President's Message- January 2012

President's Message

Meet Your 2012 SDCOS Board

By:  Jason Tu, OD

Happy New Year! I am excited to be working with a wonderful Board in 2012. This will be an exciting year; we will have our second annual San Diego Specialty Contact Lens Symposium and 2012 is an election year.

 I would like to thank my executive board for all of their past and future hard work on behalf of the Society. Joining the executive board is a 5-year commitment when one first serves as secretary, then treasurer, then president-elect, president and finally as immediate past-president.  I want to first thank Dr. Kathy Witmeyer,

our Immediate Past-President, for her leadership and friendship in 2011. Dr. Carrie Turley is our President-Elect, Dr. Erin Swift is our Treasurer and Dr.Amanda Dexter is our Secretary.  I would like to welcome back several members of the board. Dr. Jack Anthony is the Optometrist Relations chair. Dr. Annie Chin and Dr. Susan Cervantes are co-chairs for Communications. Dr. Paul Lavin is the Lions Vision Clinic Liaison. Dr. Byron Newman is the Public Awareness chair. Dr. Dawn Pewitt is the Professional Affairs chair. Dr. Karen Peschke is our Webmaster. Dr. Bob Ring is the Peer Review chair. Dr. David Sherman is Vendor chair. Dr. Eric White is the Membership chair.  Trustees will include Dr. Barbara Smith and Dr. Allison Pierce; Dr. Pierce, a recent graduate, will be new to the Board.  Also returning in 2012 are Dr. Bob Meisel and Dr. Dick Skay as co-chairs for Governmental Affairs.

 Optometry is a legislated profession and it is important to create and maintain relationships with our local, state, and national representatives.  I am proud of the fact that an optometrist, Dr. Ed Hernandez, is a State Senator (D-San Gabriel/East Los Angeles) and another optometrist, Dr. Jennifer Ong, is running for a state assembly position in Northern California. It is vitally important for all of us to get involved in government in local, county and statewide levels. Through our involvement, we can educate our representatives about optometric services as well as the economic health and welfare of the private practice owner. Anyone wanting to become involved may contact Dr. Meisel or Dr. Skay for guidance.

 Returning to the board this year is Dr. Doug Osborne. He is chairing the new Health Care Delivery Systems (HCDS) position. If you’re wondering what this position entails, it basically involves access to patients for the private practice optometrist. As it stands today, insurance exchanges, as mandated under health care reform, are set to open up in 2014 and to be available to everyone by 2017. The problem is that stand alone vision plans (like VSP® Vision Care) are excluded from selling in the exchanges. In addition, optometry is not currently included on the list of caregivers under health care reform. The implications are frightening. Dr. Osborne will be our voice in these important issues.

 Thank you, board members, for taking time away from your families and practices to serve on the Board. I appreciate your dedication.  I would also like to thank all of our members. Membership in the California Optometry Association and organized optometry is critically important for the reasons listed above.

And last, but not least, I want to give a shout out to our Administrative Assistant Nancy-Jo Sinkiewicz. Nancy-Jo is invaluable.