GAPA Prescribes Personal Attention for Patients

PEACHTREE CITY, GA—The Georgia Athletic Trainers’ Association (GATA) named Dan Vacala of Savannah, GA as the recipient of the Jerry Rhea Athletic Trainer of the Year Award at their annual meeting Jan 13, 2012. The honor is based primarily on his work as a healthcare professional in the Savannah, Ga area and he was nominated by fellow athletic trainer Joseph Wilson.

The Georgia Sports Symposium will be held March 3, 2012, at the Ritz Carlton/Reynolds Plantation at Lake Oconee, GA. This event will provide education and resources on sports injury prevention to healthcare providers including Physician Assistants and Athletic Trainers. Please click here to download a registration form and more information about the event.

December 17, 2011, Anniston, Alabama - Captain Jeffrey W Chambers PA-C, ATC, from the United States Air Force Alabama Air National Guard 187th Fighter Wing CERFP Medical Element, recently completed training offered by the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), in Anniston, Ala. The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training facility in the nation.

As pre-filed for the 2012 Georgia legislative session, House Bill 673, sponsored by Billy Mitchell (D-Stone Mountain), seeks to enact "Georgia's Return to Play Act of 2012." The legislation would require the State Board of Education to develop and distribute mandatory guidelines to local school boards to inform and educate coaches, student-athletes, and their parents or guardians of the nature and risk of concussions, including criteria for removal from and return to play and risks of not reporting the injury and continuing to play.

The Georgia Association of Physician Assistants (GAPA) is encouraging all Georgians to “Get Fit with GAPA”. Fight the obesity epidemic with tools and opportunities that promote healthy eating programs and fun outdoor activities to help burn calories and build muscles!

On October 6, 2011, the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants (GAPA) participated in a proclamation signing ceremony for PA Week 2011 (Oct 6 - 12). Governor Nathan Deal greeted GAPA leaders including Mary Vacala, Lori Gaylor, Jim Gordon, and several students and faculty from the Mercer and Emory PA programs.

Effective October 1, 2011, every hard copy prescription drug order for any Schedule II controlled substance written in this state by a practitioner must be written on security paper. If you have questions, please contact the Pharmacy Board at 478-207-2440.

Click here to download a PDF of a memorandum to Georgia Pharmacists from the Georgia Board of Pharmacy (dated 9/16/11) describing the new law: O.C.G.A. § 26-4-80.1. Use of security paper for hard copy prescription drug orders.

The mission of the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants (GAPA) is to promote high quality, cost-effective, accessible health care as part of a physician-directed physician assistant/physician team.  More than 2000 physician assistants (PAs) across the state of Georgia are dedicated to ensuring that patients receive the personal attention they need from their medical care providers.  PAs have made a significant impact in the delivery of health care and will continue to change the way healthcare is delivered in this country. PAs have become indispensable members of the healthcare team and are forecasted to be crucial members of healthcare reform. There are now more than 73,000 certified PAs in the U.S., and the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) projects that by 2018, there will be more than 100,000 practicing PAs.

“Find a PA” is GAPA’s latest tool to help you connect with new patients and expand your practice. If you have recently joined GAPA or renewed your membership for 2011, you are already listed in our “Find a PA” database. This service benefits you as a GAPA member and also benefits Georgia health care consumers, helping them locate medical services and PA providers near them. We encourage you to check your membership listing at gapa.net (in the Members Only section) to make sure your information is complete and up-to-date!

In addition to receiving this free service, a number of GAPA members have indicated they would like to include additional information in their listings, so GAPA is now offering the following upgrades:

The Georgia Office of Emergency Preparedness has asked GAPA members to consider registering for the SERVGA database. This program credentials, trains and prepares individuals for emergency situations such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and other disasters.Click here for more information on this program or contact Lanetta Mathis, SERVGA and MRC Volunteer Assistant, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 404-463-8419.

Recruit exhibitors and earn up to $2,500 from GAPA.

(February 1, 2011) The Georgia Composite Medical Board Chapter has announced that Rule 360-5 Amended, dealing with regulation of physician assistants, will go into effect on on February 7, 2011.  These are the rules which update the regulation of PAs as contained in HB 509, passed by the General Assembly and signed into law in 2009. Additional information is available for GAPA members in the Legislative Blog on the "Members Only" section of the GAPA website.

What’s the one of the best jobs in America? According to the editors at Money Magazine, it’s being a physician assistant. In fact, out of the top 100 positions, PAs jobs are ranked #2.