Committe of black doctors meeting around a long table .jpg

BYLAWS

Article1:

Thename of the society is the McCune Smith-Cordice Medical Society Inc

Mission and vision

To be a networking platformfor social interaction among minority physicianstoenhance personal, educational and professional growth. The Society aims toguide and support its members, as they address the unique challenges faced byminority physicians and patients.
To advocate for the underserved and underrepresented communities and educate the public regarding important healthcare issues affecting the African American community.
To mitigatehealth inequities that impact the minority communities and be a strong and unifiedpolitical voice to influence policy decisions that affect all aspects of healthservices in the underserved communities, including access and quality
To expand educational opportunities for underrepresented African Americans in the HealthCare Professions and increase minority representation in all aspects of healthcare, through the mentoring of minority, students, medical students, residents,and foreign graduates, looking to enter and navigate the system
To create position statements on issues that impact minority physicians and their patientsandbe subject matter experts for the press on issues dealing with minority health, decision makers and other advocacy groups with congruent agendas.

Article 4:
Membership

Members of the Society shall be Active, Resident and fellows,Students, Affiliate or retired.

Active Membership

Shall be licensed physicians (MD/DO) and dentists in good standing and licensed topractice medicine. They shall be of good moral character and reside or practice in the Tri-State area. Licensing may bewaived for residents in training, students, physicians involved in research,teaching, hospital/medical administration or government service. All activemembers will be introduced to the Society membership at their first meetings.Active members, residents and fellows, students, Post-Medical graduates and lifemembers in good standing shall have the right to vote,but only active and Lifemembers shall run for or hold office.

Residents and Fellows membership

Membership is limited to graduates of recognized medical or osteopathic schools who are in training in accredited postgraduate programs in the Tri-State area. Residents and fellows have a voice and may vote. They shall be subject to dues as established by the society.

Student Membership

Student members shall be those enrolled in recognized medical or osteopathic schools inthe Tri-State area who choose to participate in the activities of the society. Dues, if any, will be established by theSociety.Student members will have a voice and be eligible to vote. When astudent member ceases to be enrolled in a recognized school of medicine, theyshall resign as student members and enroll as an active member if they meetcriteria for such. If a student member is suspended from the rights andprivileges of their medical or osteopathic school , they shallautomatically be suspended for the sameperiod of suspension from the medical society.

Affiliate Membership

Affiliate membership- Members who are in good standing who no longer reside or practice in New York State but wish to remain affiliated with the society but wish top articipate in the activities of the society
Dueswill be established by the society
Affiliate members shall receive all the privileges of the society, receive publications ,and attend meetings but are not eligible to hold office.

Emeritus Membership

Shall be for all past officers who have been in good standing for at least five years and have made significant contributions to the Society. They may attend all executive meetings of theofficers and the Board of Trustees, with a voice but no vote.

Retired Membership

A retired member shall include an individual who has fully retired from the practice of medicine but continues to abide by all membership requirements of the society.
Retired Members have the right to attend all of the meetings of the Society and to take part in the discussionsand make recommendations to the Boardand vote on issues discussed by the society.
They are also eligible to hold office

Honorary Membership

Distinguished individuals who may not be members of the medical profession who have rendered noteworthy service to medicine and who have demonstrated dedicated commitmentand service to the poor, underserved or minority communitiescan beelected to honorarymembership as provided by the bylaws. They shall be nominated by the Trusteesand approved by the membership. They arenot eligible to vote or be elected to offices.

Article2:

The seal of the Society is as depicted inAppendix A

Article3:

Objectives

Article 7:

Officers of the Society

The officers of the society will consist of the President, President elect, treasurer ,assistant treasurer, secretary, assistant secretary and one member at large.
All officers will be elected for a two-year term. An officer can be reelected for a second term, but there will be a two-term limit for reelection.

President

The president shall be a member in good standing and preside at all meetings of the officers of the society and meeting membership
The president is responsible for enforcement of the mandates of the Society.
The president shall render an annual report to the Society and shall
propose for consideration and adopta budget after reviewing the report of the Budget and Finance Committee and shall promulgate such other reports during the year, as theymay deem necessary.
The President shall perform such other duties as usually pertain to his/her office
and shall be the official spokesperson of the Society on policies of the Society. This function may be relegated to the Chair of the Communication committee.
The President shall insure the publication of a yearly summary of events/activities of the society to be sent to all members in good standing of the society.

President- elect

shall assume the office of President at the completion of the regular term in office of the outgoing president or when the office of President is vacated for any unforeseen circumstances.
shall act as President in the absence of the elected President
Shall be Chairperson of the Nominating Committee for the sole purpose of nominating a slate of candidates for offices to be filled by election at the end of the two-year terms

Secretary

Shall record the minutes and an attendance record of the executive meetings and the general assemblies
Shall be responsible for preserving the minutes ofthe Society and maintain a log of issues discussed by the membership
Shall provide copies of the bylaws of the societywhen requested by any member
shall ensure that changes in membership are reported and that names of new members are forwarded within ten days after their election to membership
In the absence of the President and President-Elect ,s/he shall preside at meetings of the Society
S/he shall review the Ballots for elections, document results and perform such other duties as usually pertain to this office
Shall publish a directory of society members in the last quarter of the year
Shall publish a summary of the society’s activitiesin the preceding year.
Shall be a member of the membership committee

Secretary

The Assistant Secretary shall assist the Secretary in the discharge of his/her duties,
Shall act for the Secretary in his/her absence or in capacity and succeed to the office of Secretary if it is vacated during his/her tenure in office
Shall act for the Secretary in his/her absence or in capacity and succeed to the office of Secretary if it is vacated during his/her tenure in office

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall perform the duties that usuallypertain to his/her office and as required by the Bylaws of the Society
Chairs the Budget and Finance Committee
Responsible for the collection of dues and notify members in arrears
Shall present a financial report in conjunction withthe Budget and Finance Committee and the officers of the society.
Shall render a financial report to the society at each quarterly meeting
At the last meeting of the year of the society, present the budget for the ensuing year.
All disbursements shall be by checks bearing two signatures, that of the President, or President-elect and the Treasurer. In the absence of the Treasurer, the signature of r the President and the Assistant-Treasurer is necessary
All funds to be kept in an account under the name of the Society and the information shared with the Officers of the society and membership.

Assistant Treasurer

The Assistant Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer in the discharge of his/ her duties, shall act for him/her in his/her absence or incapacity and succeed to the office of Treasurer if it is vacated during his/her tenure

Member-at-large
The member at large shall assist the officers of the society in any function where assistance is requested.
The member at large shall participate in all meetings of the officers and be the eyes and ears of the membership

Article 8:

Board of Trustees

The President is ex-officio member of the board of trustees with voice but no vote
The board of trustees will consist of:
Five voting members (independent and of highreputation and achievement), two of whom shall be elected each year; one in theoff year
The chair of the Board is elected by a simple majority of the Trustees present at the first meeting of the Board of the year
The term of office of each Trustee shall be from the close of the Annual Meeting at which s/he is elected until the close of the third subsequent Annual Meeting,
unless the election was to fill a vacancy, in whichcase the term shall be until the close of that vacancy period
The Board of Trustees shall manage, operate and control all real and personal property of the Society and oversee the function of the elected officers.
It shall authorize no project involving the expenditure of an amount in excess of $5,000.00without obtaining specific approval of the membership
No member or committee shall incur any expense or financial obligation chargeable against the Society without authorization of the Board of Trustees, except as otherwise herein provided
The Board of Trustees shall take office at the close of the Annual Meeting. At the first meeting, following the Annual Meeting, the newly constituted Board of Trustees shall elect a Secretary from among its own members to maintain minutes of discussions
The Board of Trustees shall meet at least twice ayear. Three members of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum
Absence from three consecutive meetings of the Board, without satisfactory explanation to the Board, shall constitute the resignation of a Trustee and shall be reported to the officers of the society.
Special meetings of the Board of Trustees shall becalled by the Chairperson at his/her discretion or the society membership to address any issues
The chair of the board of Trustees shall lead the meetings of the board. The Board of Trustees shall hold special meetings at the call of the President or upon the written request of a quorum of its members to address issues relevant to the membership

Article 9:

Election of officers

Officers are elected for a period of two years.
Election of officers shall take place at the end of the year for the subsequent two years
Candidates are selected from a roster submitted by the Nominating Committee. Write-in candidates are allowed to run, if they are backed by at least 10 bona fide members signatures

Article 5:

Application for Membership.

Application shall be made for all classes of membership on a form approved by the Medical Society and signed by the applicant. The Society dues must accompany all applications. The membership committee will process and vet the application. The committee will then recommend the applicant for membership at the next meeting of the executive committee for approval. Once approved, the new member shall be introduced formally at the next general assembly of the society.In order to remain in good standing, a member must be up to date with dues, actively participate in the affairs of the Society and must attend atleast 50% of the meetings.

Dues

Membership Dues shall be determined and adjusted from time to time as needed, jointly by the Membership and the Budget Committees and formally approved by the executive committee and the Board of Trustees and ultimately by the general assembly
An application for Active Membership must be accompanied by the regular annual dues for the current year
After proper approval, dues and assessments are binding on all Active Members

Failure to Pay

Dues are payable by each Active member on January1st
Any member, except a member who is eligible for and has applied for Life Membership, whose dues are unpaid by February 1st of any current year or whose assessments are unpaid by the specified time is notingood standing and shall be deemed to be in arrears
A member whose dues are unpaid after March 1st whose assessments are unpaid may bedropped from the rolls of membership.
Members shall be considered not in good standing if they are in arrears or under suspension
They shall not be entitled to the privilege of the floor, to run for, hold office orto vote
A member in arrears may pay his/her full dues at ameeting of the assembly

Article 6:

DISCIPLINARY ACTION
Any member of the McCune Smith-Cordice Society may be censured, suspended or expelled by the Board of Trustees, after due process, for an infraction of these Bylaws, or for a violation of the Principles of Medical Ethics. The officers shall discuss the decision with the board who shall vote on afinal decision as recommended by the Board. Such member will be afforded due process and can appeal the decision of the Board at which time a special committeewill be created and who will be charged to review and make a final decision .Final decisions are to be presented and discussed with the membership.

Article 12:

Committees

Executive Committee

The President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary and Treasurer shall constitute the Executive Committee which shall have the authority to take emergency actions between meetings of the society.

The Executive Committee shall have all the powers and duties of the society and any action taken by the Executive Committee shall be reported in full to the membership at its next meeting.

Standing Committees

The Standing Committees of the Society shall be:

Bylaws

Membership

Mentorship

Legislative

Communication/public affairs

Liaison/External Affairs

Fund raising/event planning

Budget and Finance

Standing Committee Chairs
The president shall present for approval the names of all standing committee chairs
Standing Committees shall each consist of a Chairperson and at least three other members in good standing chosen by the Chair
No one shall Chair more than two Standing Committees Concurrently

The term of all Standing Committee members shall expire on the third year

Additional committees may be created as deemed necessary by the officers of the society
Duties of standing committees
Bylaws Committee

The Bylaws Committee shall review proposed Amendments to the Bylaws which have been forwarded to the Committee by the President. The Committee shall consider the proposed Amendment and make are commendation to the Executive Committee.

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee shall take such measures, as it deems proper to encourage all eligible health care professionals, doctors of medicine and osteopathy to become members of the Society. The Committee shall recommend to officers and implement strategies to recruit new members. A directory of the membership will be published yearly by the Membership committee. The Committee will review and vet new applications for membership and make recommendations to the executive committee

Mentoring Committee

The Mentoring committee has the task to promote interest among underprivileged children and young adults and nurture their ambitions and aspirations, providing guidance, where needed and all support necessary to achieve their goals. The same support will also be offered to young physicians in the early, as well as more advanced phases of their careers, always aiming to create bridges and connections for the realization of the individuals’ potentials

Legislative Committee

The Legislative Committee shall keep the Society informed concerning proposed legislation which may affect the practice of medicine, the public health, or other interests of the medical profession and those affecting the minority physicians disproportionately. The committee will report on pending legislation which may affect the membership/practitioners in the community.

Communication Committee
The Public Affairs Committee shall represent the society and inform the President of issues affecting the membership and will transmit information of interest to the membership and the public at the society’s meetings. For improved communication with membership, a website is to be created, monitored and maintained by the committee. Necessary funds for maintenance will be allocated in the annual budget, at the request of this committee chair.

The president will function as the Spokesperson for the society and can delegate that responsibility to another member who may be an expert on an issue. Press conferences must be approved by the President. The Communication committee will also draft position statements reflecting the views of the Society.

Event Planning/Fundraising Committee
The Fundraising Committee shall be responsible for raising funds for the society via methods such as grants, sponsorships, and events.

Liaison

The Liaison committee will align itself with other medical organizations/societies with shared visions and agendas including but not limited to the NMA, MSSNY, AMHE or other Medical Societies of the African Diaspora, and will serve as the representative of the Society to those organizations. The liaison will report to the membership at any of the general assembly meetings and discuss the issues relevant to the Society.

Budget and Finance

The Budget and Finance committee will be responsible for the monitoring and balancing the budget for the year and ensure there are adequate funds to manage the finances of the society. The budget and finance committee will work closely with the Fundraising committee. The Treasurer shall serve on the Fundraising Committee. Shortfalls will be presented to the President and the membership.

Article 10:

Meetings

The society shall hold meetings quarterly
Any member in good standing may present or request discussion of any issue of concern to the membership during open session of the meeting
Standing committee chairs will report on their respective committees
Part of or the entire meeting may be dedicated fully to an educational topic of interest to the membership. Specialists are encouraged to present special advances and innovations in their fields that may be of benefit to the members. Guests with special expertise may be invited to address issues of concern for the membership
Quarterly Meetings shall focus on the mission of the society

Article 13:

Ethics

The Principles of Medical Ethics of the National Medical Association and the Principles of Professional Conduct shall be binding upon all members of the Society.

Article 11:

Rules of Order

Meetings of the Society shall be conducted by the rules of the American Institute of Parliamentarians Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure
A copy of the Code of Parliamentary Procedure shall be circulated to committee chairs and the executives of the society

Article 14:

Amendments

Any proposed Amendment to the Bylaws, will be for warded to the By Laws committee for review
After review the By Laws Committee will make recommendations to the Executive Committee
The executive Committee may invite the proposer top resent and discuss the amendment at an executive meeting
The President and the officers shall then refer the proposed amendment with their recommendations to the members for a vote
The membership will vote to either recommend or not recommend approval of the proposed amendment
Once accepted, The Secretary shall send via electronic mail, a copy of the proposed Amendment as it will be written in theBy-laws and once membership agrees, the amendment will be incorporated in the bylaws.

Appendix A. Seal of the Southern NY ClinicalSociety