Advocacy Update
WMS followed 21 bills in the second week of the 2021 legislative session, testifying on 3 bills.
  • SF154 - Medicaid expansion with federal match requirements
  • Passed Committee 3-2
  • WMS -support
  • WMS testified on this bill

  • HB127 - Public health amendments
  • Passed Committee 9-0
  • WMS - monitor
  • WMS testified on this bill

  • SF104 - Anesthesiology Assistants
  • Passed Committee 4-0 with one excused, Referred to Appropriations
  • WMS - monitor

  • SF92 - Public hospitals-out of county operations
  • Passed Committee
  • WMS - oppose

  • SF133 - Prohibiting abortifacients and chemical abortions
  • Passed Committee 
  • WMS - monitor

  • HB217 - Community health center and rural health clinic grants
  • Passed Committee
  • WMS - support

  • SF94 - Prohibiting coerced vaccinations
  • Failed in Committee 1-4
  • WMS - oppose

  • HB209 - Regulation of marijuana
  • Passed Committee 6-3
  • **WMS testified on this bill to clarify our position opposing medical marijuana - did not take a position on the bill itself.
  • WMS - monitor

  • HB157 - Health care professional education endowment
  • Introduced and Referred to Education
  • WMS - monitor

  • HB195 - Wyoming medical review panel-repeal
  • Passed Committee
  • WMS - oppose/monitor
To view the status of all 21 bills and the complete listing of all the bills the Wyoming Medical Society is tracking, click the link below.
In other legislative news...
HB01 - General government appropriations - This wide-reaching general budget bill saw over 70 amendments, but of these, one amendment in particular caught the attention of WMS. An amendment was proposed to cut the funding for the state health officer from July 1, 2021 - September 30, 2021. This amendment ultimately failed. To view the proposed amendment click here.
WMS bills being debated/reviewed next week:

MONDAY, March 15
Floor - 10 a.m. 

Labor, Health & Social Services (House) - 7:30 a.m. 
HB0253 - University of Wyoming-ban on funding for abortions.
HB0161 - Human life equality-prohibiting discriminatory abortions.
HB0070 - Abortion-informed consent.
HB0134 - Human heartbeat protection act.


Labor, Health & Social Services (Senate) - 8 a.m. 
HB0038 - Community behavioral health-priority populations.


If you would like to testify on any of these bills, please visit the LSO Calendar page, select the date, and then click TESTIFY on the right side of the page.
The Wyoming Medical Society (WMS) is calling for nominations for any eligible physicians interested in serving on the WMS Board of Trustees.

TRUSTEES-AT-LARGE
WMS members will nominate and elect representatives to serve one-year terms in the roles of at-large-trustees for county medical societies who do not currently have state board representation. Nominees are not required to reside in the county they represent as a trustee-at-large.

OPEN-TRUSTEE
Nominations are being accepted for WMS Open Trustee. This position must be filled by an active WMS physician member who is not currently serving in another capacity on the board.

PROCESS
The WMS Nominating Committee, chaired by Past President Lisa Finkelstein, DO, will identify current board trustees to serve as officers on the WMS Executive Committee during the 2021-2022 year. The full slate of both officers and nominated trustees-at-large will be submitted to the WMS membership no later than April 1, 2021.

WMS Bylaws require that the board-eligible physicians hold active licenses to practice medicine in the state of Wyoming and have been active members in good standing with the Wyoming Medical Society for a minimum of two years.

Please click on the link below to view the formal nomination form. Nominations must be submitted no later than Monday, March 22, 2021 in order for the nominating committee to have the slate prepared and distributed to the membership no later than April 1, 2021.

HHS Updates
American Rescue Plan
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) into law. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) not only provides the resources for America to beat this pandemic, but it also expands access to health insurance coverage, lowers costs, and ensures that health care truly is a right for all Americans.
Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act
HHS has used its authority under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) to add additional categories of qualified people authorized to prescribe, dispense, and administer COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including dentists, EMTs, midwives, optometrists, paramedics, physician assistants, podiatrists, respiratory therapists, and veterinarians.

This action also authorizes medical students, nursing students, and other health care students in the professions listed under the PREP Act with proper training and professional supervision to serve as vaccinators.
CDC Opioid Prescribing Guideline Mobile App
The CDC has developed and made available an opioid prescribing guideline mobile app. The app has a multitude of features including an MME calculator, Prescribing guidance, and motivational interviewing support.

To down the free Opioid Guide App visit www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/prescribing/app.html. Members can also visit the Apple App Store or Google play to search and download the app there.
COVID-19 Immunization Data
Click image to view full sized PDF.
To view the latest COVID-19 vaccine information in WY visit the Wyoming Department of Health's Provider Information Page.

Here you will find:
  • Vaccine program provider enrollment
  • Required training for COVID-19 vaccine coordinators
  • COVID-19 vaccine resources and information
  • COVID-19 vaccination program templates and forms
  • CDC's V-Safe After Vaccination Health Checker
  • Wyoming Immunization Registry (WyIR) Resources
Project Firstline
WMS has partnered with the Wyoming Chapter of the AAP to bring the CDC's Project Firstline to Wyoming.
A Message From UMIA Constellation
Thank you 2021 Friends of WMS!
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