Fleur-De-Lis Connection Volume 24 Issue 12 | Page 3

POLICY & ADVOCACY CONTINUED year. CME mandates, maintenance of certification mandates, medical liability reform and Good Samaritan legislation relating to overdose response were among the most important issues KMA is addressing at this time. “I’m really pleased with how a lot of these issues are taking shape,” said Meadows. “Many of you know how dramatically the landscape of health care has changed over the last handful of years. Physicians need assistance, even if it’s in a small way.” Meadows passed the mic to Amy Barkley of Smoke-Free Kentucky to talk about support for a state-wide non-smoking law. “Even in Kentucky, we have 65 percent of the voting public in support of this,” said Barkley, who urged physicians to send letters to the Courier Journal reaching out to citizens across the state. “The public wants it. It’s not a dangerous political issue. We need to do it for the health and business climate in this state.” The GLMS P&A Team has been active for approximately 18 months, and multiple members expressed excitement about the relationship already being created with state legislators. “We’ve estabDerek Selznick of the American Civil Liberties lished ourselves as Union spoke as one of the P&A meeting’s guests. a group that’s really becoming engaged in advocacy,” said Tracy Ragland, MD. While steps have been made, 2015 offers a new chance to further involve state physicians in legislative discussions. GLMS will host a reception for the Jefferson County Legislative Delegation on Thursday, January 22 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Founder’s Union Building at the U of L Shelby Campus. KMA will host physician’s day in Frankfort on Wednesday, February 18 and will highlight several of the issues mentioned above. GLMS will also be updating its advocacy guide for 2015. The guide will be available in print and online at www.glms.org to all GLMS members. If any members are interested in becoming a key contact for outreach to Kentucky legislators, please contact GLMS Assoc. Exec. Director Bert Guinn, MBA, CAE, at 736-6334 or bert. guinn@glms.org. You’re invited to a RECEPTION WITH THE JEFFERSON COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION hosted by the GLMS Policy & Advocacy Team Thursday, January 22, 2015 6 - 8 p.m. UofL Shelby Campus Founders’ Union Ballroom 312 N. Whittington Pkwy Louisville, KY 40222 Our Jefferson County legislators are elected to represent us, their constituents, in the Kentucky General Assembly as champions and defenders. Let’s cheer them on and ensure that they are aware of our issues. You are cordially invited you to join us in a reception for members of the Jefferson County Delegation on Tuesday, January 22, 2014, at UofL Shelby Campus Founders’ Union Ballroom. RSVP to Onvia McDaniel at 502-736-6302 or onvia.mcdaniel@glms.org by January 8, 2015 FOCUS LOUISVILLE Monalisa M. Tailor, MD, of UofL Physicians, was an November graduate of Focus Louisville, a 2 ½-day program of the Leadership Louisville Center that is held four times annually. “I learned so much about our community from so many different areas and even about myself,” said Dr. Tailor. “It was a very rewarding experience.” GLMS provides the opportunity for members interested in leadership development to participate in Focus Louisville. If interested, contact Jennifer Howard at jennifer.howard@glms.org or 502-736-6362. GLMS NEWS DECEMBER 2014 Focus 3