"Old Time" Doctors at the Medical Society Home-Coming Meeting in December 1929. From left to right - Dr. E.L. Kimball, Dr. C.G. Brown, Dr. H.B. Luhn, Dr. A.F. MacLeod and Dr. T.L. Catterson. They were honored for their years of service in the community.

During the first decade of the century, a physician (and member of the Society) was elected Mayor – Dr. P.S. Byrne.  Throughout the next fifty years, the physicians of SCMS were involved in many civic, public health, and professional activities.  By the end of WWII, SCMS established a separate office and employed staff and had created another sister non-profit, the Spokane Medical Library.  In 1986, SCMS proudly celebrated its centennial year.  In 1997, SCMS created another sister non-profit, the Spokane County Medical Society Foundation (SCMSF), in an effort to work on projects that would improve the health of our community and effect positive change for physicians.  

Charity care has always been an inherent part of medical practice and prior to the establishment of local, state, and federal programs, patients relied on physician compassion when there was no money to pay for health care.  During the Depression, when the work and income of nearly all Spokane citizens fell to historically low levels, physicians in Spokane provided all needed health care for anyone in need for free, through a program sponsored by SCMS.

Dr. Elizabeth White in 1937, returning to Spokane after medical school.

During early post war decades, SCMS established a regular neighborhood outpatient clinic serving those who would otherwise have no access to medical care. This was a clinic jointly financed by the Medical Service Bureau and SCMS - approximately sixty thous-and dollars yearly! Another community project under-taken was an effort to administer the newly discovered and approved Salk vaccine. SCMS physicians volunteered their Sundays for one year to immunize Spokane children. A residue of $100,000 of unused funds, donated by a pharmaceutical company for this project was turned over to Deaconess Hospital for the creation of the Poison Center, which has enjoyed a permanent and very successful life. At this time, we also started our County EMS system.

Over the past several years, leaders and members of the Spokane County Medical Society and Foundation have been an integral part of the changing healthcare landscape in Spokane County.  In 1990 Spokane County Medical Society along with MSC/Premera and Group Health Corporation replicated an important program that increased access to a “medical home” for welfare “moms and kids”.  Prior to the program, entitled Healthy Options, these patients had welfare coupons.  Very few physicians participated or took coupons, as the reimbursement from our state was poor.  With the implementation of this physician capitated program all Welfare moms and kids had a designated primary care provider.  Spokane County Medical Society Foundation was able to obtain the participation of all its primary care providers and all of its specialists (the specialists agreed to see Healthy Options patients for what the state paid as payment in full) in this program.  We further enlisted two commercial payors to be the partners and fiduciary agents.  This program still exists today having undergone several iterations by both Washington State and many other health plans.