Highlights from AMA's 2013 House of Delegates June 27, 2013 General AMA, American Medical Association, House of Delegates 0 The California delegation to the American Medical Association’s (AMA) House of Delegates presented a number of important resolutions at the AMA annual meeting in Chicago. The following are summaries of some of the California resolutions that the AMA House of Delegates adopted as policy. 1. Health Risks of Sitting (Res. 413): The delegates adopted a resolution that asks AMA to recognize that there are potential risks of prolonged sitting and encourage efforts by employers, employees and others to make available alternatives such as standing work stations and isometric balls, and to encourage educational efforts on ways to minimize this risk. 2. Monitoring for Radiation in Seafood (Res. 414):The delegates adopted an amended California resolution that asks AMA to call for the federal government to continue to monitor and fully report the radioactivity levels of edible Pacific Ocean species sold in the United States that could reasonably have been exposed to radiation from the ongoing Fukushima disaster and to include the potential health implications of consuming such foods. 3. Prevention of Falls Through Windows (Res. 415): The delegates adopted an amended California resolution that asks AMA to support the use of window guards and devices that prevent windows from opening enough to allow a child to fall through, and to support public education regarding the risks of children falling through windows. 4. Public Education on Distracted Driving (Res. 416): The delegates adopted a resolution that asks the AMA to support public education efforts on the dangers of distracted driving, particularly activities that take drivers’ eyes off the road. 5. Revised Blood Donor Deferral Criteria (Res. 514): The delegates adopted a substitute resolution that asks AMA to oppose the current lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men, and to express support for the use of rational, scientifically based deferral periods that are fairly and consistently applied to donors according to their level of risk rather than being solely based on sexual orientation. 6. Targeted Tuberculosis Testing of School Children (Res. 515): The delegates adopted as amended a California resolution that asks AMA to support efforts to replace universal tuberculosis (TB) testing of school aged children with a TB risk assessment questionnaire, and support TB testing of school aged children based on the results of that risk assessment. 7. Early Treatment and Partner Services for HIV (Res. 516): The delegates adopted an amended California resolution that asks AMA to support programs raising physician awareness of the benefits of early treatment and of “treatment as prevention,” and the need for linkage of newly positive persons to clinical care and partner services. For an expanded summary of California resolutions from the AMA House of Delegates, click here. Contact: Nick Birtcil, (916) 551-2570 or nbirtcil@cmanet.org. Comments are closed.
