I am looking forward to writing on and sharing developments in emergency medicine legislation for the 2019 Regular Session! Before getting into the weeds on specific bills, I wanted to share the amazing opportunity to participate in the ArMA Doctor of the Day program, thanks to Dr. Jennifer Hartmark-Hill and Stephanie Butler. This was an experience that I would recommend to any of my fellow policy-minded medical students. Here’s just a few snapshots of that day.
Walking into the Arizona Senate building, you would never guess that it was a Monday morning. The lobbies and hallways swelled with people in a hurry to get somewhere, and the energy was tangible. Our brief tour took us to the elegant House and the Senate floors, which were eerily empty at 10 AM. Even without the lawmakers present, the power of each room was clear and served as a good reminder of where change in Arizona occurs.
Next, we met with Rep. Michelle Udall (one of Dr. Hartmark-Hill’s representatives!), who is the chair of the House Education Committee. We discussed graduate medical education and community health outreach in a relatively informal way. Dr. Hartmark-Hill shared thoughts and opportunities for health improvement that she is working on, which was a great demonstration for how democracy should work.
After a tour of the Arizona Capitol Museum, we met with Rep. Tony Rivero to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing fight against the opioid epidemic. Significant progress was made in the previous year’s special session, but preventing opioid overdoses and morbidities will take continued efforts. Constituents of Rep. Rivero brought to his attention that it is difficult or impossible for minors to receive inpatient medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in Arizona. Given that MAT has the best evidence for helping individuals quit opioids, he pointed out that Arizona’s minors should not have to leave the state to receive this therapy. Some of ArMA’s policy buffs were present in the meeting as well, along with several people working in addiction rehabilitation. They provided valuable insight into why providing inpatient MAT to minors will be challenging and reminded me that progress is often piece-wise and slower than we wish it could be.
As interesting as discussing rehabilitation with Rep. Rivero was, we were plucked from his meeting for a scheduled visit with House Speaker Rusty Bowers. He greeted us warmly and expressed appreciation for participating in the Doctor of the Day program. Afterwards we caught some fresh air on the lawn and had the fortune of running into Rep. Amish Shah, an emergency medicine physician! It was a pleasure to meet him and see an impressive example of how physicians can truly get involved in policy development.
This legislative session has already begun in full force, with hundreds of bills pertaining to the delivery of healthcare have the potential to become law over the next four months. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing some of the moving pieces within the Arizona Legislature, and I look forward to returning for the AZCEP ED Doc Day @ the Capitol on March 13th. Check back here for updates on bills especially important to emergency medicine and healthcare.
