Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Optometry at the Capitol Day a Success

It is amazing what can be accomplished when we all work together. A collaboration of 170 optometrists and students, in addition to several paraoptometrics and POA staff, helped make Optometry at the Capitol Day a big success.

We kicked off the day with a grassroots advocacy program focused on visiting with legislators and raising money for PAC. Presenting were Brian Reuwer (AOA legislative staff, Washington office), Dr. Bobby Jarrell (AOA State Government Relations Committee chair, from New Mexico) and Dr. Bill Reynolds (Legislative Affairs Committee chair, Kentucky Optometric Association). They presented information on the “dos and don’ts” of interacting with legislators. In addition, they provided strategies for getting more comfortable with your legislator and how to grow and maximize that relationship.

I addressed the group with our new Legislative Affairs Committee chair, Dr. Bob Bittel, to provide some history on HB 838 and its predecessors in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. We were able to introduce the newest members of our lobbying team, the firm of Long, Nyquist & Associates. They have already proven effective in strengthening relationships with Senate leadership.

We also featured a guest speaker – Senator John Gordner, vice chair of the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee. He has been a supporter of organized optometry and our issues for many years. He shared some personal stories as he looked out into the audience and located his optometrist, Dr. Bob Albertson. Senator Gordner also made some remarks about how we can most effectively support our legislators as we oppose HB 838.

Another focus of the day was expanding our grassroots efforts by strengthening our keyperson system. Definition of ophthalmic surgery legislation has gotten further this session in the legislative process and has begun to awaken the sleeping giant that is our keyperson system. We spent a great deal of time pairing experienced optometrists with both new graduates and PCO students in an effort to develop our keyperson mentorship program. We even saw a number of constituent optometrists step up in the absence of some keypeople and lead these group visits in Senators’ offices. It was great to see some established and newly-developing leaders advocating on behalf of optometry and the citizens of Pennsylvania.

We also had a number of presentations regarding POPAC. We had several new POPAC contributors in addition to having many people increase their level of giving. I would encourage you to review your current level of PAC giving and to increase to the next level as you are able. I would also like to thank our immediate past president, Dr. Greg Caldwell, for leading the POPAC push among the members of the audience. He was able to raise a very significant amount of money in that room in only two hours.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone involved in Optometry at the Capitol Day: the POA Board of Directors, each of whom had a role; the POA staff, who put an enormous amount of effort into coordinating each visit for the optometrists and students; PCO and its administrators, for transporting 85 students to Harrisburg and excusing them from clinic and other educational activities so they could participate in this critically important event; our lobbying team, for everything they are doing on behalf of optometry; and last but not least, all of the optometrists who closed their offices and came to Harrisburg to join together to advocate on our behalf.

Thanks again for the honor of being your POA president and for lending me your ear.







Daniel F. Russell, O.D.
President
Pennsylvania Optometric Association

http://www.poaeyes.org/