July 2004 Announcements

Message from Susan Gormely (former AAPA/NAAHP liaison)

APAP members:

My term as liaison to APAP from the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions is completed. I want to thank all of you for the opportunity to be associated with APAP for the last 4 years. You have been welcoming, responsive, and helpful to me in my role as liaison and as an advisor to students wishing to pursue careers as physician assistants. I hope you will continue to see advisors as partners in your goal of finding the best applicants for your programs and for the PA profession.

My replacement as liaison has been named - she is Chere Periera from Oregon State University. During our NAAHP meeting in Washington, DC earlier this month, Chere and I had an opportunity to meet with Timi and Patrick Knott, so Chere will be able to hit the ground running. I hope many of you will be able to meet her in Nashville.

I retired on Friday, July 9, after 15 years as a Health Professions Advisor. I will miss my colleagues and students, but I am ready for my next life. Best wishes to all and I hope my path will cross with some of you again.

Susan Gormely

ARC-PA Seeks Applicants

The Accreditation Review Committee on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) is seeking nominations for a public member to sit on the ARC-PA. ARC-PA is the accrediting body for all PA programs. The public member serves as a consumer advocate, representing the public interest in relation to the accreditation of PA programs. The appointment is for three years with an opportunity for re-appointment for a second year term. Applications are due before September 1. For more information, contact ARC-PA Executive Director John McCarty, mccarty.john@marshfieldclinic.org

National Primary Care Week is October 17-23, 2004

National Primary Care Week (NPCW), an annual event supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration and managed by the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) highlights the importance of primary care careers and functions as a resource for health professions students interested in generalist medicine.

• Improve your understanding of primary care
• Meet role models and leaders in the field
• Learn about clinical and non-clinical careers related to primary care
• Discover the importance of collaboration between primary care practitioners and the community
• Participate in community service events
• Get involved in the political process

To find out more about NPCW and how you can become involved, visit http://www.amsa.org/programs/npcw

To sign up as a local NPCW leader, visit http://www.amsa.org/programs/npcw/signup.cfm

Update on Funding for Title Vll

This message is from the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) of which the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) is a member.

The House Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee passed its version of the Labor-HHS FY 2005 appropriations bill on July 8 by a vote of 18-0. The full chart is available on the web: http://appropriations.house.gov/_files/2005LHHSTable_Sub.pdf

The bill restores the cuts to the health professions programs proposed by the president, but not to the FY 2003 level we promoted. The House Subcommittee bill includes a 4.5 percent cut overall to the Title VII and VIII programs, with a 8.4 percent cut to Title VII and a 3.5 percent increase to Title VIII nursing. The Title VII cut is made up of a 21.9 percent cut to primary care medicine and dentistry, a 63 percent cut to rural training, elimination of the workforce information and analysis, and a 24 percent to public health, preventive medicine and dental public health programs. Within Title VIII, advanced nursing education receives a 8.5 percent cut, while nurse education, practice and retention and the loan and scholarship see increases.

As noted in yesterday's meeting, the Senate subcommittee markup has been postponed indefinitely. Also, it is not expected that this House subcommittee bill will move much further, and will certainly not be put up for a vote on the House floor. Rolling it into a large omnibus appropriations bill is the likely scenario, similar to previous years.

HPNEC may hold another Congressional staff briefing on the Senate side in September. HPNEC groups should be prepared to activate their grassroots during the August recess. More information is forthcoming. Please contact me with questions.

Erica Froyd
Senior Legislative Analyst
Association of American Medical Colleges.
202/828-0558

APAP Update - July 2004