Volume 6, Issue 31│August 05, 2022
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Strategic Review 2022

This week, the IOA Board of Directors and volunteers came together to organize a strategic plan for the future of the Illinois Optometric Association. We look forward to sharing the plan with the membership in the coming months.

THE NOMINATION DEADLINE IS IN TEN DAYS!
2022 Optometrist and Young Optometrist of the Year Awards -
Submit Your Nominations by August 15

Do you know an outstanding optometrist who should be recognized for their efforts in the field of optometry? Consider nominating them for the 2022 Optometrist of the Year or Young Optometrist of the Year awards. The Optometrist of the Year award recognizes an individual for performance of outstanding services on behalf of the profession and to the visual welfare of the public. The Young Optometrist of the Year award recognizes an optometrist who, within their first decade of practice, has shown leadership skills when serving their profession, their patients, and their community.
 
A nomination may be made by a member in good standing or by a society. Nominees must be current members of the IOA. Nominations for each award should be submitted online via the links below. A typed statement, not to exceed 2,000 words, should accompany the nomination explaining the primary reason the nominee should be named as the award recipient. A head and shoulders photograph must be included with the nomination. Nominations must be submitted by August 15, 2022.
Register for the IOA Annual Meeting!
September 29-October 2

We hope you will be able to join us for the 2022 Annual Meeting in Springfield, IL, taking place September 29 - October 2, 2022.

Optometrists can earn up to 18 hours of CE at the Annual Meeting. All courses except the workshops are available tested, so attendees can complete all tested hours in one weekend. Paraoptometrics can earn ten hours of CE over two days. Attendees can browse the Exhibit Hall on Saturday and Sunday to explore all the latest in the ophthalmic world. You will not want to miss this year's Annual Meeting!

Recognizing Our Paraoptometrics
Looking Ahead--Paraoptometric Appreciation Month is in September

Paraoptometrics are critical to the success of our work, as they assist us in providing outstanding vision care for our patients. These professionals set the tone from the minute a patient walks in the door.

In September for Paraoptometric Awareness Month, we want to share your stories about your outstanding paraoptometric staff, and why they are shining stars in your office. 

Did you know that as members of the American Optometric Association your membership includes enrollment for your staff as associate members?

In 2013, the AOA House of Delegates approved a bylaws change that allows AOA-member doctors' staff inclusion as an AOA associate member at no additional membership cost. Associate members may take advantage of the Paraoptometric Resource Center (PRC).
Outstanding staff efforts drive quality care; when patients are satisfied, they continue to come back. The AOA philosophy behind Paraoptometric Month is Recognize. Reward. Retain.
 
According to the AOA, in 1978, a group of office workers, assistants, and technicians defined a bourgeoning profession. Forty years later, paraoptometric professionals are integral to the delivery of quality eye care.
 
Please help us tell your story by sending your stories about paraoptometrics at the link below. 
Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
2022 Medicare Fee Schedules

Locality 12: Excel or PDF

Locality 15: Excel or PDF

Locality 16: Excel or PDF

Locality 99: Excel or PDF
Labor Law Poster 2022
MEMBER NEWS
IOA member Dr. Jason Edward McDowell, 48, of Jacksonville, IL, passed away July 31, 2022, at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital. Dr. McDowell was a 1991 graduate of Ottumwa High School and attended Hannibal-LaGrange University. He then obtained his Doctorate of Optometry from University of Missouri-St. Louis. After graduation, he began his career working in Hannibal and Pittsfield. In 2001, he moved to Jacksonville and began working for International Eye Care Center.
Danville - Dr. John D. Bromley, 93, of Danville passed away at his home on July 27, 2022 at 9:47 am.
John was born on February 23, 1929 the son of Harold and Lula (Miller) Bromley in Danville, IL. He married Beverly Sisk in 1981 in Champaign, IL and she survives.

After leaving the Navy, he attended Optometry School. He came back to practice in Danville and served this area for the next 40 years. Children who were visually impaired and unable financially to be provided with glasses and visual training became his priority.

He developed a vision program for the United States Olympic volleyball team and continued to work with the University of Illinois girls' volleyball team. He also developed a program for the Minnesota Golden Gopher's girls volleyball team. He designed a visual program for the National Ski Team. He was the visual coach for the Gold Medal winner in trap shooting. He has had several articles published in the American Academy of sport's Vision Journals and served on the board of the International Sport's Vision Academy, lecturing for both at conventions. He also served as president of the East Central Illinois Optometric Society. He was a consultant to the U.S. Olympic team.
Heading Here
Membership Survey Starbucks Gift Card Winner

Congratulations to Michael DeStefano, OD, the winner of the survey drawing for a $100 Starbucks gift card! Thank you to all who responded to the IOA survey.
Get to Know IOA Board Member: Haris Dzubur, O.D.

What Dr. Dzubur loves most about his job:
"I don’t have a job, I have a hobby that I love to do and get paid to do so."

Advice for new optometrists?
"Know your value, and stick to it during those first job interviews."

Dr. Marvin R. Poston Leadership Award Presented to Exemplary Optometry Students
Five awardees honored for service to community and optometry profession

Congratulations Alexis Abernathy, Class of 2023, Illinois College of Optometry on being chosen as one of 5 recipients of the 2022 Dr. Marvin R. Poston Leadership Award!
INDUSTRY NEWS
Evolution of in-office glaucoma surgical procedures
A growing number of less complex and invasive treatments are offering ODs more options for patient care.

(Optometry Times)

As the scope of optometry practice expands, office-based surgical procedures are becoming more and more common in the handful of US states that allow optometrists to perform them.

Whether utilizing lasers, injections, or other surgical tools, these procedures are less complex and invasive than more intensive procedures and allow optometrists to provide a broader scope of treatment for patients hoping to minimize their time traveling from practitioner to practitioner.

Nathan Lighthizer, OD, associate professor and associate dean at Northeastern State University College of Optometry in Tahlequah, Oklahoma—who has been performing surgical procedures in the office for several years—described the growing suite of treatments offered in optometrists’ offices today.
9/29 - 10/2/22: IOA Annual Meeting
Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!



We are looking for kid-friendly optometrists to work in the Chicago Public School (CPS) School-Based Vision Program (Read more)

We are a two-location private practice providing exceptional eye care services to the Manhattan and Peotone areas (Read more)

Looking for a friendly optometrist 2 days/week (preferably Wed & Fri, but can be flexible). (Read more)

Private Practice in Dekalb, IL looking for fill-in OD to cover medical leave ASAP. (Read more)
ILLINOIS NEWS
Monkeypox Declared a Public Health Emergency in Illinois. Here's What That Means - NBC Chicago
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday declared monkeypox a public health emergency, classifying the state as a "disaster area" in regards to the disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Illinois is the state with the third-highest number of reported monkeypox infections reported, at 520. New York has the most reported cases, at over 1,300, followed by California, which has more than 800 reported cases. Nationwide more than 5,100 infections have occurred.
FEDERAL NEWS
HHS Announces Historic Investment of Over $49 Million to Increase Health Care Coverage for Children, Parents, and Families

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), today awarded $49 million to organizations on the frontlines of reducing uninsured rates and connecting more children, parents, and families to health care coverage. In support of President Biden’s Executive Orders on Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra’s priority of expanding access to affordable, quality health care, these awards represent the largest investment CMS has ever made in outreach and enrollment through the Connecting Kids to Coverage program.
INDUSTRY PARTNERS
THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS!