Regional Affairs Committee

Purpose

Regionalization has come about in response to the growing needs of our dynamic and expanding profession in Pennsylvania. The Society is the standard bearer for Physician Assistants within the Commonwealth projecting the image of the profession to the public, other medical professionals, state regulatory officials and legislators. To effectively carry out this mandate, the PSPA has divided the state into eight geographic regions and will assist in the continuing development of these regions to nurture distinct, local organizations capable of carrying out the vital tasks necessary to promote the profession.

Regional groups of PAs can more effectively assess their professional status in the community and respond more efficiently in providing information necessary for public and professional education than the state organization can. Methods of addressing objectives such as local CME, public and professional education and legislative concerns should stem from the creative approach of PAs within the region tempered by the political and professional realities of the area. However, since the impact of activities within an individual region have far reaching effects on PAs across the state, regional activities must be conducted within the policy guidelines of the PSPA and the AAPA. To operate in any other manner is to project a mixed and confusing image of the PA profession to the public, other health professionals and legislators.

COMMITTEE GOALS

  1. Identify PAs in the region.
  2. Develop regular communication between the PAs of the region.
  3. Discuss professional problems and objectives specific to PAs in the region.
  4. Promote student and fellow membership in the PSPA and the AAPA.
  5. Enhance public and professional awareness and acceptance of the PA profession.
  6. Provide local CME at regular intervals.
  7. Maximize input to state and national legislators.
  8. Develop and maintain a good liaison with PA program(s) and students within the region.
  9. Generate sufficient financial resources to carry out the activities of the region.

COMMITTEE COMPOSITION

  1. The committee shall consist of a chairperson appointed by the president and approved by the Board of Directors.
  2. The committee shall consist of regional representatives appointed by the chairperson and approved by the Board of Directors.
  3. A Director at large, assigned by the President, will serve as the Board Advisor to the committee.
  4. The president is an ex-officio member of the committee.

COMMITTEE CHAIR JOB DESCRIPTION

  1. Be a PSPA member in good standing.
  2. Appoint committee members.
  3. Appoint one member of the committee to serve as the vice-chair. The vice-chair’s responsibility will be to assist the chair with all the functions of the committee as well as be prepared to take over the committee in the unlikely event that the chairperson is unable to complete the functions of the committee.
  4. Submit a written, quarterly committee report to the Board at least 2 weeks prior to each Board of Directors’ meeting.
  5. Monitor and update the regional affairs section on website on a regular basis.
  6. Estimated time per month needed to fulfill duties of this position is 4 hours in addition to the Board of Directors’ meetings.
  7. Attend at least three (3) Board of Directors’ meetings per year.
  8. Make policy recommendations to the Board of Directors when appropriate.
  9. Submit at least one article per issue of the PSPA News.
  10. Submit a proposed budget to the treasurer in March of each year.
  11. Submit a yearly committee report for the PSPA membership.
  12. Oversee all expenses by the committee.
  13. Participate in the development of the PSPA Action Plan.

COMMITTEE MEMBER/REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE JOB DESCRIPTION

  1. Be a PSPA member in good standing.
  2. Attend at least one Board of Directors meeting in person or two virtual Board of Directors meeting review sessions per year.
  3. Coordinate at least 2 meetings per year for the region. If unable to complete this job duty, written explanation must be sent to the chairperson for approval to continue as a Region Representative.
  4. Submit quarterly reports to the committee chairperson and Board of Directors in writing. Report to include activities completed during the quarter and planned during the next quarter. Include names of Pharmaceutical companies providing support or educational grants, date, speaker, location, and number of attendees.
  5. Estimated time for completion of duties as a committee member is 5-6 hours per month.
  6. Expenses for committee business are reimbursable if approved by the chairperson. These expenses include cost of postage, telephone use for PSPA business, copying, mileage for BOD meetings, etc. These expenses do not include actual expenses relative to regional CME meetings. These expenses shall be obtained through educational grants and other funding provided by local pharmaceutical representatives while available.
  7. Maintain the regional contact list and initiate communications via this media when so directed by the Board of Directors or committee chairperson. Contact information is privileged and shall only be used for official PSPA business.
  8. If the above job duties are not adequately performed, the Region Representative will be asked to resign their position on the Regional Affairs Committee by the chairperson.

COMMITTEE GUIDELINES

  1. Shall abide by all PSPA and AAPA bylaws and policies.
  2. Must have Board approval to enter into any legal or financial agreement on behalf of the Society.
  3. Interface with the Regional Affairs Committee chair, PSPA Board of Directors, standing committees and newsletter staff and pursue defined Society objectives in accordance with resources of the regions.
  4. Implement approaches to state and national legislators as outlined by the government affairs committee.
  5. Budget, disburse and account for those funds allocated to the committee for the administrative function of the committee.

COMMITTEE PROCEDURES

  1. Regional Representatives will arrange for regional meetings by contacting local pharmaceutical representatives for education grants / financial support. Once arrangements for the meetings are agreed upon, members residing in the region will be notified through electronic communication, website, or brochure to afford them the opportunity of attending the meeting.
  2. At regional meetings, the regional representative will act as a representative of the Board. Deliver accurate, timely and informative legislative alerts to allow prompt, targeted reactions from the region on issues of importance to the Society and the profession in general. Communicate national and state objectives to the regions for their consideration, feedback and action.
  3. Regional Representatives will present estimated data on the amount of funds needed for postage, telephone calls and other official PSPA business to the Committee Chair for submission of the annual budget process.
  4. .Regional Representatives will provide advice and guidelines by which regional problems can be addressed. The representative will respond to regional concerns by utilizing all resources available and fiscally feasible.

RESIGNATION

A 2-month notice of resignation is requested of the chairperson. It is also recommended that the outgoing chairperson supply the names of two physician assistants that could step into the position, if possible. The resigning chairperson should submit all files and copies of the correspondence regarding the committee’s activities to the new chairperson or to the Board Advisor for the committee.

PSPA REGIONS

  • Region I: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, Westmoreland counties.
  • Region II: Blair, Bedford, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, Somerset counties.
  • Region III: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, York counties.
  • Region IV: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia counties.
  • Region V: Carbon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lackawanna, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming counties.
  • Region VI: Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Union counties.
  • Region VII: Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, McKean, Potter, Jefferson counties.
  • Region VIII: Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, Warren counties.

Approved 10/10/00; Reviewed/Revised 11/1/22

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