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We have openings: REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES, MEDICARE INTERMEDIARY AND CARRIER (MICS), AUD LEGISLATIVE REP
Continuing Education Administrator
Administrator: Gabe Bargen AuD/SLP
Purpose: To promote continued professional growth on the part of ISHA members, by collecting, documenting, and disseminating information relevant to continuing education conducted throughout Idaho.
Convention Committee
Chairperson: Rochelle Ruffing (SLP) and Hillary Carlson (AuD)
Purpose: To plan, conduct and evaluate the annual statewide convention.
Membership: The membership of this committee shall consist of the immediate Past President who is the Chairperson, the Continuing Education Administrator, the Director of Audiology, the Director of Speech-Language Pathology, and other members as deemed necessary.
Term of Office: shall be one (1) year for the Past President/Chairperson and it usually is for the other members as well.
Honors and Awards Committee
Chairperson: Rochelle Ruffing (SLP)
Purpose: To solicit nominations for special Association Honors & Awards as well as National Awards.
Membership: President Elect will Chair. The
Director of Audiology will Co-Chair.
Legislative Committee
Current Co-Chairpersons: OPEN-(SLP)-and Hillary Carlson (AuD)
Purpose: To investigate national, state, and local legislation, both current and pending, and make appropriate recommendations concerning their investigation to the Executive Board. To promote political awareness and action on behalf of ISHA and individual members.
Membership: The membership shall consist of two Co-Chairpersons appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Board. One Co-Chair shall represent speech-language pathology and one shall represent audiology. The Co-Chairpersons shall seek participation on the committee from interested ISHA members who represent a variety of professional backgrounds and employment settings, (i.e., private practice, public schools, universities, hospitals, clinics, etc).
Term of Office: shall be two (2) years.
Membership and Public Networking Committee
Chair OPEN-(SLP), Susie Jones (SLP) & Kaili Smalley (SLP)
Purpose: To conduct an annual membership drive. To maintain a current file of all classes of members of ISHA by providing application data to ISHA's Administrative Assistant. To encourage continued membership in ISHA by sending notifications to members who have been delinquent, encouraging continued support of and membership in ISHA. To identify voting members at the annual Business Meeting. To plan with the board ways to increase membership ie. social events
Membership: The membership of this committee shall consist of a Chairperson appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board. The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve as ex-officio members. Regional Representatives may also serve as ex-officio members.
Additional members may be appointed at the discretion of the Chair. Term of Office: shall be two (2) years.
STATE ADVOCATE FOR MEDICARE POLICY (StAMP) NETWORK
Chairperson: Lacy Hefley Handwerk
Purpose: To provide ISHA with a contact person who is willing to advocate for Medicare coverage and reimbursement of audiology and speech-language pathology services in Idaho. StAMPs share advocacy skills and help create coverage and reimbursement strategies with the ASHA StAMP Network, the ISHA executive board, and ISHA members.
Membership: The President shall appoint an individual who is employed and collects reimbursement from Medicare for speech language pathology or audiology services.
Term of Office: Shall be three (3) years.
Regional Representatives
Region 1 (North): Marika Renshaw and Lauren Tandy
Region 2 (Southwest): Christine Pickup
Region 3 (Southeast): Position Vacant
Purpose: To provide ISHA with a contact person for surveys and educational and legislative activities. May also be asked to assist membership committee in planning social events across the state.
State Advocacy for Reimbursement (STAR)
Chairperson: Amy Hardy (SLP), April Ward (AuD)
Purpose: To provide ISHA with a contact person who is willing to advocate locally for consistent coverage and equitable health care reimbursement with legislators, state insurance commissioners, health plans, unions, and employers on matters related to private health plan reimbursement. STARS share advocacy skills and help create coverage and reimbursement strategies with the ASHA STAR Network, the ISHA executive board and ISHA members.
Term of Office: The President shall appoint an individual who is employed and collects reimbursement from private payers for speech language pathology or audiology services.
State Education Advocacy Leader for Idaho (SEAL)
Chairperson: Amber Romriell (SLP)
Purpose: To enhance and perpetuate the advocacy, leadership, and clinical management skills of school-based ISHA members. To influence administrative and public policy decisions that impact the delivery of speech-language pathology and audiology services in school settings. To express concerns and ideas of school professionals to the Executive Board, ISHA, and to the SEALs network. To link ISAH with ASHA’s national support and SEALs network for school- based speech-language pathologists and audiologists. ISHA and the SEAL share many of the same commitments: forming a constructive partnership with the State Department of Education in order to maintain personnel standards requiring a Master’s degree, to recruit and retain fully qualified service providers in school settings throughout the state, and to facilitate such benefits as improved working conditions, more reasonable caseloads, professional leave and less paperwork. (9/00)
Membership: The President shall appoint an individual who is employed in a public school setting to this position with the approval of the Executive Board.
Term of Office: shall be three (3) years.
University and College Liaison
Chairperson: Wendy Morgan (SLP)
Purpose: To exchange professional training needs and information and to promote cooperation between institutions of higher learning and ISHA. To promote a closer relationship between ISHA and members working in colleges and universities. To promote student membership in ISHA, as well as student participation in ISHA activities.
Membership: The President shall appoint a faculty representative to this position with the approval of the Executive Board when the Chairperson of the Continuing Education Committee is not so employed. Under these circumstances, this individual shall serve as a member of the Continuing Education Committee. The NSSLHA/ISHA Student Representative shall serve as a member on this committee. (10/98)
Term of Office: shall be two (2) years.
Web Editor/Web Master
Co-Chairpersons: Dorys De La Paz (admin assistant) Amy Hardy (SLP) and Darcey Schallberg (SLP)
To collect information (submitted from ISHA Committees and members) for posting to the website, editing it and preparing it for posting to ISHA web site. To maintain ISHA web site, to enhance communication of issues and events relevant to ISHA members.
Habilitation Advocacy Recruitment and Training
Chairperson: Position Vacant
ASHA would like to partner with members throughout the United States to educate and advocate on the federally adopted definition of the phrase rehabilitation and habilitation and the inclusion of audiology and speech-language pathology services under the defined benefit category. The new federal definition provides an opportunity to advocate for expanded coverage of habilitation services that were previously denied.
To keep the momentum going during state implementation, we request that state associations appoint a habilitation advocacy point person within the state to receive additional information and resources from ASHA.
Assistant Member Advisory Group (MAG)
Chairperson: Mary VanDonsel (SLP)
Assistant MAG members will meet periodically next year via Zoom to discuss how best to facilitate the utilization of assistants across the country (including support for ASHA’s Assistant Certification credential). MAG members should be familiar with the supervision of assistants, or the issues surrounding this, as well as the regulation of assistants.
