Arizona Arts, Sciences and Technology Academy 

   A Tax Exempt 501-(c)-3 Organization 

AASTA News

June 2006

 

Date: June 16, 2006

Contacts: Patrick J. Burkhart, Executive Director

602-619-6441; e-mail <pjburkhart@cox.net>

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Immediate Improvements Recommended for Arizona's Pandemic Preparedness Plan

 

 

CHANDLER--- The Arizona Department of Health Services could rapidly improve the State's capability to respond to a potential Avian Influenza pandemic in the next several months by focusing on several key priorities that are not sufficiently addressed in the current version of Arizona's Pandemic Preparedness Plan, according to a new report from the Arizona, Arts, Sciences and Technology Academy.

 

“Although Arizona's most recent version of its plan is an improvement, we may be running out of time to put the best possible plan into place,” said Vincent A. Fulginiti, M.D., chair of the committee that wrote the report and former Chancellor, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics at The University of Arizona.   “There is a real possibility that Avian Influenza, carried by migratory birds, could arrive on the North American continent yet this year.   Of equal concern are the continuing new cases in Asia and elsewhere of people contracting the virus from infected birds. In a few instances of prolonged exposure to an infected person, the virus has shown the ability to spread slowly to others..   It may be sooner rather than later that the virus adapts to   spread more easily and very quickly from person to person.   If this occurs in a period of months rather than years, Arizona and virtually every other state will be caught very under-prepared.”

 

“This possibility forces a ‘what must be done first' approach to preparedness planning to ensure that a basic capability to respond can be achieved rapidly, while at the same time, a longer term effort is underway to put in place the optimal - or most complete - response. AASTA's report focuses on the immediate near term steps necessary to achieve a basic threshold response”, Fulginiti said.

 

The committee reviewed the Arizona Department of Public Health's most recent plan for responding to a pandemic outbreak of Avian Influenza following a conference held on the topic in late April 2006. The committee found that the plan, while quite detailed and improved over the previous version, could be made much more effective in several ways.

 

The report recommends that the Arizona Department of Health: strengthen its communications strategies, especially by identifying a single, reliable, trustworthy spokesperson; clarify overlapping responsibilities between itself, other state agencies, and county health departments; integrate local and state law enforcement and public safety into planning scenarios; inventory, certify and engage volunteer organizations; address the needs of vulnerable populations; plan for the management of fatalities, protect vital services and supply chains; and develop models to understand the financial impact that a pandemic will have on state and local government revenues and expenditures.

 

The Arizona Arts, Sciences and Technology Academy is a private, nonprofit institution whose volunteer members provide expert analysis as a public service. A committee roster follows.

 

Copies of “Ensuring an Effective Avian Influenza Pandemic Response: An Assessment of Arizona's Preparedness”, and an executive summary “Issue Brief” are available from the Arizona Arts, Sciences and Technology Academy; tel. 602-619-6441 or on the Internet at http://www.aasta.net.

 

 

Conference Planning Committee

 

Avian Influenza: Preparing Arizona for a Potential Pandemic - Public Health, Legal, Ethical, Economic and Community Issues

 

Vincent A. Fulginiti, M.D.   (Chair)

Former Chancellor, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics, The University of Arizona

 

Bascom F. Anthony, M.D.

Former Director, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

James J. Corrigan, Jr., M.D.

Retired Dean, School of Medicine, Tulane University

 

Jane A. Maienschein, Ph.D.

Regents' Professor and Parents Association Professor, and Director, Center for Biology and Society, Arizona State University

 

Gary Marchant, J.D., M.P.P., Ph.D.

Executive Director & Faculty Fellow, Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology, Arizona State University

 

Neal A. Vanselow, M.D.

Chancellor Emeritus, Tulane University Health Sciences Center

Former Dean, College of Medicine, The University of Arizona

 

Jonathan Weisbuch, M.D.

Executive Coordinator, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University

Former Public Health Director, Maricopa County, Arizona

 

Contributors

 

Richard Thomas, Pharm. D.

Chair, Maricopa Medical Reserve Corps

Clinical Instructor, Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy

Midwestern University and University of Arizona

Former System Director of Emergency Management, Banner Health

 

Jennifer Vanderleest, M.D.

Pima County Health Department

 

Staff

 

Patrick J. Burkhart

President

Suzanne Reuss

Vice President

 

Conference Sponsors:

The Arizona Consortium for Medicine, Society and Values

The Arizona Health Sciences Center

MedImmune, Inc.

The Hyatt Regency Phoenix at the Civic Plaza

 

Report Sponsor:

Salt River Project

April 2006

Avain Influenza Conference

AASTA's first conference was held on April 21-22 at the Hyatt Regency in Phoenix.  "Avian Influenza: Preparing Arizona for a Potential Pandemic - Public Health, Legal, Ethical, Economic and Community Issues" attracted more than 60 public health officials and others from across the State to assess Arizona's readiness to respond to an avain influenza pandemic.

Governor Napolitano and Dr. Bruce Gellin, director of the DHHS National Vaccine Program were among the featured speakers.

The conference planning committee is currently drafting the conference report which is targeted for publication in early June.

AASTA Inaugural Lecture

Dr. Alan Lightman delivered an inspirational and thought provoking address to a group of nearly 100 attendees at AASTA's Inuagural Lecture held on April 20th at the Heard Museum.

March 2006

Organizational Meeting of Local AASTA Fellows in Tucson

Under the leadership of Lynn Nadel, AASTA Founding Fellow and Board Member, 28 Founding Fellows who reside in Tucson and environs gathered for a no-host breakfast meeting at Acacia restaurant on Thursday, 23 March 2006, to consider organization of a local "chapter" of AASTA. The turnout represented about half of the current AASTA Fellows living in Pima County.

The event was a great success. After a period of socializing over breakfast, Lynn Nadel called the meeting to order and asked AASTA Board Chairman John Hildebrand for introductory remarks. He explained that one aspiration of the early planners of AASTA had been to foster collegiality locally in the population and academic centers of the state and to encourage activities that would represent "value-added" assets of fellowship and membership in AASTA. Lynn then asked the attendees to introduce themselves to the group. He then called for open discussion of possible future activities in our region. The ensuing discussion was lively and enthusiastic, wide-ranging, and stimulating and filled the balance of the 90-minute meeting.

The ideas expressed emphasized community outreach and enrichment of and service to our region of the state and the state as a whole. Notably, there was relatively little interest in events that would serve only for socializing among or informing AASTA Fellows and Members. Suggestions included: (a) establishing and exercising working relations with the city and country government in order to offer locally the kind of service AASTA hopes to provide to the whole state; (b) mounting efforts to foster the performing and visual arts in our community; (c) engaging in studies aimed to inform and assist elected and voluntary community leaders to deal with prominent challenges, such as the transportation problems in Tucson and the rest of Pima County, health-care issues, and interests of the nearby Native American populations; and (d) striving to enhance the intellectual and cultural life of Tucson and the surrounding area.

To conclude the meeting, Lynn proposed formation of a committee comprising three volunteers and charged with planning future meetings of this kind. Founding Fellow Sheila Tobias volunteered to serve on that committee, and two others are being sought to complete the committee so that it can begin to function. The group was split regarding the preferability of morning (breakfast) or evening (dinner) meetings, and it is therefore likely that future meetings will alternate between those times -- and take place perhaps monthly or bi-monthly.

This regional meeting was another first for AASTA, and the organizers and participants are pleased and encouraged by its success.
  

Governor Napolitano Accepts Invitation to Speak at Avian Flu Conference

Governor Janet Napolitano will be delivering opening remarks at the "Avian Influenza: Preparing Arizona for a Potential Pandemic - Public Health, Legal, Ethical, Economic and Community Issues" Conference on April 21 at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix.  This event is being co- hosted by The Arizona Consortium for Medicine, Society and Values.

 

AASTA Board Elects Dan Shilling as New Governor

Dan Shilling has been elected to the Board of Governors to complete the term of Lorraine Frank who passed away in December. 

Dr. Shilling is presently curator for the humanities at the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona where he directs the Civic Tourism Project, a federally funded research activity meant to revise and improve the travel industry's approach to cultural and heritage tourism.   He is also president of the Community Heritage Group, a consulting agency that helps western communities incorporate heritage for economic development.

 

From 1989 to 2003, he served as the executive director for the Arizona Humanities Council.

 

Dr. Shilling chaired AASTA's Arts, Culture and Humanities Panel in 2005.

AASTA's Bylaws Amended

The Board of Governors has accepted the report of the Nominating Committee and has certified the results of the special ballot to amend AASTA's Bylaws.

The revised Bylaws are now posted on AASTA's website.  The changes approved by the Founding Fellows include:

Section 3.1 – Deletes September as the month specified for AASTA's Annual Meeting and amends language such that the Annual Meeting may occur at any time during the calendar year.
 
Section 4.3 – Specifies that no less than 3ž4 of the Board of Governors shall consist of Fellows.
 
Section 4.9 – Inserts new section pertaining to attendance at meetings of the Board of Governors.
 
Multiple Sections – Revises language to grant voting rights to all Members (Section 1.2.2), and changes “Members-at-Large” to “Members”.
 
Multiple Sections – Revises language to reflect gender-neutral officerships.

December 2005

AASTA's Proposed Bylaws Amendments

August, 2005

•  AASTA's Summer Panels have completed their work and have forwarded recommendations to the Board of Governors for approval at the meeting of the Board on September 10, 2005.

AASTA

2005 Summer Panels

Panel Webpages

 

•  AASTA has received approval from the Internal Revenue Service to operate as a 501-(c)-3 Non Profit Organization.

•  AASTA Fundraising tops $50,000 in dues and gifts from its Founding Fellows

 

July, 2005

AASTA Summer Panels

AASTA's Summer Panels are well underway towards their goal of making recommendations to the Board of Governors in September for AASTA's 2005-2006 agenda.

 

May, 2005

AASTA Founding Fellows Elect

a New Board of Governors

AASTA 's first elected Board of Governors assumed their new roles as volunteer leaders on April 16, 2005 at the Inaugural Meeting of the Founding Fellows.  Newly elected AASTA Chairman, Dr. John Hildebrand, paid tribute to the Incorporating Board of Governors, which was led by Dr. Gary Krahenbuhl.

 

Governor Napolitano

Addresses AASTA's

Founding Fellows

at Inaugural Meeting

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano challenged the organization's Founding Fellows to  contribute imaginative thinking to the public discourse on a wide range of large picture issues. 

The AASTA Inaugural Meeting was held at the San Marcos Resort in Chandler, Arizona on April 16, 2005.

The Governor's prepared remarks can be accessed here.

Photographs from the event can be viewed here.

 

____________________________________________

AASTA Founding Fellows

Planning Group

Dr. Vince Fulginiti, newly elected Vice Chairman, reported the findings of the AASTA Founding Fellows Planning Group at the Inaugural Meeting on April 16th, 2005.  The work of the Planning Group, as well as the revised AASTA business plan, can be found on this webpage.