The Connecticut State Medical Society swore in its new president Saturday and honored a New Haven cardiologist who helped found a program to coordinate donated care for uninsured patients.
Dr. Michael M. Krinsky, a neurologist who practices in the Hartford area, became the medical society’s 173rd president. Krinsky previously served as president of the Hartford County Medical Association and has volunteered with the Greater Hartford Heart Association, Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Krinsky pledged to advocate for the state’s many small and solo practices and for their patients, according to the medical society.
“What is good for the doctor is good for the patient; what is good for the patient is good for the doctor,” he said. “Standing up for the issues that are at the heart of medicine–those that concern the physician-patient relationship–must remain a core mission.
Krinsky’s father, Charles, served as president of the New London County Medical Association and vice-speaker of the state medical society’s house of delegates. Krinsky’s mother, Bernice, led a women’s group known as the CSMS Auxiliary.
Also Saturday, the medical society presented its top public service award to Dr. Steven Wolfson, a New Haven cardiologist who co-founded Project Access-New Haven, a program that ensures uninsured patients receive the care they need. Nearly 300 doctors have donated their services to patients without insurance through Project Access, and patients in the program receive free medical testing from Yale-New Haven Hospital and The Hospital of St. Raphael.
Wolfson has also mentored medical students volunteering at the HAVEN Free Clinic. As part of the award, the Paul K. Maloney, MD, Distinguished Service Award, $1,000 will be donated to Project Access-New Haven.