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Harris County Physician Newsletter %u2022 February 2025 %u2022 www.hcms.org 3 JoinTeamKelseyKelsey-Seybold Clinic has opportunities to make practice transformation, employment, and retirement easy.Learn more atkelseymdsolutions.com.964244419Be a part of the storied history of medicine in Texas politicsOn Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, the Texas Capitol was awash in a sea of white coats. It was TMA%u2019s first %u201cFirst Tuesday at the Capitol%u201d of the 89th Legislative session, and physicians were eager to present to lawmakers their priority issues for the session. First Tuesday sessions are an extremely effective way for HCMS members to advocate for the most important issues and influence the outcome of legislation that will affect the medical profession and Harris County patients. To participate, you can register at www.texmed.org/FirstTuesdays/. Physicians have a long history of influencing Texas politics, going all the way back to the beginning of the Republic of Texas and a doctor named Anson Jones, MD. Dr. Jones migrated to Texas in 1833, and by 1835, he had a thriving practice in Brazoria. When war with Mexico came, he enlisted and was a battlefield surgeon at the Battle of San Jacinto. For the next nine years, Dr. Jones served as a member of the Texas Congress, where he wrote legislation to regulate the practice of medicine in Texas, and served in several foreign policy positions for the fledgling Republic. In 1844, Dr. Jones was elected president of Texas and served until Texas was annexed into the United States, thus eliminating his job. However, Dr. Jones was not done serving the citizens of Texas. In 1853, he helped found the Medical Association of Texas, later to be named the Texas Medical Association. One hundred and seventy-two years later, the TMA is still the vehicle to promote good public policy for medicine in Texas. This session, the Legislature will debate questions like whether nurses should be allowed to practice independently from physician supervision, whether the Texas Legislature, and not health professionals, should determine which vaccines Texas schoolchildren need before attending public schools, and whether health plans should be allowed to reject legislation that imposes mandates on them. The need for leaders like Dr. Anson Jones is more critical than ever. If you haven%u2019t attended a %u201cFirst Tuesday at the Capitol,%u201d now is the time to join the legacy of Dr. Anson Jones. If you have participated before, we need you to take up the calling once more and come to Austin to advocate for medicine. If you%u2019re not there for your profession and your patients, who will be? Presented by HCMS Board of Medical LegislationDr. Anson Jones