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My Friends, this is a GO FUND ME request for funds direly needed to salvage the life and career of one physician who has dedicated her life to saving patients from the vagaries of life. She did this first in the emergency rooms of Northern California, and then in her own private offices. In the ER she treated acute conditions, pulling people up from what could have been a disaster. And in her private venues later she mostly treated chronic conditions which impair the quality of life. Her patients are so grateful for her humanitarian style of care.
This highly devoted 77 year old physician in practice for 43 years is currently the object of a tyrannical attack by the California State Medical Board. Her license is currently under a Cease and Desist Order by these out of control government forces. She is currently being driven toward bankruptcy by these toxic forces. It has cost her so much to date that she’s on her knees. Her costs for this war are approaching $250,000, and she’s not done yet!
At this moment she has few other choices but to ask for financial help from you. She has spent all her retirement and loans from her family. She’s in a blind alley. She refuses to just give up. She is willing to fight this battle to secure her life and bring her livelihood back. She wants to ensure her patients do not suffer at the hands of our sometimes ill driven government agencies.
The State Board doesn’t know her patients or what they are up against in this fight for pain relief. They don’t see the struggle to live a normal life. They don’t see you swallowing pain every day to ensure work doesn’t suffer, kids are taken care of and daily responsibilities are met.
She has never been sued for malpractice or been in front of the state board before. She has no criminal record. She is a doctor who took an oath to help and care for patients. And she does. She truly cares.
A long time resident of Sonoma County, Age and Pain Management clinician, F. Dee Filgas, M.D., has an extensive Curriculum Vitae spanning over 43 years. Her clinical interests are primarily in the arenas of Pain Management and other issues germane to quality of life as we age. In this regard she addresses hormonal, sleep, mood and other important health issues. Her accomplishments are extensive. The above facts explain why we are starting a Go Fund Me page to help her wage war against an unfair and unjust government agency.
ANY physician prescribing opioids for chronic pain has become a target. Their careers are in serious jeopardy. They are being pursued by the California State Medical Board as if all their patients were addicts.
This is SO UNTRUE !!! This is ridiculously untrue. There are MANY patients using prudent amounts of opioid pain medications whose lives have been salvaged through the use of this and other ancillary interventions. THEY CAN FUNCTION !! There are fewer suicides and improved quality of life if used properly under the guidance of their caring physicians. Many of them have already been bludgeoned. We must stop the hemorrhage of fine caring doctors.
We have all seen the corrupt and illogical government agencies cripple good people with nonsense law and order, with no regard for the consequences that the people might suffer. There are consequences as well for those who depend on them. There is damage to the very life they have built. We all need to REALIZE the lack of empathy from which they suffer.
Dr. Filgas is not a pill mill. She counsels her patients. She worries about them. She intervenes with well thought out plans. She monitors them to prevent mishaps.
She has been seeing some of her patients for decades and has a long standing positive rapport with them. Some of them do very well without opioids. She spends time getting to know them, evaluating all options for treatment, and making referrals when appropriate to ensure they receive the best possible care.
Please help to save one of the good ones. Please help her fight this fight to save her career and her patients’ well- being. You can make a difference !!!
SUMMARY OF DR. FILGAS’ ACHIEVEMENTS IN MEDICINE
The doctor’s undergraduate training was in Biochemistry, receiving a BS in Biochemistry at the University of Maine, Bangor in 1972. She graduated cum laude, achieving high distinction.
Subsequently she attended the master’s program, UC Berkeley (1972 through 1973) as a Public Health student.
She then was granted a medical degree (MD) at the University of California in Davis subsequent to her studies there from 1975 through 1979.
Internship/Residency completed at Valley Medical Center, a high criticality hospital in Fresno where ‘knife and gun club’ and high speed vehicular trauma were an everyday event. This was one of the most challenging training centers around.
In 1988 she achieved training in Occupational Medicine at UCSF where every issue seen in the workplace such as toxicology and orthopedic injuries were addressed.
All the while she was raising her two young children with her husband, Richard Houghten, as he sought and achieved his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley. He went on to achieve Fellowship training at UCSF. His research work subsequently brought him to near Nobel Prize work at UCSF. Later he was named for the Nobel for an invention called the “Tea Bag”, a research achievement that revolutionized the efficiency of doing protein research throughout the world.
Dr. Filgas became Board Certified in Emergency Medicine in 1994 and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management in 2002.
Her Special Certifications were in Forensic Medicine and Disability Analysis.
She worked in Emergency Medicine at the following California hospitals: Madera Community Hospital, Selma Community Hospital, Visalia Community Hospital, Tulare District Hospital, Lakeside Community Hospital (where she served as ER Director), St/ Helena Hospital, Santa Cruz Community Hospital, and Queen of the Valley Hospital (Napa).
She developed the JOBCARE occupational medicine program originally at St. Helena Hospital. It spread throughout the Adventist Health Care system.
She served as Medical Consultant at State Compensation Insurance Fund, September 1990 through September 1991.
Her private practice was started in April 1989 and continued through December, 2022. Locations in California included Calistoga, Healdsburg, Ukiah, Santa Rosa and Windsor where she was practicing until December 31, 2022.
She has spoken about Pain Management for various specialty organizations throughout her career.
From December 1991 through 2021 she worked collaboratively with Spine Care Medical Group in Daly City. This is a large multidisciplinary care orthopedic spine treatment center. She worked with all of their physicians and travelled with them to satellite centers in Northern California to participate in patient care, but primarily with Richard Derby, M.D., a world renowned anesthesiologist, founding father of the Spine Intervention Society, an international (by invitation only) society. He has published widely and lectured by invitation 250 + times. He and 2 other physicians (Bogduk/Australia and Aprill (Louisiana) designed and published the original concepts of spine injections. They were the founding fathers.
At this point she must just simply be able to afford to pursue the goal of winning the war against this bureaucratic and evil force. Please help.
Attached please see supporting documents……