2008 CIR National Convention: A Call to Action

The largest number of CIR delegates ever assembled for a national convention arrived at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. from May 16 to May 18, 2008. The delegates, some of whom had traveled to the convention immediately after being on-call, reflected the breadth of diversity among CIR members in terms of geography, ethnicity and medical specialty.

Over the three days, the House of Delegates pushed through a jam-packed agenda. Smaller-session workshops on delegate responsibilities, negotiations, and safety in the operating room allowed for lively discussion and a sharing of ideas by residents in similar situations across the country. A presentation by Drs. John Ingle and Elizabeth Burpee from CIR’s newest chapter at the University of New Mexico shared the experience of their organizing campaign and highly-successful first year. It provided a fascinating case-study that prompted delegates from other regions to begin thinking of ways to utilize the lessons of New Mexico at their own hospitals. The entertaining regional reports allowed members to share in their common triumphs and challenges from the previous year.

The New Mexico delegates at the CIR National Convention

Throughout the convention, a theme resonated from speaker to speaker: the relationship between engagement in politics and all aspects of CIR’s mission. CIR President L. Toni Lewis, M.D. challenged her colleagues to measure their progress by the yardsticks of collective bargaining, organizing and patient advocacy through political action. Keynote speaker Dr. Fred Ralston, Jr. of the American College of Physicians gave a comprehensive presentation on the major weakness of the current health care system in the U.S. In the Q&A session, he stressed the necessity of political engagement on the part of physicians in order to achieve a high-performing health care system. Delegates were also treated to rousing speeches from SEIU President Andy Stern, who installed the new national officers, and SEIU Healthcare Chair Dennis Rivera, who thanked CIR for the essential role doctors played in forming the SEIU Healthcare coalition, and elaborated on how the combined voice and political engagement of health care workers would continue to make change possible.

SEIU Healthcare Chair Dennis Rivera addresses the delegates while CIR President L. Toni Lewis, MD looks on.

The House of Delegates also achieved some major accomplishments, including approving the annual budget and two amendments to the governing Constitution and By-Laws of CIR. A contested election for CIR President led to an exciting campaign presentation and Q&A session between the candidates and delegates over lunch. The energy and enthusiasm of Sunday’s election continued with the installation of a new CIR Executive Board for 2008-2009.