The Importance of Advocacy: Week of April 19, 2024

 

Dear Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

I hope everyone had a productive week as we get ready for the final stretch of our Spring Semester. Many are preparing for clinical exams as well as finals. Commencement is right around the corner!

 Here are some things I hope you find of interest:

MATCH DAY: It was Match Day – when Doctor of Optometry graduate students find out where they’ve been matched for their yearlong residencies – and Daniel Hoffman ‘24OD had settled into his lunch break with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. This was the day he would find out where he was matched for his residency program. Read more here about the anticipation and nervousness that Match Day brings.

AUDIOLOGY EXTERNS SENDOFF: The University’s Doctor of Audiology Class of 2025 is unique for a couple of reasons. First, members came into the program during the pandemic; and second, the Class of 2025 will graduate next year in the 25th year of the program’s inception which was initially launched in 2000. For now, though, they’re all headed to externships. Read more about their sendoff celebration here.

DEI EDUCATES!: Many of you will remember that the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and its committee hosted two virtual Safe Zone Trainings through the DEI Educates! program in 2023. We have invited facilitators, Stan Kimer and Deanna Jones, to join us again, given their educational and engaging session last year. We are offering two virtual training sessions on April 30 and May 8. You only need to attend one session in its entirety. Please click here to register for your desired training session. The Zoom link will be shared with registrants the week of the training.

‘THE ART OF HEALING’: Jana Walker, LSW, a counselor in the University’s Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD), has been interested in psychotherapy and spirituality for more than 20 years. And now, she has brought those two things together in a new book called “The Art of Healing.” Click here to read more.

MORE CLINICAL OPPORTUNITIES: The Drexel University College of Medicine has recently secured more opportunities for the clinical education of our medical students. The University’s longstanding academic medical campus affiliation with Bayhealth Medical Center in Delaware has been expanded. It will serve as a new regional medical campus for the College of Medicine beginning at the start of this 2024-2025 academic year. Read more here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend the American Optometric Association’s annual Federal Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC. The goal of the summit is to bring optometric leaders and students up to speed on key legislative issues facing the profession. Groups of optometrists and optometry students are assigned to their district legislators to lobby on behalf of the profession.

This year, we focused on four key areas:

1. Putting Patients and Doctors back in control of their healthcare decisions by passing the Dental and Optometric Care (DOC) Access Act which would combat abusive practices in the federally regulated vision and dental plan coverage markets.
2. Asking Congress to take action to stop Medicare pay cuts to optometry and other professions.
3. Ensuring that the over 1000 optometrists working at the Department of Veterans Affairs are permitted to practice at their highest level of training and licensure to assure veterans have access to full-scope eyecare wherever they are seen and ensuring VA optometrists are paid at the same level as physicians, dentists and podiatrists.
4. Reining in abusive contact lens seller practices by regulating contact lens verification robocalls from companies which too often lead to patients receiving a different device than what was originally prescribed.

I was asked to join several groups that visited the offices of Congresswomen Dean and Congressman Fitzpatrick. Both representatives were extremely supportive and sensitive to the issues we raised.

These interactions are so important, since all our professions are regulated through legislation, most often at the state level. It is extremely important for all of our students, in each of our professions, to learn about the legislative process and get involved as early as possible. This process governs the scope, safety and remuneration of our professions. I remember juggling my schedule when I was a student to do just that. Those were the days where we were fighting for the right to use therapeutic drugs, something we all take for granted today. The four issues we addressed this week touch on the same types of issues we had to confront over forty years ago. While the names of the issues may change, groups will always be out there attempting to erode or restrict what you’ve been taught to do for your patients. Hence, it is essential that you become actively engaged in advocacy for your profession.

As you prepare for the weekend, please remember to look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG! Below are a few photos from the DC meeting:

-Mike