| Subject: |
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Message from Oklahoma's ASHA Legislative Councilor |
| Name: |
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Moderator |
| Date Posted: |
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Apr 9, 07 - 7:27 PM |
| Message: |
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Dear Oklahoma ASHA Members:
I have just returned from the spring Legislative Council meeting in Bethesda, MD and following is a report of the activities and actions taken by the Council and the Assemblies during this meeting:
FRIDAY
Meetings with Legislators
Tracy Grammer and I made visits with staff members of our state Senators and Representatives to discuss the following issues:
Direct Access to Audiologists
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention
IDEA Funding
Loan forgiveness for SLPs working in High Needs Schools
SLP Medicare Outpatient Supplier Status
Fiduciary Responsibilities
ASHA’s Executive Director Arlene Pietranton reviewed the Council’s fiduciary responsibilities. Such responsibilities include: Duty of Care (carry out his or her duties responsibly), Duty of Loyalty (obligation to act in the Association’s best interest), and Duty of Fidelity of Purpose (fidelity to the purposes of the Association).
Financial Update
The Vice President of Administration and Planning, Mary Jo Schill, updated Council on the financial status of the Association. We are in good shape and there will not be a dues increase for 2008.
Regional Meetings
Councilors gathered by region to discuss issues related to personnel shortages, evidence-based practice and marketing of the professions. Tracy and I picked up some good ideas for marketing in our state from the Texas delegation. We will pass that on to the new PR Committee Chair and to Executive Board.
SATURDAY
Presentation on a Proposed New Governance Structure
Dr. Ray Kent, Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Structure and Process, made a presentation on the proposed change in the governance structure and the evidence the committee gathered in order to arrive at the proposed model. Outcomes for the new governance structure plan include:
Increased membership input into governing actions that have an impact on them
Increased autonomy for the two professions in ASHA governance
Increased ability of members of the professions to identify and discuss issues
Streamlined decision making
Reduced bureaucratic barriers
Greater efficiency and responsiveness
Note that these can be easily put into “measurable outcome” language. The committee had really done their homework. They had the guidance and input from a consultant specializing in governance of professional associations/non-profit organizations; had read several authors on the subject; and had solicited input from members via online surveys and phone calls.
Assembly Meetings
The Audiology/Hearing Science Assembly (A/HSA) and the Speech Language Pathology/Speech-Language Science Assembly (SLP/SLSA) met to discuss issues of concern to the professions. Both Assemblies reviewed the results from ASHA member responses to the Critical Issues Survey that was emailed in January. Each Assembly identified and ranked their top 5 issues which were subsequently voted on by the full Council. The following 3 issues ranked the highest of concern by the Council and all 10 issues will be forwarded to the Executive Board for consideration:
Shortages of SLPs in schools and in healthcare
Reimbursement
Use of SLP Assistants
(Note: A very low number of ASHA member actually responded to the survey. ASHA members like to complain about “ASHA,” but do not take advantage of opportunities to have input. Council members really do read the results of the surveys – by profession and by state. Your one vote matters – use it!
Resolutions Considered by the Legislative Council and Assemblies (all resolutions and their supporting documents are available on the ASHA Web site):
LC 1-2007: Adopt the new governance model as described in the report on “ASHA’s Governance Structure and Process.”
LC 2-2007: Approve ASHA membership dues for 2008. The membership dues for 2008 will be at the same level as for 2007. APPROVED.
LC 3-2007: ASHA opposes the actions of the California Speech-Language Hearing Association’s published statement regarding audiologists in California. APPROVED.
LC SLP/SLS 2-2007: Adopt the Position Statement on Childhood Apraxia of Speech. APPROVED.
Focused Initiatives and Strategic Plan Update
ASHA’s Chief Staff Officers presented updated information on the outcomes and strategies for each of the following Focused Initiatives (http://www.asha.org/about/Leadership-projects/national-office/focused-initiatives ). Work Plans for 2007 were also presented.
Reimbursement in Health and Education
PhD Shortage in Higher Education
Personnel Issues in Healthcare and Education
Evidence-Based Practice
SUNDAY
ASHA Program Review
The Legislative Council continued its annual review of one third of ASHA Programs and made recommendations for each program to continue as is, alter by enhancement, reduce, or discontinue. Council’s recommendations on the ASHA programs under review are included in the Legislative Council meeting minutes that will be posted on the ASHA Web site at http://www.asha.org/about/leadership-projects/LC/archive/ .
Grassroots Advocacy
A presentation on effective grassroots advocacy on the federal, state and local level was presented to the Council. (Grassroots Advocacy Web page: http://www.asha.org/about/legislation-advocacy/grassroots/ ) The presentation will be available sometime in June as a continuing education opportunity.
Presentations, Reports and Minutes
Presentations, reports, resolutions and minutes of the Legislative Council and Assembly meetings will be posted on the ASHA web site at: http://www.asha.org/about/leadership-projects/LC/archive/ .
Should you have any questions regarding the discussions or actions taken by the LC, or issues you would like the Council to consider in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you.
Karen Croley, Legislative Council and Delegation Correspondent
Karen@abletalkspeech.com
Phone: 918-660-6886 |
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