ASCLS-Ohio

The Legislative Symposium is quickly approaching. This is a description of the legislative activities ASCLS conducts for members all year round.This information is for new members or those who wonder what legislative activities, if any, ASCLS participates in that benefit the laboratory.

Briefly, Legislative Day is a two day symposium in Washington D.C. that addresses current legislative and regulatory issues that affect the profession. The Legislative Symposium has been going strong since 1989; this year the symposium will be March 16-17, 2015. The first day of the symposium introduces the issues impacting the profession and the second day includes visits to Capitol Hill to discuss these important concerns with our legislators. Find out more info for this event at www.ascls.org/events.

As members, you have probably had colleagues ask what ASCLS has done for the profession. Rick Panning, Chair of ASCLS’s Government Affairs Committee (GAC), wrote a summary to a lapsed member specifically addressing ASCLS’s legislative participation. The highlights of that communication are listed here.

•ASCLS works closely with a legislative consultant, Patrick Cooney. Mr. Cooney is funded by ASCLS and works alongside ASCLS members such as Mr. Panning and his committee as well as other ASCLS members participating in grassroots efforts.

•GAC, in the last year, was able to lobby for and restore funding to Title VII and VIII and the Workforce Reinvestment Act. Both provide additional funding to schools and workforce development centers.

•ASCLS is working with other Allied Health professions (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapists and respiratory therapists) to increase awareness of allied health professions under the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) which recently restructured and limited its focus to nurses and physicians. It is noteworthy to mention that ASCLS and AACC are the only two laboratory organizations working on this effort.

•GAC, along with the Clinical Laboratory Coalition, is also part of the continuing discussion regarding laboratory reimbursement as related to the new legislation, Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA). PAMA will change how Medicare officials determine prices for laboratory testing which is currently based on a fee schedule developed in 1984. PAMA transitions the current fee schedule to a market-based model which will significantly impact laboratories. Keep an eye out for updates.

•In past years, GAC has lobbied on laboratory workforce shortages, competitive bidding, and state licensure.

***If you are interested in learning more or attending the Legislative Symposium feel free to email the ASCLS-Ohio Board of Directors at: ohioascls@gmail.com And they will put you in touch with someone to answer your questions.

The Region IV Leadership Conference was held October 25, 2014 in Perrysburg, Ohio. Conference attendees were given the opportunity to network with other ASCLS members, discuss issues and learn how to be leaders in their field and organization.

Some conference attendees are quoted below:

Sheila Ng, ASCLS-Ohio Member: “Among the things I learned from the meeting were that ASCLS plays an active role in advocating for the clinical/medical laboratory science issues. ASCLS has extensive membership grassroots involvement, providing numerous opportunities for its members to serve. There are many continuing education activities ASCLS offers (conferences, web-courses, etc) and invaluable networking opportunities and mentorship.”

Marcia Lee, ASCLS-Ohio Senior Director: “I gained a wonderful opportunity to meet MLS professionals from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky at the Region IV Leadership Conference! Speakers from ASCLS detailed leadership and networking opportunities that ASCLS membership offers at state, regional and national levels. A huge shout-out “thank you” to the meeting’s speakers Catherine Shaffner (MLS(ASCP)SH, conference organizer and speaker), Andrea Hickey, (ASCLS Membership Director), Roslyn McQueen (Ph.D.,MLS(ASCP)SH, ASCLS Region IV’s Director),Tim Randolph (Ph.D.,MT(ASCP)) and Kathy Doig (Ph.D, MLS(ASCP)SHCM)!

This is an excellent opportunity and we hope to see you next year!

ASCLS-Ohio is once again offering scholarships for the 2014-2015 academic school year. Additionally, this year ASCLS-Ohio is excited to announce the addition of a third scholarship, The ASCLS-Ohio Member Scholarship. This scholarship is open to members at any stage in their academic career.

Check out the Awards and Scholarship Tab for eligibility requirements and the application.

SAVE THE DATE

The ASCLS Region IV Leadership Conference focuses on providing key leadership concepts to help current leaders successfully lead the association, in addition to preparing tomorrow’s leaders for the future.

Date: October 25, 2014
Location: BGSU at Levis Commmons
1655 N. Wilkinson Way
Perrysburg, OH 43551

Contact person: Catherine Shaffner
email: cmshaff@bgsu.edu
(P) 419-372-6193

This year we have three board positions open, treasurer and two senior director positions. Each nominee was asked to provide a brief statement about themselves.  The nominees will be available at the Collaborative Laboratory Conference; please feel free to meet them and ask any questions you may have. These individuals represent you!

Nominee for Treasurer: Catherine Shaffner

I have been a laboratory professional for 30 years and a member of ASCLS since the early 90s. ASCLS has had a great impact on my career and career choices. The professionals I have met through this society are a tremendous asset in my personal and professional growth.

My goals as ASCLS-Ohio treasurer would be to continue to secure financial stability for the organization.  If we are to continue to grow we need to continue to secure our financial resources.  My goal would be to continue to explore new options and continue to maintain the financial responsibilities of the organization.

Nominee for Senior Director: Greg Attenweiler

I have been a member of ASCLS-Ohio since 2007 and have previously served on the board as both a junior and senior director. During my time with ASCLS I have served on the membership committee for ASCLS-Ohio and helped out with the publicity and promotion committee for the Collaborative Laboratory Conference.

ASCLS-Ohio is a premier organization that provides opportunities for education, network working, leadership development and growth both personally and within the field of Medical Laboratory Science. In order to keep ASCLS-Ohio the premier organization it is we must attract new members, especially those recent graduates just entering the field. They can provide fresh ideas and tremendous motivation to move our organization to new heights. As a senior director I hope to develop a program that will attract not only students but also recent grads to ASCLS-Ohio. Communication with program directors as well as students and recent graduates will be key. We need to make sure they understand the benefits of being a member of ASCLS-Ohio. This will be the mission for my two year term if I am elected.

The Member Business meeting will be Friday, May 9 at 7:30 am in Salon A of the Crowne Plaza North in Columbus, Ohio.  This is an hour before the start of the Friday program of the Collaborative Laboratory Conference.

This meeting will include updates, a bylaw amendment vote, and elections for positions on the Board of Directors. All members are encouraged to attend!!

ASCLS-Ohio needs YOU! Please consider nominating yourself or one of your ASCLS-Ohio member colleague(s) for one of the elected positions listed on the “Nominations Form,” printed on the adjacent page. Active participation provides the opportunity to directly influence the goals and activities of the organization. The benefits to volunteering for an organization such as ASCLS-Ohio are two-fold. On a personal level, volunteering for this organization can help impact the future of the profession and the society as a whole. On a professional level, volunteering provides many social networking opportunities with laboratory professionals throughout the state of Ohio and nationwide, can create invaluable connections to aid in your professional development, and develop/enhance both personal and career leadership skills. The qualifications for each position for which nominees are being sought can be found on the nominations form. Nominate yourself or someone you know today so new ideas and enthusiasm can start to flow!

ASCLS-Ohio is a volunteer state society. We depend on you, the members, for setting the tone of organization and you are the very reason we exist! If you agree that this society is an important facet of our profession, then come and participate. The board knows that laboratory professionals are very busy both in and out of the laboratory, so we ask each member to share a minimum of their time and talents for the betterment of the profession.

Interested, but unsure as to what the expectations, requirements and time commitments are for one of the elected positions on the ASCLS-Ohio Board of Directors? Email Shannon Kern (skern29@yahoo.com) to request a copy of the position descriptions with the basic functions and a detailed listing of responsibilities for each position.
Briefly, the duties for each position being elected this year include:

• Treasurer (1)– maintains the financial books of the Society; assures the receipt and expenditure of funds in accordance with the directives established by the board; prepares audits, tax forms, and a budget with the President; serves as the financial committee chair; serves as a voting member of the Executive Board
• Senior Director (2)– the affairs of the Society are governed by the Board of Directors; develops and maintains Standard Operating Procedures as required in the establishment of an organization; attends all meetings of the Board of Directors, annual Member Business Meeting, and Leadership Conference; may be appointed by the President to serve as member or chair of task forces or any standing, special or ad hoc committee.

The entire Board of Directors meets 3-4 times during the society year (August 1 – July 31) either face-to-face or via conference call. Email is used extensively to facilitate the timely communication of all information and to seek input on issues that arise throughout the year.

The best way to find answers to any questions you have is to talk with a member of the ASCLS-Ohio Leadership who currently holds the position that is of interest to you. Contact information for officers and board members is posted on the ASCLS-Ohio web site (www.ascls-ohio.org) or can be found by emailing Shannon Kern (skern29@yahoo.com) ,current ASCLS-Ohio President or Marcia Lee (leemr@miamioh.edu), nominations chair.

Elections for these positions will be held at the ASCLS-Ohio Member Business Meeting at the 2014 Collaborative Laboratory Conference, on Friday, May 9th from 7:30-8:30 am. All ASCLS-Ohio members are encouraged to attend.

Nominations form 2014

Tasked with making sure the laws and operating procedures of the society are fair, applicable, and followed is the bylaw committee. This year the committee met and recommended several changes to the bylaws.

The process for a bylaw change for ASCLS-Ohio is as follows:

(1) A change is recommended by the bylaws committee and presented to the state board of directors. –Done in Sept. 2013

(2) The board of directors discusses the changes and either votes to accept or reject the proposed changes—Done in November 2013

(3) The proposed bylaw changes are submitted to the national bylaw committee where they are discussed and either approved or rejected—Done in January 2014

(4) The board of directors at the state level reviews the recommendations, if any, given by the national bylaw committee and chooses to proceed or table the proposed amendments—Done February 2014

(5) The membership of the state society is presented with the proposed bylaw amendments and votes on either accepting or rejecting the proposed amendments at the annual member business meeting.

The follow link will show the current bylaws and the proposed amendments. These will be voted on at the member business meeting being held Friday, May 9, from 7:30 am-8:30 am at the Crowne Plaza North in Columbus, Ohio. This meeting is in conjunction with our Collaborative Laboratory Conference. If you have any questions or wish to attend the meeting but not the conference please email Shannon Kern at skern29@yahoo.com .

ascls-oh bylaws changes sub to ascls new

The webpage had been down for a few weeks but now it is back up and running. Be sure to come back often as 2014 nominations and a bylaw amendment process update will be posted soon!