Message from AMDA's House of Delegates Chair

As we move through the fall season, many of our state chapters are having their annual meetings, and preparations are well underway for AMDA's 25th annual symposium in San Diego. It promises to be the biggest and best yet. Now is the time to be formulating resolutions to send forth to the House of Delegates (HOD), especially as you gather at the various state forums and discuss hot issues on the front lines of long term care.

Over the years, some of the most important issues impacting long term care facilities, residents, and physicians have surfaced at the grass roots level from these meetings. As these issues were then brought to the floor of the HOD as resolutions, the entire membership and AMDA leadership have been placed on the cutting edge of these issues. Through direction to the AMDA leadership, policy has then been driven by these resolutions.

As you probably know, AMDA has delegate status at the American Medical Association (AMA) HOD. Several of our resolutions have gone from a concern raised at a state or local meeting, to an AMDA resolution, then to the AMA policy, with all the weight and influence of the AMA directed toward the issue.

I will be continuing and expanding the format begun at last year's HOD regarding the Resolutions Committee, moving toward more of a reference committee format. Following the HOD briefing luncheon on Thursday, the Resolutions Committee will meet, with an authorized representative of the originating chapter or entity for each resolution present. This year any interested party will be given an opportunity to present testimony on the resolution at the meeting. I believe in this fashion, we will continue to improve the quality and impact of our resolutions.

If anyone would like help with getting an issue crystallized into proper resolution format, feel free to contact me, and I will be glad to help. I can be reached by e-mail at rdhuss@rollanet.org or by phone at 573/364-4226.

Also, I would ask that you give thought to nominations for AMDA leadership positions. A Board of Directors representative from the HOD and the State Presidents' Council, as well as AMDA Vice President (with automatic succession to President-Elect and President), AMDA Secretary, and Chair of the HOD will be elected at this year's HOD. Send forward all resolutions and nominations to the AMDA Office.

Last year we had a very good HOD session with a nice mix of experienced representatives and new representatives getting their first taste of the HOD. Identify those experienced representatives who wish to continue service in the HOD, as institutional memory is important. Equally important, though, is identification of those newer or veteran AMDA members with no HOD experience, but who have the desire to become part of the driving force of AMDA. I look forward to a great HOD meeting.

Randall D. Huss, MD, CMD
Chair, House of Delegates

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