COA Represents Largest Delegation at AOA House of Delegates

Last week, COA members traveled as a delegation to the AOA’s House of Delegates meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. It is fitting that the premier AOA governance meeting was held in Boston, the “Cradle of Liberty,” on the shoulder of our nation’s 240th anniversary of independence.

At the meeting, California was represented by 24 delegates with a total of 188 votes - far more than any other state association. They voted on two vacancies for the AOA Board of Trustees. The two that were chosen were Dr. Jacqueline Bowen of Colorado and Dr. Steven T. Reed of Mississippi. Dr. Andrea P. Thau of New York is the new President of AOA.

COA Delegation to AOA's House of Delegates

The AOA House of Delegates adopted a resolution pertaining to optometry's scope of practice and optometric education standards. The resolution spurs AOA to develop a new, model state optometric practice act that would, ideally, allow doctors of optometry to treat all medical eye conditions by any appropriate method, including new and efficacious services and products as they become available. The House of Delegates further encouraged individual state associations to continue working toward modifying and modernizing their state optometric practice acts.

Additionally, the resolution directs AOA to report progress on this matter at the 2017 session. Delegates adopted this resolution Thursday, passing it along for the Judicial Council's review before becoming effective.