Physicians' Relief Fund, Inc. (New York, N.Y.)

The Physicians' Relief Fund, Inc. was incorporated in 1974 in the State of New York to provide financial relief or loans to physicians and their dependants in times of need. This perpetuation of the tradition of professional solidarity emerged from the Fund's history as a committee (Physicians Loan and Relief Fund), as of 1929, of the Medical Society of the County of New York, in association with, among others, the Eastern Medical Society (dissolved 1948). Within the Physicians' Relief Fund, corporate officers and Board members (composed mostly of M.D.s) served on a volunteer basis, engaging legal and professional assistance as needed. At monthly meetings recommendations and applications for assistance were reviewed, as were the awards from the David and Dorothy Merksamer Scholarship Fund, a program of assistance to students and scholars demonstrating need, on behalf of the Medical Society of the County of New York as of 1997-1998. Improved access to greater social security resources and scholarship award practices were among the factors that led to the dissolution of the corporation in 2005, involving the generous disbursement of corporate assets in favor of the Physicians Home and Columbia University.

From the description of Physicians' Relief Fund, Inc., records, 1974-2005. (New York Academy of Medicine). WorldCat record id: 86130006