2018 House of Delegates Recap
CONNAPA Delegates to the 2018 House of Delegates
Johanna D’Addario, Sarah Clark, Deanna Zimkus and Jason Prevelige
Dear Members,
The 2018 House of Delegates Meeting took place from May 19-21 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A few major resolutions were discussed that I would like to make you aware of. First, a resolution was presented to have an independent firm investigate the potential of a professional title change. Initial estimates for costs of this endeavor are approximately 1.3 million. This resolution passed in the House and findings from this preliminary investigation will be discussed at next year’s meeting.
There was also a resolution put forth from PAs in RI, TX and VA to attempt to clarify language in Optimal Team Practice. This resolution sought to clarify that OTP does not equate independent practice for PAs. This resolution brought up much debate in the house and ultimately did not pass. Many who spoke at the microphones stated that since OTP is still very much in its infancy, it should not be amended at this time.
Another resolution, which was hotly debated, was put forth by the Tennessee Academy of PAs which proposed that PA program must have 80% of didactic instruction in a face to face setting, not online. The 80% number was admittedly arbitrary. The house voted to have the Speaker refer this resolution to the appropriate body and report back on this in 2019.
This is a time of massive changes in our profession. Thank you to those members who submitted responses to our email survey. Your delegates took your responses into consideration while voting. I was honored to be apart of the HOD meeting this year. The collegial debate that took place this year was invigorating. I look forward to the 2019 meeting in Denver.
Respectfully submitted,
Deanna JC Zimkus, MHS, PA-C
President, Connecticut Academy of PAs