A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF RIAPA

The RIAPA has continued to evolve and improve upon services we bring to our members. Thank you to Past President Erin Sharaf, Jim Carney (chair of the national Government Affairs and Reimbursement Committee of AAPA), RIAPA Board of Directors, and the CME Committee. We are constantly thinking of ways to increase membership and make our voice heard in Rhode Island.

In Erin’s letter, she mentioned that we have to be advocates for our profession and that there is strength in numbers. She is absolutely right and for proof of this, look no further than to President Obama’s speech on healthcare. He left out PAs when mentioning health care providers and immediately he received thousands of emails from PAs around the country. The next time he spoke about healthcare, he mentioned PAs; in fact PAs were then invited to a meeting at the White House, including our own Jim Carney. It is great we were able to collectively speak out on a national level but we also need to do this locally. We need to work together to be sure PA voices are heard loud and clear here in Rhode Island. With your help, I know we can continue to grow the organization and improve our visibility in the state.

To all our existing members, thank you so much for your continued support and to those who haven’t yet joined, here are 12 reasons why you should join RIAPA:

• We have organized a half day CME that will take place this fall in Providence.
• We changed management companies to improve our functions as an organization which in turn will improve our efforts on your behalf.
• We have updated and improved our Website, and it continues to evolve.
• We continue to raise public awareness of the PA profession. To this end, we participate in health fairs and other wellness related activities as well as actively promote PAs during PA week.
• We keep you updated about current job opportunities through our periodic e-mail blasts.
• We work hard to send our members at least 2 newsletters per year highlighting RIAPA activities, job opportunities, and legislative/regulatory news that is of importance
• We profile an outstanding RIAPA member in each newsletter so we get to know a bit about each other.
• We hold our annual meeting each spring. This has been a great time to reconnect with old friends and to communicate with other PAs in the state.
• We are considering hiring a lobbyist to represent our interests at the state house.
• We continue to utilize the resources available to us as a constituent chapter of AAPA to strengthen our organization.
• Last year we sent 2 delegates to the annual AAPA meeting and are working on a resolution to submit for the 2010 HOD session.

We continue to work closely with the RI Medical Society. We now have a PA member on the RI Medical Society Board. This is an important accomplishment and was even mentioned by the AAPA.

Please feel free to contact me or any of the Board members with questions, concerns or comments. We are working on your behalf and your input is greatly appreciated.

Derrick Robinson MS, PA-C, President