10 Things You Should Know About AOA-PAC
By: Becky Pietrasik, SUNY 2013
Hi my name is Rebecca Pietrasik and I am the AOA-PAC Liaison for SUNY Optometry. As most of you know, Optometry is a legislative profession. AOA-PAC, the American Optometric Political Action Committee is the body that is responsible for securing and furthering the rights of Optometrists. Without AOA-PAC, optometrists would not be able to expand and protect our scope of practice or retain the great advancements we have made over the years. Every organization needs a PAC committee and AOA-PAC is here to make sure optometry is moving in the right direction!
1. AOA-PAC stands for American Optometric Association Political Action Committee
2. It is the body responsible for securing and furthering our scope of practice
3. PAC is a great way to get to know the political aspect of optometry
4. Every April in Washington DC, PAC has the Congressional Advocacy Conference
5. This is the event where ODs and students storm Washington DC and speak to Congress members about furthering the rights of optometrists
6. Last year, ODs and students fought to get new grads recognized in the National Health Service Corps (a loan forgiveness program that includes all other doctorate professions)
7. We also fought for the Equity in Medicaid Act to have optometric services covered by Medicaid
8. It is a bipartisan organization supporting both Democrats and Republicans
9. AOA-PAC donations are used to support candidates who support optometry
10. PAC is a great way to get involved in your profession and have fun at the same time
If you would like to know any other information about AOA-PAC or are interested in finding out how to join, feel free to contact me at Rpietrasik@sunyopt.edu.
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