Douglas R. Bacon, M.D., Editor

Midsummer

he “dog days,” if that term is still politically correct, are upon us. Leaving the cool of the operating room and walking to the car, the blasts of hot, muggy Minnesota air are an often unwelcome greeting at the end of another long working day. The energy required to be productive seems enormous, and the desire to lounge about the pool or backyard with a cool drink and do nothing often seems overwhelming. One of my favorite midsummer recreations is to go ice skating. Indeed hockey camps run all summer, and the local recreation center has open skating on weekends. The ice is cool, in the 50s, and makes a nice 40-degree contrast with the world outside. Another diversion is to head to one of the small lakes that surround Rochester. Built as part of a flood control project years ago, the reservoirs are stocked with fish. Standing on the stream bank with my sons attempting to catch fish is a real joy.

Summer also is the time of the family vacation. For me it will mean leaving the lakes and prairies of my adopted Minnesota and heading back to the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario to visit family and friends in western New York. We are planning to visit family in Florida as well — although August seems the wrong time to head south! Family concerns and renewed relationships seem to be the order of the day. A good vacation returns one rested and at peace, ready to practice the art and science of anesthesiology again.

Not All Fun and Games
Yet summer is a very busy time for ASA. In August the Board of Directors will meet to carefully consider reports from committees, fellow directors, the Administrative Council and officers. Updates will be given by the Washington Office, and national and regional politics will be discussed. Indirect member feedback will be heard. The direction of the Society will be tweaked, and when the meeting is over, perhaps the feeling that much good for anesthesiology has been accomplished or that there is more work yet to perform. Either way the August meeting of the Board of Directors remains a midsummer’s busy time.

At this August’s meeting, like all the other Board of Directors meetings, the ASA President will host a reception for the directors, fellow officers and those attending the meeting. This August, Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D., has chosen the Wood Library-Museum (WLM) at ASA headquarters in Park Ridge, Illinois, as the site for the reception. The directors and their guests will have the unique opportunity to view the latest additions to the WLM’s collection. And, in our centennial year, the original minutes of the Long Island Society and New York Society will be available for viewing. The directors will be given the opportunity, open to every ASA member, to touch their roots and contrast the rather humble lined notebook and handwritten minutes with the modern, well-appointed headquarters building bustling with the latest technology. On display that night will be a graphic illustration of how far the Society and anesthesiology have progressed in 100 years.

Never-Ending Mission
While the Board of Directors meeting is the culmination of months of hard work by ASA members spread across the United States, the day-to-day work of ASA continues. While Washington may be quiet and Congress may be in recess, the issues that anesthesiology face remain real, and the work of the Washington Office never ceases. Monitoring the wheeling and dealing that goes on within Congress and ensuring that the monolithic federal government does not issue new regulations unfavorable to anesthesiology in midstream requires never-ending vigilance. Ensuring that ASA members have the opportunity to respond to the action of Congress or the other branches of the federal government is a hard-earned right. That we as individual citizens have the right to directly contact our representatives and express our opinions without penalty is a privilege that most of the world still dreams about.

While summer may be a time to recreate, we also need to remember that the “bills” do not go away just because we are on vacation. For ASA, our “dues” have long been paid — or have they? ASA members also need to learn about the ASA Political Action Committee (ASAPAC). While the need may not seem acute, soon the fall election cycle will be upon us. There will be a need to contribute to all shades of the political spectrum, all of whom understand the currency of money, as the cost of campaigning continues to skyrocket. With issues looming large that will affect anesthesiology and all of medicine to unite us and increase our giving, there remains the need to keep an open dialogue with our representatives, and that costs money! Remember that ASAPAC is the only national political action committee devoted exclusively to issues concerning the specialty. Remember the lesson of Microsoft’s Bill Gates, who did not contribute to political campaigns. When legislation came before Congress concerning the computer industry, its voice was silent because Mr. Gates had not made friends inside the government willing to listen to his position. Anesthesiology cannot afford to have that happen, as issues revolve around access to quality care for our patients. We need friends in both major parties, conservatives as well as liberals, all listening and hopefully working toward the betterment of anesthesiology. Thus your PAC money may go to a politician whose overall ideals you do not favor, but before complaining, check where that politician stands on issues of importance to our specialty.

Making a Statement
While you’re at it, learn more about your state society’s PAC. Here again the state-specific issues are covered. As the concern over independent practice has moved away from the federal and toward the state legislature, the need for contributions to state PACs has become increasingly important. Just ask your colleagues in Texas — where there has been a long, arduous struggle over the supervision issue of nurse anesthetists — how important the state PAC is. Although I wish it were not so, money in the form of contributions to campaigns, even midterm “war chests,” means access to politicians who will hear the message about an important issue.

A Very Special Annual Meeting
Another busy concern for ASA in the summer is the Annual Meeting. Although most of the large pieces have been put in place, registrations are streaming in, and the need to coordinate tickets and ensure that all the materials are correct for more than 15,000 people remains a daunting task. Putting the program book together and overseeing its publication is another enormous task. Coupled with the production of the Refresher Course Lectures, it takes time to ensure the completeness and accuracy of these publications. There are countless room requests with which to deal and exhibition space to arrange. In many ways, the countdown to the Annual Meeting has already begun in earnest!

The Foundations
Finally there is a unique opportunity provided by our centennial to support the four foundations of ASA. The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) has arranged a Centennial Gala Dinner, the proceeds of which will be divided among all the foundations (WLM, FAER, the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation and the Anesthesia Foundation). While tickets are near sellout, one also can contribute to this development effort, even if you are unable to join us in New Orleans. This is a unique opportunity to help promote anesthesiology without political implications. Help to foster research, patient safety, residents or history — the choice is in your pens!

Summer — the living may be “easy,” but the responsibilities are enormous. Take pen in hand and help to ensure both the political and humanistic future of our shared specialty.

— D.R.B.

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