Preparing for the March Virtual House

Making the March virtual House of Delegates a success can be as simple as 1-2-3:

1. Participate in the Chair’s Webinar (Feb. 23)

2. Debate the 16 policy recommendations on ASHP Connect

3. Vote between March 13 and March 20!

Chair's Webinar on Feb. 23

I will conduct a live webinar on Monday, Feb. 23, at 11 a.m. ET to provide an overview of the virtual and in-person House of Delegates meetings and answer questions. If you haven’t already done so, please register. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, the archived webinar will be available on the House of Delegates website, in the Resources to Help Serve as a Delegate section. We have also put together some answers to frequently asked questions about the March virtual House of Delegates. Please consider bookmarking the FAQs, since you may need to refer to them often.

Policy Recommendations on ASHP Connect

The 16 policy recommendations being voted on in March are available in the ASHP Connect House of Delegates Community. Please review and discuss the policy recommendations with your constituents before voting. The policy recommendations being considered at the June House of Delegates are also posted on ASHP Connect for review and discussion. Please also discuss those policy recommendations with your constituents before attending the Regional Delegate Conferences (RDCs). Delegates who have an ASHP Connect profile should subscribe to receive the House of Delegates daily digest. If you do not have a profile, please create one soon and join the House of Delegates Community to receive the automated notices.

Background on Policy Recommendations

Be sure to read the Board of Directors Reports on Policy Recommendations for the rationale and background for the policy recommendations posted on Connect. For brevity, the rationale and background are not included in the Connect discussion posts but are included in the Board Reports to provide context to the policy recommendations. 

Online Voting Process

On March 12, delegates will receive an email message from hodchair@ashp.org with detailed instructions for secure online voting, which will take place March 13-20. The online voting process does not permit amendments, so delegates are encouraged to vote against recommendations they feel should be amended, and to post a rationale supporting that position on Connect. Policy recommendations approved by at least 85% of delegates will become ASHP policy. Policies not reaching that level of consensus will be further considered by the House of Delegates later in the year. An online voting simulation is available at https://demo.simplyvoting.com/.

If you are a state delegate who will not be able to serve for the March meeting, please contact your state affiliate as soon as possible so an alternate can be appointed. Other delegates who are unable to participate should contact ASHP directly.

Attending an In-Person or Virtual RDC April 25-28

As in past years, the in-person RDCs will be held over two days (different sessions between April 25 and April 28) in various cities. Virtual RDCs will be conducted from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET between April 25 and April 28 on the Zoom platform. Full details are available on the RDC section of the House of Delegates website.

Resolution Deadline is March 16

Resolutions are another source of policy recommendations and are submitted directly by members for House consideration. The Call for Resolutions is open, and submissions are due by March 16.

Questions?

I encourage you to send any questions you have to me at hodchair@ashp.org as we approach the March virtual House of Delegates. Thank you again for your commitment to the ASHP policy process.