The first Doctors Day was observed on March 30, 1933 in Winder, Georgia.  The wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond (Eudora Brown Almond) decided to set aside a day to honor doctors.  This included mailing greeting cards and placing flowers on graves of deceased doctors. National Doctors Day began in 1933 as a local commemoration in Barrow County, Georgia, to celebrate the date on which Dr. Crawford W. Long managed the primary ether sedative for surgery on March 30, 1842. The date for National Doctors Day is the anniversary of the first use of general anesthetic in surgery, as on March 30, 1842 Dr. Long used ether to remove a tumor from a patient’s neck. The red carnation is commonly used as the symbolic flower for National Doctors Day, for the reason that it signifies the qualities of sacrifice, charity, courage, bravery and love.

On March 30, 1958, a Resolution Commemorating Doctors Day was adopted by the United States House of Representatives.  In 1990, legislation was introduced in the House and Senate to establish a national Doctors Day.  Following overwhelming approval by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, on October 30, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed S.J. RES # 366 (which became Public Law 101-473) designating March 30 as “National Doctors Day.”

Dear Doctor:

In February 2022, Doctors Council held a Free Benefit Plan/ Welfare Fund presentation on Doctors Council benefits for our members and families for eligible members of Doctors Council.  

It was great to see so many doctors on the video call.  Many of you have shared positive feedback which is appreciated.  We are glad that you found the presentation useful and informative.

For eligible members covered by our Doctors Council Benefit Plan, please click here for a Summary Booklet and please click here for the full Summary Plan Description (SPD).

For eligible members covered by our Doctors Council Welfare Fund, please click here for a Summary Booklet and please click here for the full Summary Plan Description (SPD).

Below is the video recording of the Benefit Plan presentation.

Below is the video recording of the Welfare Fund presentation.

These benefits are all part of Doctors Council providing many services to our members, including in bargaining, job protection, grievances and arbitrations to protect our contract rights, compensation, giving a strong voice at work, and empowering doctors to advocate in community and policy issues.

We also provide programming events of interest to our members, such as these informative presentations.  

If you have any questions on our Doctors Council Benefit Plan/ Welfare Fund please email info@doctorscouncil.org

Please keep safe and well.

In Unity,

Frank Proscia, M.D.                 Kevin Collins
President                                   Executive Director

Dear Doctor:

In January 2022, Doctors Council held a Free Tax Prep Forum For Doctors for members of Doctors Council.  It was great to see so many doctors on the video call.  We have heard from many of you that the forum was excellent and informative and we appreciate the feedback.

As was requested by many of you, please click here for a pdf of the PowerPoint that was presented.

Also, below is the video recording of the presentation.

Many have asked about utilizing the Tax Preparation and Financial Planning Benefit for themselves or their  family.  Please click here for a flyer on the benefit and if you want to use it simply email info@doctorscouncil.org.

Doctors Council as a doctors’ union provides many services to our members, including in bargaining, job protection, grievances and arbitrations to protect our contract rights, compensation, giving a strong voice at work, and empowering doctors to advocate in community and policy issues.

We also provide programming events of interest to our members, such as this timely forum as we enter into tax season so you can best plan for yourself and your family.  We want to remind you of this important benefit through Doctors Council.

Please keep safe and well.

In Unity,

Frank Proscia, M.D.                 Kevin Collins
President                                   Executive Director

Doctors Council SEIU has announced our endorsements for the NYC June 2021 Primaries to lead in healthcare and move us forward through COVID-19. 

We believe in quality care for all, addressing the issues that impact our patients and communities, and standing up for working families and union members, especially dealing with COVID-19.

Our members know the importance of doctors’ having a voice in politics, policy and legislation, especially with elected leaders.  Endorsements are part of this vital work for our members, those we care for and the communities we serve.

This year, we collectively feel that our endorsements are especially important – we have seen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year and how this has impacted the patients we care for and the communities we serve.  As doctors who work on the frontlines treating all patients every day, it is important to us as doctors that our patients receive quality health care when they are in front of us. It is also important that the inequities and social determinants of care that impact so many communities are addressed.

Read here for our full list of endorsements and announcement.

Dear Doctor:

Thanks for being part of our COPE (Committee on Political Education).  We had a good Doctors Council COPE Advocacy Meeting and Training that we held the end of April.  It was great to see so many doctors on the video call.

Many of you have shared positive feedback which is appreciated.  We are glad that you found the presentation useful and informative.

As was requested by many of you, please see below the video recording of the presentation.

In addition, here is the PowerPoint that we used and that you can also see by clicking here.

Please remember, as you know, the importance of doctors’ having a voice in politics, policy and legislation, especially with elected leaders.  We work in coalition with other unions and community organizations.  We have been especially active the past months advocating for doctors and those we take care of.

If you would like to be active in our COPE, please email us at info@doctorscouncil.org.   We encourage doctors to be involved on legislative and policy issues, political action and community engagement.

We look forward to hearing from you and hope you join us in this vital work for our members, those we care for and the communities we serve.

Please keep safe and well.

In Unity,

Frank Proscia, M.D.                 Kevin Collins
President                                   Executive Director

Know Your Pension

Dear Doctor:

We had a very large and engaged group of members attend our Know Your Pension presentation by NYCERS earlier this month in May.  There was great participation in the excellent presentation.

It is important to know that when the City eliminated pension benefits for any employee who is not full-time, including part-time employees and hourlies, Doctors Council went to court to challenge and fight against this.  We won in New York State’s highest court and our victory was extended to all part-time and hourly employees through legislation.  To this day, these employees and doctors have a pension only because of Doctors Council.

It was great to see so many doctors on the video call.  Many of you have shared positive feedback which is appreciated.  We are glad that you found the presentation useful and informative.

As was requested by many of you, please click here for the PowerPoint that was used.

As we discussed in the presentation, if you need assistance contacting NYCERS with a question or issue, please email kcollins@doctorscouncil.org with you name, cell #, email address and a brief description of your question or issue.  We will contact NYCERS to assist you.

We will continue our advocacy to protect your pension, as you and your family have earned and deserve the pension benefits.  Doctors Council provides many services to our members, including in bargaining, job protection, grievances and arbitrations to protect our contract rights, compensation, giving a strong voice at work, and empowering doctors to advocate in community and policy issues.

Please keep safe and well.

In Unity,

Frank Proscia, M.D.                 Kevin Collins
President                                   Executive Director

Doctors Council views yesterday’s guilty verdict in the Chauvin trial as a beginning measure of racial justice.  We mourn with and support the family of George Floyd.  But we need to do more.  Black lives matter.  Senseless killings and violence against persons of color and other communities must end.

We know that race matters.  Racial injustice takes many forms, including in healthcare, and who has access to what services and funding.  Racism is a public health crisis and one of the key social determinants of health.  Inequitable access and treatment to patient care services exists from childbirth throughout life.  In the COVID-19 pandemic, communities of color experienced disproportionate rates of illness, hospitalization and death.

We must address systemic racism and advocate against inequity and injustice. We must all call out any racial injustice and hold accountable those who perpetuate it in all its forms and work everyday to make this world, where we work and where we live a better, safer and more just place for all.  How any one of us is treated impacts us all.  Until Black communities and other communities of color are safe and can thrive, we will not have justice for all.

We must have communities where people can feel safe to live, can thrive and be treated equally in all aspects, including healthcare.  We should all be able to live safely, and with dignity and respect.

Frank Proscia, M.D., President of Doctors Council