AMA Alliance at the Arizona Medical Association Alliance Annual Meeting 2-5-12
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AMA Alliance Director, Debbi Ricks, presents to the members of the Arizona Medical Association Alliance at their Annual Meeting February 5, 2012
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AMA Alliance at the Arizona Medical Association Alliance Annual Meeting 2-5-12
- 1. The AMA Alliance supports medical families through advocacy and education and serves as the volunteer voice of healthy families in our communities. Arizona Medical Association Alliance Annual Meeting February 5, 2012 Debbi Ricks, AMAA Director
- 3. Alliance...Alliance... Connecting the Family ofConnecting the Family of MedicineMedicine Alliance...a bond or connection between two or moreAlliance...a bond or connection between two or more entities...a close association formed to advance commonentities...a close association formed to advance common interests, causes or purposesinterests, causes or purposes
- 4. National…State…County Connecting the TriangleConnecting the Triangle
- 5. Alliance MembersAlliance Members Who We Are TodayWho We Are Today We are: • physician and medical school couples. • individual physicians. • individual medical students. • volunteers who are dedicated to promoting the good health of America and to supporting the family of medicine. • affiliated with our local medical associations, our state medical associations and the AMA ...working hand-in- hand to ensure better health for every American.
- 6. AMA AllianceAMA Alliance Who We Are in NumbersWho We Are in Numbers • 8,000+ Individual Members Including 500+ Members-at-Large • 300 County Alliances • 35 State Alliances • 160 Members attending Annual Meeting in 2011 • 98 Members attending LDC in 2011 • 15 Board of Directors
- 7. AllianceAlliance What We DoWhat We Do Connect the Family of Medicine • Provide Networking & Social Opportunities
- 8. Alliance What We Do Connect the Family of Medicine • Support Physicians-in-Training
- 9. Alliance What We Do Support Physicians-in-Training through the new AMA Alliance Honor Fund www.amafoundation.org
- 10. Alliance MembersAlliance Members What We DoWhat We Do • Make a Difference in our Communities Faux Paw the Techno Cat Stop America’s Violence Everywhere
- 11. Alliance MembersAlliance Members What We DoWhat We Do • Promote Legislative Advocacy
- 12. AllianceAlliance Where We’re HeadedWhere We’re Headed Connecting for a Strong FutureConnecting for a Strong Future MembershipMembership • Changing to meet the needs of our members • Recognizing each member’s uniqueness • Connecting with states and counties
- 13. AllianceAlliance Why Should I Connect ?Why Should I Connect ? • Support & Life-Long Friendships • Community • Contributing to the Greater Good • Personal and Professional Development
- 14. Western States CoalitionWestern States Coalition AMAA Annual SessionAMAA Annual Session June, 2011June, 2011
- 15. AMAA Annual SessionAMAA Annual Session June 17-19, 2012June 17-19, 2012 June 17th Sunday 1:00 – 4:00 ~ Registration & Leadership Training June 18th Monday 9:00 – 12:00 ~ Business Meeting Monday 1:30 – 5:00 ~ Leadership Training Monday 6:00 – 7:30 ~ 90th Anniversary Gala Celebration June 19th Tuesday 9:00 – 11:00 ~ Business Meeting Tuesday Noon ~ Installation Ceremony Tuesday 5:00 ~ AMA Presidential Inauguration & AMA/Alliance Dinner Save-the-Date Alliance 90th Anniversary 1922 – 2012
- 16. AMAAAMAA Leadership Development ConferenceLeadership Development Conference October 2011October 2011
- 17. AMAAAMAA Leadership Development ConferenceLeadership Development Conference October 2011October 2011 Arizona Delegation
- 18. Western States CoalitionWestern States Coalition Dinner at LDC 2011Dinner at LDC 2011
- 19. Western States CoalitionWestern States Coalition ConferenceConference February, 2011February, 2011 San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California 1st Western States Regional Conference Arizona, California, Colorado Nevada, Oregon Texas, Utah
- 20. Western States CoalitionWestern States Coalition ConferenceConference February, 2011February, 2011 San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
- 21. No one else can contribute your unique combination of talents, energy, insights and ideas. What you do does make a difference Chuck Durakis Be the Difference
- 22. The AMA Alliance supports medical families through advocacy and education and serves as the volunteer voice of healthy families in our communities. Debbi Ricks, Director, AMAA 17480 High Street, Los Gatos, CA 95030 408-354-5613, 408-892-3789 (cell) debbiricks@aol.com AMA Alliance AMA Alliance Staff 312.464.4470 amaa@ama-assn.org www.amaalliance.org
Editor's Notes
- I am delighted to be here with you at this lovely location representing the American Medical Association as your Director. I see some familiar faces and look forward to getting to know the rest of you! I was very pleased when Mindie invited me to be here and I’m glad to have this time to talk a bit about how the Alliance keeps our medical families connected.
- An alliance is “a bond or connection between two or more entities... a close association formed to advance common interests, causes or purposes. So…those of us involved with the Medical Alliance…locally, at the state level and nationally, become involved with like-minded people with whom we can advance our common purposes. It struck me while I was preparing this talk, how personally important and rewarding it has been for me to be connected with the Medical Alliance these past 30+ years…spending time working in my county, then at the state level and now on the national board. I have developed like-minded friends who support the same causes I’m passionate about all over the country. We understand each other’s stresses and share in the joys of being a part of the medical family.
- Our three-tiered organization...local, state and national, provides us with opportunities to connect on many levels. County Alliances are our heartbeat. By addressing local public health concerns, you improve the lives of people within your own community. State Alliances coordinate activities and provide support for the county Alliances and the Members-at-Large. The National organization provides support for both the state and local Alliances through leadership training, speakers to visit states and counties, resources developed and available on the website and through personal connections. Working together we are better able to amplify the power of each Alliance member. Whether your passion is to better influence legislation or to launch effective health awareness programs, your national leaders are always available to help you. We are there to help you work through your challenges and to help celebrate your successes. As your Director, I am your direct link to the AMAA so please don’t hesitate to contact me with your concerns, successes or thoughts.
- As we connect with our medical family members throughout the nation, it is important to recognize that the composition of our Alliance membership has changed dramatically since we were established in 1922 as the Woman’s Auxiliary to the American Medical Association. Currently, our AMAA membership includes, physician and medical school couples, individual physicians and individual medical students…we are a diverse group of volunteers coming from many unique backgrounds. It is interesting to note that our Alliance membership categories at the state and local levels vary according to the desires of the respective Alliance. For instance, some local and state Alliances include the category of “Friend of Medicine.” In some Alliances the “Friends” have the same rights and privileges as regular members and in other cases they are associate members without the right to vote or hold office. Some Alliances are exclusively spouse organizations while others include physicians as regular members. As you are probably aware, the AMAA recently opened up regular membership to include domestic partners. This was a national membership issue that states and counties could either embrace or choose not to implement. That’s the beauty of the way our organization is structured. It is not a one-size fits all. Members in counties and states have the flexibility to make choices to meet the needs of their members.
- Membership recruitment and retention are among the most challenging aspects of Alliance involvement at all three levels. Our numbers are down for many reasons and have been declining for a number of years. All membership organizations are being affected by the economy and by outside influences. AMAA is affected additionally by factors including dissatisfaction with AMA’s stand on health care reform and a perception of lack of value. Through all of this change 35 of our states have active Alliances, we have members-at-large and there are 300 active county Alliances in the nation. You are to be especially commended here in Arizona for reenergizing your Alliance! As you can see, there is strong participation at our AMAA national meetings…160 of us attended the Annual Meeting in June and almost 100 attended the Leadership Development Conference in October. We have a very active and dedicated base for moving the Alliance ahead…a positive position to be in.
- The Alliance is the largest support system for the family of medicine. One of the strengths of the Alliance is the opportunity to develop friendships that will last a lifetime. We support each other in the good times and in the tough times…through malpractice suits, relocations and family celebrations. The Alliance offers a network of support where caring physician family members share information and experiences…and listen with compassion to the problems, stresses and crisis of others.
- We support our future physicians by providing resident/resident spouse/partners and medical school/medical school spouse/partners with focused events, mentoring and collaborative opportunities. They are our future...Let’s remember to support and encourage them. The rewards are great. (Pause) We also support them financially throughout the country.
- Most medical schools today have their own foundations established to help fund students during medical school and many of us support those programs. To further fund our future physicians, the AMA Alliance has established a new permanent endowment fund called the “AMA Alliance Honor Fund”. The earnings from money invested will be used to support student scholarships at $10,000 each. As the cost of medical education continues to increase, financial assistance for medical students is more important than ever. If you are interested, your contribution is welcome. Specific information is available on the AMA Foundation’s website.
- Alliance members make a difference in our communities, our states and our nation through hundreds of projects including SAVE Projects (Stop America’s Violence Everywhere), Faux Paw, Health Literacy, anti-Bullying Campaigns, distribution of the AMA Alliance’s health promotion materials… just to name a few. We join forces with existing organizations to form coalitions of people working for the same cause.
- Legislative Advocacy has always been a focus of the Alliance since the early days. As a physician, physician spouse/partner, your voice counts. Better than any professional lobbyist, Alliance members can give legislators the most accurate picture of how the issues really affect the practice of medicine. The Alliance can provide you with speaking points on current medical issues so that you can contact your legislators to encourage them to vote for meaningful healthcare reforms. If it’s not within your comfort zone to make the call, I encourage you to make the effort. You’ll see that it’s not as intimidating as you thought and your contact does really make a difference!
- Membership: Change has become the constant in the medical arena. Some of you have lived through these changes, and the younger ones are just beginning to understand the complex array of factors that impact the way you, your spouse or partner practices medicine. Keep in mind that in order to keep our organization relevant, we must tap into each member’s “what’s-in-for me spot.” These days, everyone is looking for something that they can get from the organization before they can begin to think about what they can do for the organization. It’s no longer like it was in the olden days when everyone joined just because. Keeping this in mind, despite the challenges, the Alliance has a strong place in today’s world. Our common concerns and shared challenges connect us in ways that will outlast this period of transition. This is reconfirmed every day through every person whose life is improved by our unique efforts. At the AMA Alliance we are aware that you may need more assistance to be able to help make this “difference.” The AMAA leadership needs to better focus on developing stronger connections to the county and state Alliances. Because most members initially hear about the AMAA from their county Alliance and because their relationship with their state and county is more clearly defined, we at the AMAA level need to have more direct contact with our grassroots-members. Continue to ask, “How can you help us?” Continue to ask us to attend your meetings. Contact us directly if members have questions or concerns. We there for you!
- You are already a member of the Alliance so you know the benefits of membership. Why should a friend or colleague who doesn’t belong connect with the Alliance? Again...what’s in it for Me for Them? We all need a support system. Medical families face unique challenges both personally and professionally. As part of the Alliance, members gain a forum to discuss their relationships with people who have first-hand experience of the pressing issues while developing life-long friendships. By being a part of the Alliance, you are immediately connected to a community of over 8,000 members of the family of medicine. While each member shares a common commitment to better health care, Alliance members come from diverse backgrounds and experiences thus enriching our experience. Contributing to the Greater Good allows us to look outside of ourselves and do the small part we can to make our community a better place. By far, one of the greatest benefits of belonging to the Alliance are the opportunities for personal growth. Your local and state Alliances provide opportunities such as this meeting where you come together to learn and have fun together. The AMA Alliance provides two meetings per year focused on providing learning, training and networking opportunities and I strongly encourage you to consider participating whether you are a state or county officer or not. Both meetings are held in Chicago.
- The Annual Meeting is in June and though it is the business meeting for the year, there are trainings and inspiring speakers as well. Anyone who is an AMAA member may attend and has a vote. This is a photo from last year. I was delighted to meet Mindie at the meeting. There she is in the front row along with the rest of us from the Western States coalition.
- This year’s meeting is scheduled for June 17-19 in Chicago. It’s the AMA Alliance’s 90 year and there will be a gala celebration. We encourage all of you to join us to celebrate and to be part of the picture at this memorable event. The meeting information will be on the website very soon.
- The Fall Leadership Development Conference is a time for both new and seasoned leaders to come together and to get re-energized to go back and make a difference at home. LDC, as it’s called, is held in Chicago, usually in October. We were delighted to have Anita and Celeste join us last October. The others in this picture are representatives from four of the other states I am assigned to as Director, Kentucky, North Carolina, Utah, and Nebraska.
- Your Arizona delegation enjoyed themselves and participated in all of the activities. There was loud applause when Anita announced that she was the oldest person in the room...80??? Years and running strong!
- In addition to the local, state and national Alliances, Arizona is fortunate to be a part of the Western States Coalition. The Western States Coalition meets at each of the national meetings and once during the year: either for a retreat or conference in one of our states. This year there will be a retreat and next year there will be a conference.
- The very first Western States Regional Conference was held last February in San Diego California. Our Western States consist of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Utah.
- The meeting last February coincided with “Wear Red” day...for women’s heart health. Here is a comment from one of our younger participants at the Western States Conference, Gabby Neubuerger and I know she speaks for all of us who attend Alliance meetings. Wow! I am always amazed and inspired every time I attend an Alliance Conference. As I walked into a room filled with Alliance members, there was an instant camaraderie as we are all dedicated to the family of medicine and to improving the health and lives of our fellow citizens. Like you, I am busy. I often debate whether or not I have time to be involved with my state and local Alliance. I wonder whether it is worth the time away to attend a conference, yet I am ALWAYS glad that I made the time. Was the time well spent? ABSOLUTELY!
- Each of you here today has made a special effort to attend...to connect with your other medical family members from around your state. You are all very busy people with much to offer. The Alliance is very fortunate to have you as an advocate and member! Each of your contributions to our organization is important. In closing I would like to read one of my favorite quotes by Chuck Durakis from this little book entitled “Be the Difference.” “No one else can contribute your unique combination of talents, energy, insights and Ideas. What you do does make a difference.” Thank you what you do help make a difference and to help keep us connected.