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This is a bi-weekly blog to keep you informed of issues and events pertaining to the osteopathic profession in Washington. We invite you to submit topics or articles of interest to your colleagues for consideration. Submissions may be emailed to jperlmutter@woma.org.
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2017 Convention
Congratulations to WOMA’s CME Committee for an outstanding Convention Program. According to evaluations submitted, it was one of the best! CME credits will be reported to the AOA and certificates will be emailed to registrants by the end of this month. Attendees can earn up to two additional credits if the Outcomes Survey is completed and submitted by tomorrow, May 26th. A link to the survey was emailed last week. If you missed them, several of our convention program sessions will be offered as on-demand seminars through DOCME at https://docme.inreachce.com/ and select WOMA on the subject matter list. More will be added soon.
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Licensing Board Applicants Needed
The Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance, is accepting applications to fill vacancies on the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (Board). They currently have one professional member vacancy.
In addition to the current vacancy, they anticipate filling four more positions following the passage of Substitute House Bill (SHB) 1431. SHB 1431 passed the legislature and will add four members, expanding the current seven-member board to 11 members. The bill adds one public member, who must not have a financial or fiduciary relationship to a health care delivery system; one osteopathic physician assistant who has been in active practice in Washington State for at least five years; and two osteopathic physicians who have been in active practice in Washington State for at least five years. They anticipate filling those positions once the law takes effect at the end of July.
They are looking for public-spirited people willing to study the issues and to make decisions in the public’s best interest. They seek diversity in board and commission members and recognize the value variety brings in understanding and serving the people of Washington State. They seek candidates with diverse backgrounds and those who provide geographic representation throughout the state. All board members must be U.S. citizens and residents of Washington State.
The Board meets about six times a year. Typically, meetings are scheduled on a Friday in the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November. Meetings typically occur in the Seattle area, but they may also be held in the Olympia/Tumwater area or elsewhere around the state. The Board operates under legislative mandate to protect the health and safety of the public, and to promote the welfare of the state by regulating the competency and quality of health care providers under its jurisdiction.
If you are interested in applying for an appointment to the Board, please complete the application at: https://fortress.wa.gov/es/governor/boardsapplication. The original deadline of May 15 has been extended due to having received only two applications for the three osteopathic physician board positions. The Governor prefers at least three applicants per position.
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Osteopac Kickoff
The 2017 WOMA Convention included a kickoff for the Washington Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons Political Action Committee (Osteopac) Membership. Forty-three DOs joined and contributed or pledged a total of $8,000. At least twice that will be needed to fund DO Day in Olympia, scheduled for Tuesday, February 13, 2018 and VoterVoice, the online grassroots advocacy technology software that empowers Washington osteopathic physicians to participate more fully in the legislative process with less effort. A limited amount funds will be contributed to political campaigns to support candidates friendly to issues important to the osteopathic profession. A membership/contribution form will be emailed soon. If every DO practicing in Washington would give just $25, we would surpass our goal.
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Save the Date!
WOMA’s Fall Seminar will be:
“Taking the Pain Out of Pain Management”
Saturday, September 16, 2017
PNWU
Yakima, WA
The program and registration information will be available soon. With speaker permission, we will provide live streaming for those who are unable to travel to Yakima.
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WOMA Restructure
At its annual meeting, the WOMA membership approved bylaws changes to restructure WOMA with a smaller, more efficient board and more opportunities for members to be involved in committees in areas of interest. Taking office on January 1, 2018 will be:
President:
Rose-Marie Colombini, DO
Vice-President/President Elect:
David Gillingham, DO
Secretary/Treasurer:
David Farrell, DO
Immediate Past President:
Michael J Scott, III, DO
Director of the Division of Public Affairs
David Escobar, DO
Director of the Division of Professional Affairs Jeanne Rupert, DO
Director of the Division of Membership Suzanne Laurel, DO
All WOMA members, from Students to Retirees, are encouraged to get involved in their areas of interest to the extent they are able. This could be anything from chairing a committee to participating by email in surveys where your opinions are needed. The President and Division Directors will be working on Committee appointments. Click HERE to see potential areas of interest and to sign up.
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WOMA Welcomes
New Members!
At its meeting on May 4th, the WOMA Board of Governors approved the following applications for membership: Active Members – Drs. Patrick Gavin, Julia Hamilton, Jennifer Pontarolo, Katrina Silva and Daniel Stephenson; Associate Member – Dr. Walter Hardin; Retired Members Drs. Michael Buben and Jerry Davenport; Life Membership was awarded to Drs. John Finch and Dieter Eppel.
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WOF Auction a
Rollicking Success
The Washington Osteopathic Foundation supports osteopathic medical education with low-interest loans, scholarships for osteopathic medical students, CME scholarships for student and postgraduate members to attend WOMA conferences and grants to support WOMA CME programs. Because WOF is a private foundation whose mission is to support WOMA and osteopathic education, it cannot solicit contributions outside the osteopathic profession. Due to increased competition for your tax-deductible contributions within the osteopathic family, the loan program funds are almost depleted and the scholarship funds are limited. The Annual WOF Auction on May 6th raised over $14,000. Thank you to our auctioneer Scott Fannin, DO, our auction item donors Drs. Phil Andress, Rose-Marie Colombini, Nick Curalli, Paul Emmans, Jr, Scott Fannin, Stan Flemming, Cynthia Garner, David Gillingham, Lindy Griffin, Monica Haines, Mark Hunt, Richard Koss, Suzanne Laurel, Steven Leifheit, David Lukens, Katheryn Norris, Loren H Rex, Ken Scherbarth, Michael Scott, Christen & Long Vu, Terry Wrobel and supporters PNWU, Semiahmoo Resort, Sharelle Leick and Steve & Kathie Itter and all the bidders. If you would like to help with a tax-deductible contribution to the Washington Osteopathic Foundation, send your check made payable to WOF to PO Box 16486, Seattle, WA 98116-0486.
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Good Bye!
As my last day as your executive director draws near, I would like to take this opportunity to say that working for WOMA since 1974 has been a remarkable experience. I must admit that I will not miss the stress or workload, but I will miss the wonderful people I have had the pleasure to know. I also want to thank those of you who took the time to write a note in the special book I received, and those who generously contributed to my retirement “surprise”. (I wanted to send individual thank you notes, but the organizers of the surprise will not share your names with me.)
Fondly with Deep Appreciation,
Kathie Itter
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Do you have member news to share with your osteopathic colleagues?
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The Washington Osteopathic Medical Association
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