President's Message | March 2020

Mar 18, 2020

Dear Colleagues -

As I am sitting here writing this month’s President’s Message, the NCAA Basketball Tournament and MLB spring training have been cancelled; the NBA, NHL, and  XFL have suspended the rest of their seasons indefinitely; and Disneyland and Disney World have closed their doors. Circumstances are changing by the hour in the U.S. as more and more provisions are being put in place to try and control the spread of the virus. The growing threat of COVID-19 can truly be considered a new definition of ‘March Madness’.   

It is important that we, as part of the healthcare community, treat the coronavirus with incredible sensitivity, especially when talking to our patients. We should provide a calm and reassuring voice, while staying fully informed of the facts so as not to add to some of the emotional reactions we are seeing.  We live in a country that has the best medical minds and financial resources to address the pandemic, and I trust that our country will work together diligently to get the coronavirus under control.

I’m sure many of you are watching closely how this pandemic will affect the 2020 Summer Conference in Denver.  The SDPA Board is carefully weighing our options as the situation unfolds.  At this point, we continue planning for the Summer Conference as scheduled.  Our meeting is still many weeks away.  SDPA staff will continue to communicate with the membership and conference attendees as often as possible to keep you all informed.  We are all dealing with uncertainty, not just at the current time, but also what will happen in the weeks and months to come.  Thank you for your patience and understanding while we navigate the future.

One final addition to the Madness of my March – the SDPA Leadership elections!  The elections continue online in the midst of the pandemic, and staff will be sending periodic reminders encouraging your participation.  Annual SDPA elections feature your colleagues who have stepped up to the plate to ask the membership for the opportunity to represent their profession.  Elections give you, as the SDPA member, the chance to voice your opinion on the direction you would like the organization to move, based on the candidates’ platform statements. Please take time to read over the candidates’ platform statements and then voice your selection with a vote.  Your voice matters!  

Sincerely,
 

Gina D. Mangin, MPAS, PA-C
SDPA President