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ISMA honors retiring physician-lawmakers Bucshon, Fleming at annual convention

(PLAINFIELD, Ind.) – The Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) honored the work of two physicians-turned-legislators at its annual convention on Sept. 8 for their outstanding efforts on behalf of Hoosiers’ health.

Former State Rep. Rita Fleming, MD (D-Jeffersonville) received the ISMA Legislator of the Year award. Fleming resigned from the House in May, two months after capping her three terms in the General Assembly with her authorship of House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1426, which directs hospitals to offer long-acting subdermal contraception to Medicaid-eligible patients after delivery. Throughout her six years in the House, Dr. Fleming helped shape Indiana health policy as a member of the Public Health Committee, with particular interest in bills to support healthy pregnancies.

The ISMA also recognized U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon, MD (R-8th), who announced his retirement in January after seven terms in Congress. Dr. Bucshon was first elected to serve the Eighth District in 2010, making him just the eighth physician to represent Indiana in Congress, and the first since New Palestine surgeon William Larrabee completed his sixth term in 1943. An experienced cardiothoracic surgeon at Ohio Valley Heartcare and St. Mary’s Hospital (now Ascension St. Vincent) in Evansville, Dr. Bucshon worked throughout his congressional tenure to keep patients at the center of health care reform, while supporting efforts to fix problems in the Medicare reimbursement structure.

The Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) is a federation of county and district medical societies across Indiana. With more than 9,500 physician and medical student members, the ISMA seeks to maximize the leadership and impact of physicians, make Indiana one of the best states in which to practice medicine, and make Hoosiers among the healthiest people in the country. Learn more about the ISMA’s mission and history at www.ismanet.org.

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Media contact: Eric Berman