|
On PA Day on Oct. 6, President Barack Obama proclaimed Oct. 6-12 as National Physician Assistant Week. It marked the first time this celebration was recognized by presidential proclamation. The House resolution leading to the proclamation was introduced by Rep. Betty McCollum, D-MN, and it needed 100 cosponsors to be considered for a vote. PAs contacted their representatives to ask for their support and obtained 101 cosponsors to H.R. 1600.
The resolution aimed to recognize and support two outcomes, the AAPA said in a statement: the goals and ideals of National Physician Assistant Week and the critical role of the physician assistant profession.
"PAs are key to the patient-centered, team-based approach to healthcare," McCollum said on the House floor. "I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the significant impact that physician assistants make throughout our communities and the nation as a whole."
The president's proclamation states: "With compassion matched by professionalism, PAs work as part of a team to provide vital support to both patients in need and the doctors who balance the care of many individuals. Recognizing their essential function in our medical system, we allocated more than $30 million under the Affordable Care Act to expand the Physician Assistant Training Program, and to increase the number of PAs in primary care over the next 5 years."
|