From Lorraine Tarnove, Executive Director, at the national office…
State Chapter Presidents: Key to AMDA's Success
Chapter presidents are the most important link between AMDA’s national office and state chapters. Over the last few years, as we have focused in on state chapter needs, we have relied on chapter presidents to help define issues and find solutions. In addition, state presidents are our point-of-contact—we send important information directly to them via email blast on Congressional actions, regulatory changes, and policy proposals from any part of the government that affects long term care. This information can be shared with state members who benefit whether they are national members or not.
Ideally, the state chapter president is the most informed long term care physician in the state! As such, national encourages these individuals to interact with other long term care entities and stakeholders at the state level, including the state medical society, health department, survey agency, and state chapters of AHCA, AAHSA, ASCP, NADONA\LTC, and other associations. It is easy to see how big a job this is and how crucial. National depends on these individuals to keep information moving in both directions. The AMDA leadership affirmed its grassroots philosophy at the recent strategic discussions. AMDA depends on state leaders to raise important issues--in the last seven years, state presidents have brought national attention to professional liability, assisted living, and continued survey inconsistency.
State President’s Role
During the various components of dialogue—state calls, regional open mike calls with President Steven Levenson MD, CMD and myself in 2006, attendance at state meetings, surveys, and Nicole Germain’s ongoing communication with state leaders—it is clear that this role is crucial to AMDA's future, it asks a lot of an individual, and those individual’s need help in a variety of ways—
- Membership promotion;
- Meeting management, marketing;
- Leadership training;
- Media and advocacy skill-building;
- Pharma fundraising and relations; and
- Increased availability of resources via www.amda.com.
These needs were discussed during the December strategic discussions and the multifaceted approach to providing support affirmed as follows:
- Have one point of contact with Nicole Germain;
- Increased national membership promotion also will address state membership;
- A virtual state chapter executive director will be created as part of LTC Direct;
- Other services will be available through LTC Direct, including marketing and meeting management; and
- Communication/leadership continuity will be provided to help incoming chapter president. (See related articles on page 3).
The AMDA leadership’s goal is to provide services that will allow state presidents to focus on their leadership role and their link with national—more time to participate in calls with board leaders on policy and strategic matters.
It has been said over and over that state chapters and their leaders are the lifeblood of the association. Changes in the long term care environment and in medical practice have many ramifications for AMDA’s future, but none affect the truth of that statement. It is still a core belief for AMDA and a basis for future plans.
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