Dear Delaware Valley Chapter members, please review the message below sent on behalf of Sebastien Gros, Chair, AAPM Government and Regulatory Affairs Committee (GRAC) and Holly Lincoln, Chair, AAPM Regional Organization Committee (RO).
Background
AAPM recognizes that our influence on state legislation and regulatory organizations can be improved by implementing an advocacy program. The current trend in radiation protection in healthcare is at the state level, rather than the federal; as such, we need a representative from each state to be identified as a “state champion.” The state champion would be the AAPM point of contact whenever anything within their state with the potential to have an impact on the practice of medical physics is raised. It is not expected that being a state champion will require a significant amount of time. While there are no limits to the number of champions a state may have, it would be ideal for each state to have at least two champions, each with a different therapy/diagnostic/nuclear medicine physics specialty background.
The Role of State Champions
The state champion would support and express the views of AAPM, presenting a unique opportunity for physicists to impact medicine in their state. Some of the State Champion’s activities are:
engage in-person or virtually with other members and the AAPM Government and Regulatory Affairs Committee (GRAC) to mobilize members to support or not support state legislation that might impact healthcare;
call, message, or tweet your state representatives using the VoterVOICE advocacy program; and
speak with elected officials and their staff in support of medical physicists’ activities and provide testimony at Committee, House and/or Senate hearings.
In states where the regulatory authority has advisory councils, state champions may be asked to attend advisory meetings or meet with the director of regulatory control programs for the development or revisions to state radiation protection regulations.
How to Get Involved
Please advise your regional AAPM chapter leaders of your interest and they will provide the nominees to GRAC. We need to identify our state champions by July 15, 2023, with virtual training on tools and resources to support state champions commencing in the Fall.
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to email Debbie Gilley, GRAC support at AAPM HQ (debbie@aapm.org), and/or Sebastien Gros, GRAC chair (sebgros@gmail.com).
Thank you,
Sebastien Gros, Chair, AAPM Government and Regulatory Affairs Committee (GRAC)
Holly Lincoln, Chair, AAPM Regional Organization Committee (RO)
