2014 AOA Congressional Advocacy Conference

Post date: May 05, 2014 1:57:56 AM

Last week, I revisited Capitol Hill to discuss important AOA issues with Virginia legislators. It's still exciting to walk through those halls, but I wish that things moved faster in Congress. This was my third CAC in four years, and to be honest, we're talking about the same exact issues as the first time that I attended this ... federal parity for optometrists on Medicaid and inclusion in the National Health Services Corp so that our new grads can practice in under-served areas to earn student loan forgiveness (and learn a heck of a lot from that patient population!). We shall persist! TLC Tysons Affiliates Drs. Fred Goldberg, Tina Burr, and Dora Adamopoulos (not pictured) were there with me.

On the state level earlier in April, the VOA held its Grassroots Keyperson Meeting in Richmond. Over 50 optometrists attended the meeting (no CE was given!). This meeting helped us recognize the importance of maintaining good relationships with Delegates and Senators. I was really impressed with VOA members that had developed relationships over many years with key political leaders. However, we cannot continuously rely on these more established VOA members to carry the VOA. It's up to us "newer" members to carry on the torch so that our legislated profession moves in a positive direction at all times. - jw