HJNO Jul/Aug 2023

60 JUL / AUG 2023 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS MEDICAL SOCIETY COLUMN MEDICAL SOCIETY THEMedical Association of Southeast Lou- isiana (MASELA) was created by Jefferson Parish Medical Society (JPMS) and Orleans ParishMedical Society (OPMS) out of the re- alization that medical challenges and public health issues do not stop at the parish line. Jefferson Parish Medical Society, formed in 1959, and Orleans ParishMedical Society, formed in 1878, both with rich histories of serving physicians and their communities, joined forces with a shared vision of creating an organization that would serve the needs of all physicians and patients throughout Southeast Louisiana. This new organization, MASELA, would become the umbrella organization and platform through which issues and chal- lenges facing the entire region could be Medical Association of Southeast Louisiana’s Focus on Public Health Challenges addressed. MASELAwas born in the height of COVID-19 in late 2020 out of a similar need to OPMS’ founding, which came from physicians’ needs for sharing treatment strategies for patients suffering from yel- low fever. Author John Wilds’ recounting of the formation of OPMS in 1878 in “Crises, Clashes and Cures” is a reminder that crisis begats the need for organized medicine — a coordinated effort to educate, advocate, and represent the medical profession and our patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, JPMS & OPMS were the first organizations in the region, if not the state, to initiate a series of frequent educational updates for physicians to help physicians understand the screening and treatment methodologies for patients suffering fromCOVID. When MASELAwas formed, despite the raging pandemic, the founders’goal was to bring together the best medical minds fromLSU and Tulane Schools of Medicine, LCMC, and Ochsner to share their experiences and best practices of car- ing for patients suffering from the deadly virus. During COVID, 19 educational forums were coordinated by MASELA, and more than 2,500 physicians participated in one or more of these critical updates. While the impact of COVID is still being felt throughout the area, lessons learned from these educational initiatives and im- proved screening protocols, along with many ongoing treatment trials, informed physicians’ ability to treat patients with COVID.