Debbie Fletcher, MD, FACEP
Louisiana Chapter ACEP Secretary, Councilor
Hello Louisiana ACEP Chapter!
First of all, thank you for being a member. Our collective goal is to promote emergency medicine physicians and top-notch emergency care to all. I echo Dr. Mike Smith, our chapter president, in telling you that LA ACEP is very active as a chapter in promoting our profession. We have submitted 11 resolutions for ACEP council this year – out of about 60ish total (last I heard). Our small chapter basically submitted 17-20 percent of the national ACEP resolutions!! Many of them are focused on workforce issues and scope of practice. We have a super board, and many avenues for all to get involved. We are hoping to be in council live in Boston in October and are planning to have a fun Monday night Saints football watch party at a local sports bar – location TBA. Sign up for ACEP 21!!
That said – please start now contacting your state senator and representative. Make contact with them NOW. Educate them on scope of practice NOW. They are in a resting phase before the legislative sessions start up next year and will have more time to talk. Donate to their campaigns and causes. Offer to be a expert on COVID matters now, and get their attention. We have many talking points to email your legislators – and can help you get contacts if you need help. It can be intimidating to call them, so I am working on a script you can use when you do so. Remember, you are the expert on this! The scope fight will be back against us even stronger in 2022, and we need to be ready.
I would like to congratulate our ACEP colleague Dr. Will Freeman (pictured below) – he was inducted as the new president of the Louisiana State Medical Society August 7th in Baton Rouge. He is a fellow LSU Medical School classmate of mine (’94) and a fellow LaACEP member! We have representation at the top of our state medical society. Sadly, the inauguration gala for him was cancelled (darn COVID surge), but he had a very motivating inauguration speech, which we are including in this newsletter. If you are not yet a member of the Louisiana State Medical Society, please join now. They are working for all of us in the house of medicine.
