2004 Summer 2004 Spring 2004 Fall 2003 Summer 2003 Spring 2003 Winter 2002 Summer 2002 Spring 2002 Winter 2001 Fall 2001

Leadership In Action => Winter 2006/2007

James W. Orr, MD, FACOG, FACS

You've probably been watching developments in Texas with interest, following Governor Perry's enacting legislation to provide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to eligible young females up to age 18 through the Texas Vaccines for Children program. In early February, the FOGS board of directors met in Tallahassee and discussed the possibility of introducing similar legislation for the State of Florida.

Because of the tremendous potential benefit it offers to women, the FOGS board has approved of efforts to make HPV vaccinations mandatory to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer and STIs. The prevention of disease is the highest form of medicine, and we now have an opportunity to protect Floridians against this widespread infection.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 6.2 million new cases of sexually transmitted HPV infections are reported every year. At least 20 million Americans are already infected.

Combined with the fact that half of HPV infections (for all ages) are asymptomatic and there's little wonder that HPV has become the most common STI. There are some 40 serotypes of sexually transmittable HPV, and several serotypes have been found to cause cervical cancer and several others to cause genital warts. Two of the most frequently isolated serotypes associated with aggressive cervical cancer are included in the vaccine (serotypes 16 and 18). The other two serotypes included in the vaccine (6 and 11) usually cause genital warts, with much lower incidence of cervical cancer.

The situation is especially urgent for Floridians, because, according to the December 2006 position statement of the State of Florida Cancer Control and Research Advisory Council (CCRAB), the incidence of cervical cancer is 26-percent greater than the US average, with a rate of 9 newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 women each year. CCRAB recommends that the Florida Department of Health "should develop and implement plans to ensure all females ages 9 through 18 have access to and receive FDA-approved HPV vaccines." We agree with this position.

Even though a foreseeable vaccination program would most likely be implemented by way of pediatricians, the overall relationship between HPV and women's health makes this a matter importance for Ob/Gyn physicians. Thus, during the FOGS board meeting in Tallahassee, a motion was approved that FOGS would support mandatory HPV vaccinations for females prior to their entering middle school, with a provision allowing parents the ability to opt-out of the requirement.

Included with this newsletter is a copy of our NICA report. In November 2005, FOGS President Guy Benrubi was asked by the membership to perform a review of Florida's birth-related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA) and the effectiveness of the program. In response, Dr. Benrubi formed a task force to assess the program and make recommendations for its future development. We think you'll find the Task Force's conclusions and recommendations to be highly informative.

These are just two examples of how FOGS works to improve the operating environment for Florida's Ob/ Gyn physicians and the health of Florida's women and families. Together, we can accomplish far more than any of can alone.