REPORT OF TEXAS MEDICAL ASSOCIATION ALLIANCE
TMAA Report 1-A-06
Subject: Alliance Activities and Accomplishments
Presented by: Pat Hyer, President
Community Service
The alliance has plunged headlong in to the Be Wise - Immunize program and since the launch in October 2004, more than 27,000 vaccinations have been administered to nearly 15,000 children. As part of many of those BWI events, many alliances have incorporated other health screenings, given out bicycle helmets through the Hard Hats for Little Heads program, and educated the public about a whole host of health-related subjects. Be Wise-Immunize has proven to be a worthy project and the sense out in the trenches is that the momentum has just begun.
Various county alliances have incorporated the Blue Cross Blue Shield Caring for Children Foundation Care Van in their local efforts, and others have chosen to work with existing immunization coalitions and local health departments. The immunization coalition in Tarrant County has been particularly effective, with multiple thousands of childhood immunizations administered.
In other areas across the state, work continues on programs to combat childhood obesity with education campaigns and school health activities. Likewise, alliances customize local programs to fight AIDS, domestic violence, and elder abuse, as well as bring attention to the need for tissue and organ donation.
AMA Alliance Involvement
Texas continues to lead the nation in AMAA membership. It is anticipated that TMAA will send 12 delegates, the largest delegation in the nation, to AMAA's convention in Chicago in June.
The installation of Mary Ann Homer as President of AMAA in June 2005 signaled the beginning of a much-needed and long overdue overhaul of the national organization. Mary Ann has worked diligently to strengthen the relationship between the alliance and AMA…a relationship that has suffered from estrangement and isolation for many years. It is her goal to open avenues of communication and cooperation in order to establish a stronger partnership, one that can be patterned after the TMA/TMAA model.
Other Texas representatives in AMAA leadership include Susan Todd who will serve on the board as a director, Pat Hyer who will serve on the legislation committee, and Mary Meyers who will continue to serve on the integrated marketing communications committee. Texas also is represented by Texas alliance member Nancy Neal who serves as the only alliance member on the AMPAC Board of Directors. In addition, outgoing alliance president Pat Hyer will run for the AMAA nominating committee at the AMAA annual meeting in Chicago in June.
Membership
Fortunately and unfortunately, membership remained stable this year. Membership challenges remain in the larger metropolitan areas as volunteers find it difficult to reach out to the hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of potential members. Harris County has asked the state alliance to help with its membership efforts this year, and we are hopeful that our combined efforts can stem the tide of plummeting membership numbers in Houston.
TMAA continued its membership policy with the resident and medical student spouse population. All known resident and student spouses are on TMAA rolls as a result of paying their own dues or being sponsored by their county alliance or TMAA. In addition, all expenses are paid and all fees are waived for leaders of Alliance for Physicians in Training (APT) groups to attend the alliance training conference InfoExpo held in September during Summit. Financial consideration also is given to the resident or medical student spouse representative to attend meetings of the Alliance Board of Directors and the AMA Alliance annual convention.
Legislation/Political Action
TMAA and TMA brought back the hugely successful and LEAP award-winning First Tuesdays at the Capitol legislative visit program during the 79th session of the Texas Legislature. Focusing on TMA's legislative agenda, approximately 1,000 physicians and alliance members shared medicine's view on issues including business activity taxes, scope of practice, Medicaid and CHIP, workers' compensation, immunization, and obesity, among others.
The alliance participated in the November 2005 Grassroots Advocacy Retreat at La Cantera Resort in San Antonio and conducted a mini campaign school for physicians, alliance members, and medical students. The program received high praise on the evaluations and several of the medical students requested that the program be taken on the road to medical schools across the state during summer and fall 2006.
Plans for the 2007 legislative session and the return of First Tuesdays at the Capitol will begin in summer 2006. Susan Todd, 2002-2003 TMAA President and initiator of the First Tuesdays program, will spearhead the 2007 campaign.
Regarding TEXPAC membership for the year ending Dec. 31, 2005, TMAA claimed an increase in TEXPAC membership figures with 931 of the 5,614 total physician and alliance numbers.
TMAA regularly includes TEXPAC news and activities in alliance publications and all meeting agendas include programming relevant to medicine's legislative and political action agenda.
TMA Foundation
The alliance continues its involvement and promotion of TMAF by assisting with the annual benefit and its ongoing efforts to heighten awareness of the foundation and its value to the association and the TMA Alliance. The official family holiday sharing card was repeated in 2005 raising $2,470. County alliances also contribute manpower and funds to assist in the success of the annual benefit event during TexMed.
Former alliance president Susan Todd serves as vice president of the TMAF Board of Trustees. In addition, Susan Leshnower of Odessa serves as the other alliance member on the board.
TMA House of Delegates: TexMed 2006