Partner highlight: Oregon Society of Physician Assistants
Oregon Society of Physician Assistants (“OSPA”) promotes quality, cost effective, and accessible health care; supports the professional and personal development of physician assistants; and advances the physician assistant profession as well as the physician assistant/medical doctor team approach to health care.
According to current president Barbara Martin, PA-C, OSPA pursues its mission by, among other things, offering two continuing medical education conferences per year; collaborating with medical professional organizations including, but not limited to the Oregon Medical Association, Oregon Primary Care Association, and the Oregon Rural Health Association: and lobbying on behalf of physician assistants in Oregon.
“Currently we’re working to streamline the process of physician assistant licensing and supervision in Oregon, “ Barbara said.
As she shared her insights on the state’s professional association for physician assistants, Barbara was on her way to Washington, D.C., to attend a national leadership conference, organized by the American Academy of Physician Assistants, and to visit Capitol Hill in support of pending federal legislation that would reduce delays in care provided by physician assistants.
“We constantly aim to make it more feasible to use physician assistants in health care,” Barbara said. “By making them available for work more quickly and flexibly, we can expand access to health care to Oregonians.”
Expanding access to care was a major reason for Project Access NOW to reach out to OSPA with a proposal to partner. We’re interested in recruiting more physician assistants as volunteers, particularly in specialty care.
According to Barbara, “PAs deliver Project Access volunteer care, especially in some of the larger clinics, but it isn’t necessarily in an organized fashion. We want to build the Project Access program up as an opportunity for PAs to volunteer.”
While the collaboration is still in its early stages, Barbara testified to the benefits of working with Project Access NOW. As a physician assistant at the Old Town Clinic, she has used Project Access to get specialty care for patients.
“It’s been hugely beneficial for my patients,” she said. “PAs are an important part of both primary and specialty health care teams. Hopefully we can promote more volunteerism among PAs and make it a common practice for them to volunteer both with Project Access NOW as well as other community volunteer opportunities.”
(February 2011)
