James David Felsen, MD, MPH
James (Jim) David Felsen, MD, MPH (82) of Great Cacapon, W.Va., passed away November 26, 2024 while prepping for his favorite holiday of the year. Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Irwin Felsen, MD and Nell (Shaffer) Felsen, RN. Jim is survived by his best friend and soulmate Terri Bliziotes, her daughter Emily Bliziotes, and his three children, Heather (Elliot) Billian, Josh (Christina) Felsen and Jeremy Felsen. He is also survived by his cherished grandchildren, Lucy, Kate, and Owen Felsen. Jim had four siblings which he loved dearly Mary Ann Pritchett (Vern), John (JoAnn) Felsen, Karl (Carol) Felsen, and Joe (Florance Ann) Felsen – each of them brought a host of talented and passionate contributors to a better and healthier world – which made him proud. He left behind his dog Sarge (AKA George) – who wore him out with demands for continuous belly rubs.
Jim was born in Carbondale, Pa., and then graduated from Wellsville High School, Wellsville, N.Y. where his parents settled and where his father influenced his life profession as a physician and public health professional. Jim attended Brandeis University, and, after only three years of undergraduate study was admitted to Medical School at SUNY Buffalo (66), later completing his Master’s in Public Health (MPH) degree at Harvard University – Chan School of Public Health.
He started his career with the Indian Health Service on the Hualapai (Peach Springs, Ariz.) making house calls on horseback, down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and then later at the San Carlos Apache Reservation. He was so loved and respected by the tribes that he was often invited to participate in many tribal celebrations – including the sacred rattlesnake roundup on the Apache Reservation. He spent seventeen years in the Indian Health Service improving the life conditions for our Native people. He was named the Chief Medical Officer for Indian Health Service and was transferred to Silver Spring, Md., hoping to only be there a couple of years. His work with the Indian Health Service is where he determined he had much greater influence on the health of whole populations by working in the public health policy arena.
Jim remained in Maryland for many years advising on and developing many national and international health programs. He was a trusted advisor and friend to C. Everett Koop, Surgeon General especially during the AIDS epidemic. He continued to advise each Surgeon General following Koop. He was known to have a keen sense and ability to manage the constant change, challenges, and ambiguity of current and emerging public health issues. He advised Jimmy and Rosaland Carter on the refugee crisis in Thailand and visited India to improve the primary care and public health systems there, as well. Jim became a delegate for the USPHS and the American Medical Association and continued his advocacy in the AMA for over 40 years. Since 2000, Jim has been an active delegate for the West Virginia State Medical Association. A strong advocate for physicians in private practice; he was highly critical of corporate medicine – fearing the demise of the patient-physician relationship due to 15-minute visits, fragmentation of care, and the emphasis on revenues, regulations, and red tape. He was right!
After a few more years ruffling the feathers of higher ups in the USPHS bureaucracy, Jim was assigned to resuscitate a 13-million-dollar moribund program known as the Federal Occupational Health Program (FOH). It had been de-funded by Congress as a part of the government reorganization effort during the Reagan years. Its legislative purpose was to assure federal employees were healthy in their jobs. The FOH program had dwindled to a few Federal Court health clinics where monitoring blood pressures and health education were the limits of the care offered. In five years, Jim led the transformation of the FOH program – by designing an information system capable of tracking employee exposure to lead, pesticides, substances, immunization status, mandated federal health exams, etc., across any agency an employee may move to during a career. Through his leadership he ushered in Employee Assistance, Industrial Hygiene, Fitness, and Daycare programs, and started the first national Medical Review Officer Program office for drug testing. The “NEW” FOH program generated over sixty million dollars in reimbursable services from billing agencies directly for what they needed to maintain a healthy, productive workforce. It was such a successful model; it was written up in the Government Executive Magazine as a success story for the Clinton Administration and Gore’s government improvement initiatives. Jim was honorably discharged from the United States Public Health Service in 1997 – but never stopped looking for the next challenge. In fact, Jim was hopeful he would get a call from Mr. Elon Musk to help reorganize the current federal mess – but instead he received a call from a higher source – which promises far greater influence.
Jim settled in West Virginia in 2000. He served as the Kanawha-Charleston Health Director – until the politics and tobacco issues of the time presented. Wise policy and wide-spread local community acceptance were over-ruled by special interests and political influencers. Jim and Terri moved north to Great Cacapon, W.Va. in 2012, where Jim remained active with the AMA/WVSMA, wrote numerous op eds for the Charleston Gazette, and continued to advocate for change in community-based elder care, strong immunization policy, cannabis policy, and a host of other plagues to our health.
Jim authored “De-Spamming Health Reforming the Health System from the Bottom Up: The Unintended Consequences of the Lack of Local Community Health System Autonomy and Integration.” Jim always advocated for community leaders to take a more active and systematic role in assessing and demanding what healthcare is needed for their community – rather than just accepting the government handout – which was often not needed, fragmented, limited, or redundantly wasteful.
Jim’s small-town upbringing played a huge role in his life. He had three very special friends – known to the locals of Wellsville as the Syndicate. They would load up in an old 1940 Mafia Car and engage in harmless pranks and escapades to outsmart the police. Jim’s father was also the coroner, so when the police knocked on the door in the middle of the night, there was cause for worry, but always a sigh of relief! Chan Whitford, Tom Kelsey (Biewgs), and Tom Colegrove (Crowie) have remained close friends all through life. Jim (MOOOSE, fondly) is still remembered (or blamed) as the key instigator of the mischief in Wellsville – even events that occurred after he left his hometown.
Jim was a “get the job done, beg forgiveness later” kind of guy. Jim was always highly regarded and trusted by most everyone he met. He was funny, adventurous, and loving. He did not like to waste a day – up early, tending to his garden, plants and business and then to sleep late – after the Gutfeld show. He spent some time every day – even with snow and ice, on the porch, in his chair with a cigar and a sudoku game. He loved sunsets and mai tais in Kona. He loved great wines and spent a lot of time selecting and scheming for the next trip for a tasting and good food. He was an avid cook – something he and Terri shared with everyone who visited. He loved spending time at the cabin and discussing complex health issues with Terri – or anyone who would dare to engage! This man will be missed in so many special ways – to so many wonderful people met on his life journey. He would want everyone to remember the wisdom and beauty of these Wordsworth’s words….
What through the radiance which was so bright
Be now forever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Helsey Strength in what remains behind….
Jim wished to be cremated and the family plans for a celebration of Jim’s life are in the works for late May 2025 at the Cabin.
Donations can be made to the charity of your choice or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.helsleyjohnsonfh.com.
Arrangements are being handled by Helsley-Johnson Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 95 Union Street, Berkeley Springs, WV.
