Upon the adoption of the TFAIR (Task Force on Association Improvement and Reorganization) Report, the Inter-Sectional Council, particularly the Inter-Section Council Steering Committee, was charged with implementing the provisions of the report. The HIV/AIDS Section is represented on the Steering Committee by Michael Case, past Section chair, and on the ISC by April Winningham, Scott Rhodes and Angela Powell. The Inter-Sectional Council Steering Committee holds monthly conference calls and a face-to-face meeting between the Annual Meetings. The full ISC meets at the Annual Meeting and holds a conference call between Annual Meetings. This year’s ISC conference call was held on March 25, and the ISC SC meeting will be June 16t& 17 at APHA headquarters in conjunction with the midyear meeting of the Council on Affiliates.
Among the most noticeable provisions to be implemented are Section Work Plans and Annual Reports. Each Section must submit to the ISC both a report on what was accomplished during the year and the Section’s goals and objectives for the upcoming APHA year. This was the first year for requiring Work Plans, and although not without some glitches, Sections have responded and many also submitted annual reports, although these will not officially be required until this APHA Annual Meeting. Our Section crafted the Work Plan over a series of conference calls and produced a document that should guide us well during this program year.
The ISC Steering Committee has also guided the organization through some significant structural changes, including the possibility of joining more than one Section (recently implemented) ,which required careful negotiation of logistical and institutional processes, and most recently an increase in the per capita annual allowance provided to each Section based on membership.
The ISC and ISC Steering Committee have also played a central role in implementing the new organizational structure, especially as related to Forums and Special Interest Groups. While these terms are familiar, their new application is somewhat different. SPIGs, or Special Primary Interest Groups, are now formed with the expectation that they will become a Section within two years. This was, of course, the route the HIV/AIDS Section took several years ago, and will now be the norm for the organization. This year, the ISC has approved the formation of the Health Informatics Information Technology SPIG, which is already progressing towards Section status. Forums are now to be multidisciplinary groups formed for a specific purpose and for a specific timeframe. This year the ISC has approved the formation of the Family Violence Prevention Forum, the Genomics Forum, and the Trade and Health Forum. Applications are pending for the creation of a Healthy Aging Forum.
Finally, the ISC responded to a request to respond to change in the by-laws relating to Governing Council proxies. Currently, the sitting Governing Council member must give their proxy directly if they will not be attending the Governing Council meeting. The proposed change is: “An elected Section Governing Councilor may select a proxy up until 30 days before the APHA Annual Meeting or a conference call or other meeting. Within the 30 days before such a meeting, the authority to select a proxy would shift from the Section's Governing Councilor to the Section Chair, or the Section Chair-elect, or the Section Immediate Past Chair in that order.”
The ISC Steering Committee and the full ISC supported the amendment, which the Governing Council will vote on at their June 16 conference call.
Editor: The amendment was passed.