Jekyll2021-08-24T01:28:02+00:00/feed.xmlNMSAAM GovernanceGovernance documents and updates on the continued governance for the New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and Asian Medicine (NMSAAM). Maintained and updated by the NMSAAM Governance Committee. NMSAAM 2021 Call for Board Nominations2021-08-23T00:00:00+00:002021-08-23T00:00:00+00:00/2021/08/23/call-for-applications<p>Pursuant to the by-laws of the corporation, board members are elected for one year terms at the NMSAAM annual meeting. In the ongoing efforts of the Governance Committee to establish and document procedures befitting an association of professionals, the current Board of Directors and Governance committee is asking board members to submit the following prior to the annual meeting on <strong>September 18th, 2021</strong>:</p>
<ol>
<li>Completed Application Form ( <a href="https://nmsaamgov.github.io/p/2021nmsaambodapp.pdf">PDF Form</a> )</li>
<li>Letter of Intent (1 page or less)</li>
<li>CV / Resume</li>
</ol>
<p>The Conflict of Interest Policy is here: <a href="https://nmsaamgov.github.io/p/nmsaam_CI_DRAFT.pdf">NMSAAM Conflict of Interest Policy</a></p>
<p>Applications can be submitted to <a href="mailto:governance@nmsaam.org">governance@nmsaam.org</a></p>
<p>The governance committee will publish a list of all completed applications prior to the annual meeting, to aid the membership in the decision making process.</p>
<p><em>In compliance with the by-laws of the New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and Asian Medicine: All Officers and Board Members will be elected directly by the membership at the annual meeting</em></p>Pursuant to the by-laws of the corporation, board members are elected for one year terms at the NMSAAM annual meeting. In the ongoing efforts of the Governance Committee to establish and document procedures befitting an association of professionals, the current Board of Directors and Governance committee is asking board members to submit the following prior to the annual meeting on September 18th, 2021:Governance Committee Report: Meeting Feb13, 20202021-05-08T00:00:00+00:002021-05-08T00:00:00+00:00/2021/05/08/committee-report-feb-13<p><strong>Approved</strong> 8th of May, 2021</p>
<hr />
<p>The governance committee met on the 13th of February, 2021 at 10am MST. The following members were present:</p>
<ul>
<li>Steven Malins, DOM</li>
<li>Robert Bibeau, DOM</li>
<li>Yvonne Walston, DOM CMI</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Bernadette Lujan</em> was present for a brief discussion before the meeting was called to order.</p>
<p>The following ex-officio member was absent</p>
<ul>
<li>John Scott, DOM</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="topics-discussed">Topics Discussed</h2>
<ol>
<li>Meeting reports. The reports for the meetings on Nov19 and Dec17 2020 were approved.</li>
<li>Quarterly report. The 2020 4th Quarter report was reviewed, and the format was approved for the quarterly reports for 2021.</li>
<li>Committee charter template/outline. The format for committee charters was reviewed, and committee chairperson Steven Malins will publish a draft charter for other committees to use next week (week of Feb15).</li>
<li>Governance committee members. It was agreed to send out a call for new members, but that the current membership is sufficient to accomplish the work for 2021 if no volunteers are immediately available and willing.</li>
<li>Succession planning. The governance committee charter was reviewed and the committee is in consensus to follow the process outlined for the 2021 annual meeting.</li>
<li>By-laws review. See below.</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="documents-reviewed">Documents Reviewed</h2>
<p>The governance committee charter was reviewed, especially Article VI Section 2 regarding process for board elections. The committee agreed to make a small edit to the charter bolding the phrase <strong>by the membership</strong> in Article VI Section 2 Subsection 2 Paragraph 3 of the committee charter.</p>
<h3 id="society-by-laws">Society By-laws</h3>
<p>The committee began a systematic review of the by-laws of The Society. The following changes were agreed upon by the committee:</p>
<ol>
<li>Remove the following from Article II <del>as listed in the Society’s articles of incorporation. The registered agent shall be the current president of the Society, and the registered office shall be the president’s address.</del></li>
<li>Change Article VI Section III to reflect that the following shall be signatories on the NMSAAM bank account
<ol>
<li>The President</li>
<li>The Treasurer</li>
<li><em>One other board member as designated by the board</em></li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
<p>The committee agreed, in general, that a lifetime membership option could benefit The Society and ensure the vibrancy and longevity of The Society. It was agreed that Article V Section III be left as written, to allow the board to set the fee for lifetime members, with the approval of the membership at the annual meeting. The committee agrees that adding language to the lifetime membership category consistent with: <em>applications for lifetime membership shall be approved by the membership at the annual meeting</em></p>
<p>Committee members will collaborate on a shared/online version of the by-laws in MS Word format. The committee agreed to use the comment, suggestion, and track changes features of MS Word to collaborate on the by-laws prior to the next committee meeting.</p>
<h2 id="recommendations">Recommendations</h2>
<ol>
<li>That the (governance) committee lead The Society in following the procedure outlined in the governance committee charter for election of board members and officers at the 2021 annual meeting of The Society.</li>
<li>The committee notes that the version of the by-laws at <a href="https://nmsaamgov.github.io/by_laws.html">https://nmsaamgov.github.io/by_laws.html</a> is the official version of the by-laws of the society; it is recommended that the markdown/plain-text version in the <a href="https://github.com/nmsaamgov/nmsaamgov.github.io/blob/master/by_laws.md">GitHub</a> repository be used to programmatically generate copies of the by-laws in other formats, eg MS Word or PDF.</li>
<li>That the committee draft a detailed and written process for proposing by-laws changes; that the process allow for a reasonable comment period by the membership prior to a meeting where changes are approved; and that changes be presented to the membership in a transparent, understandable, and complete manner to the membership for comment.</li>
</ol>Steven Malins, DOM (Committee Chairperson)Approved 8th of May, 2021Governance Committee Report: Meeting Dec17, 20202021-02-13T00:00:00+00:002021-02-13T00:00:00+00:00/2021/02/13/committee-report-dec-17<p><strong>Approved</strong> 13th of February, 2021</p>
<hr />
<p>The governance committee met on the 17th of December, 2020 at 7pm MST.
The following members were present:</p>
<ul>
<li>Steven Malins, DOM</li>
<li>Yvonne Walston, DOM</li>
<li>Robert Bibeau, DOM</li>
</ul>
<p>The following members were absent:</p>
<ul>
<li>John Scott, DOM</li>
<li>Bernadette Lujan, DOM</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="topics-discussed">Topics Discussed</h2>
<ol>
<li>Report for meeting Nov19 not ready yet; topic tabled until next meeting</li>
<li>Quarterly report to the board; will be published/available prior to board meeting on Jan12, 2021</li>
<li>Committee charters; will publish draft/template for other committees early in Jan 2021</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="documents-reviewed">Documents Reviewed</h2>
<p>The committee reviewed the draft quarterly report to the board, and approved changes that will be distributed to committee members for final approval. The report will be finalized and submitted to the board for the scheduled board meeting on Jan12, 2021.</p>
<h2 id="recommendations">Recommendations</h2>
<p>The committee will include its recommendations in the quarterly report to the board.</p>Steven Malins, DOM (Committee Chairperson)Approved 13th of February, 2021Governance Committee Report: Meeting Nov19, 20202021-02-13T00:00:00+00:002021-02-13T00:00:00+00:00/2021/02/13/committee-report-nov-19<p><strong>Approved</strong> 13th of February, 2021</p>
<hr />
<p>The governance committee met on the 19th of November, 2020 at 7pm MST.
The following members were present:</p>
<ul>
<li>Steven Malins, DOM</li>
<li>Yvonne Walston, DOM</li>
<li>Robert Bibeau, DOM</li>
<li>Bernadette Lujan, DOM</li>
</ul>
<p>The following ex-officio member was absent:</p>
<ul>
<li>John Scott, DOM</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="topics-discussed">Topics Discussed</h2>
<ol>
<li>Committee Charter. Changes were approved to the charter regarding quorum. The process for board nominations was adjusted and clarified. Changes are reflected in the current version of the charter.</li>
<li>Committee assignments: There is consensus that the president of the society appoints committee chairpersons and that the committee chairpersons appoint committee members with input from the president.</li>
<li>A brief discussion was had on the process for setting policy and position statements, but no consensus was reached.</li>
<li>Succession Planning / Information Governance: The committee agrees that concrete procedures for ensuring the organization as a whole retains access to critical documents like finances and access credentials to websites is critical for the organization.</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="documents-reviewed">Documents Reviewed</h2>
<p>The committee charter and preamble were reviewed. The preamble and changes to the charter were approved unanimously.</p>
<h2 id="recommendations">Recommendations</h2>
<ol>
<li>That the board either develop an information governance policy, or task a committee with developing said policy; if developed by committee, it should be approved or rejected by the board as a whole;</li>
<li>That the board develop procedures for cross-training members so that knowledge of critical functions remains resilient to individual changes in membership of the board.</li>
</ol>Steven Malins, DOM (Committee Chairperson)Approved 13th of February, 2021Required Notice: NMSAAM Board Meeting2020-11-23T00:00:00+00:002020-11-23T00:00:00+00:00/2020/11/23/board-meeting-notice<p>Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of the New Mexico
Society for Acupuncture and Asian Medicine shall convene a business
meeting on the <strong>1st of December, 2020</strong> at 7pm MST. The meeting will
be held by Zoom video conference.</p>
<p>Any NMSAAM member in good standing is welcome to attend. Members
interested in attending should contact NMSAAM president Yvonne
Walston, DOM, CMI at
<a href="mailto:yvonne@choicehealingarts.com">yvonne@choicehealingarts.com</a></p>Steven Malins, Governance Committee ChairpersonNotice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and Asian Medicine shall convene a business meeting on the 1st of December, 2020 at 7pm MST. The meeting will be held by Zoom video conference.Governance Committee Report2020-11-19T00:00:00+00:002020-11-19T00:00:00+00:00/2020/11/19/meeting-report-oct29<p>The governance committee met on the 29th of October, 2020 at 7pm MDT.
The following members were present:</p>
<ul>
<li>Steven Malins, DOM</li>
<li>Yvonne Walston, DOM</li>
<li>Robert Bibeau</li>
<li>Bernadette Lujan, DOM</li>
</ul>
<p>The following ex-officio member was absent:</p>
<ul>
<li>John Scott, DOM</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="topics-discussed">Topics Discussed</h2>
<ol>
<li>Report for meeting on Sept 17, 2020 approved as amended</li>
<li>Preamble for committee charter, will be sent to committee members for review</li>
<li>NMSAAM Listserv / Email-discussion-list</li>
<li>Committee assignments and charters</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="documents-reviewed">Documents Reviewed</h2>
<h3 id="code-of-conduct">Code of Conduct</h3>
<p>The committee reviewed the <a href="https://nmsaamgov.github.io/coc">NMSAAM Code of Conduct</a>.
The committee approves of the code of conduct.</p>
<h2 id="recommendations">Recommendations</h2>
<ol>
<li>The committee strongly recommends that the NMSAAM listserv be restricted to NMSAAM members only.</li>
<li>The committee recommends that the board instruct all standing committees to adopt a charter. The governance committee members will assist and provide a template charter or outline for other committees to use.</li>
<li>The committee recommends that the finance committee be separate from the governance committee; but that there will understandably be some overlap in membership of the two committees.</li>
</ol>
<hr />
<p>Respectfully sumbitted,<br />
Steven Malins (committee chairperson)<br />
<strong>Approved</strong> the 19th of November, 2020</p>Steven Malins, DOM (Committee Chair)The governance committee met on the 29th of October, 2020 at 7pm MDT. The following members were present:Clinical Guidelines For Practice Regarding Public Health Order Dated 13 November 20202020-11-13T00:00:00+00:002020-11-13T00:00:00+00:00/2020/11/13/pho-guidelines<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong></p>
<h2 id="public-health-order-13-nov-2020">Public Health Order 13 Nov 2020</h2>
<p>On the 13th of November, 2020, Acting Secretary Billy J. Jimenez issued a <em>Public Health Order</em> under direction of the Governor in response to the continued public health emergency.</p>
<p>This order allows the continued operation of (emphasis added):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Health care operations including hospitals, <strong>walk-in-care health facilities</strong>, pharmacies, medical wholesale and distribution, home health care workers or aides for the elderly, emergency dental facilities, nursing homes, residential health care facilities, research facilities, congregate care facilities, intermediate care facilities for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, supportive living homes, home health care providers, drug and alcohol recovery support services, and medical supplies and equipment manufacturers and providers;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Which clearly includes acupuncturists and their clinics.</p>
<h2 id="public-health-order-30-april-2020">Public Health Order 30 April, 2020</h2>
<p>On the 30th of April, 2020, Cabinet Secretary Kathyleen M. Kunkel issued a <em>Public Health Order Modifying Temporary Restrictions on Non-Esential Health Care Services, Procedures and Surgeries.</em></p>
<p>The November 13th order extends the April 30th order <em>until they are amended or rescinded</em></p>
<p>The April 30th order directs that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>All hospitals and other health care facilities, ambulatory surgical facilities, dental, orthodontic and endodontic offices in the State of New Mexico are prohibited from providing non-essential health care services, procedures, and surgeries, except under the conditions provided below.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The order further directs that facilities may gradually resume operations <em>in compliance with guidelines provided by the New Mexico Department of Health.</em></p>
<h2 id="department-of-health-guidelines">Department of Health Guidelines</h2>
<p>From the Department of Health website:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The MAT has issued reopening recommended guidelines for use by acupuncturists, Doctors of Oriental Medicine, and auricular detoxification. The guidelines cover several areas, including personal protective equipment, considerations for facilities/clinics, COVID-19 screening procedures, and reporting.</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://cvmodeling.nmhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/05/NMMATAssessmentDOMReopening2020_05_20.pdf">Download from DOH site</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="ccaom-guidelines">CCAOM Guidelines</h2>
<p>The Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM) have issued guidelines for the modification of acupuncturists’ clinics; and the New Mexico Department of Health has included these guidlines as a reference.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.asacu.org/wp-content/uploads/CCAOM-Clinic-Infection-Control-Advisory.pdf">CCAOM Guidelines</a> (courtesy of ASA website)</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="conclusion-and-recommendation">Conclusion and Recommendation</h2>
<p><strong>The New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and Asian Medicine Recommends acupuncturists comply with the following guidelines</strong></p>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://cvmodeling.nmhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/05/NMMATAssessmentDOMReopening2020_05_20.pdf">Reopening Guidelines: Doctors of Oriental Medicine</a> <em>May 20, 2020</em> provided by the New Mexico Medical Advisory Team (MAT)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.asacu.org/wp-content/uploads/CCAOM-Clinic-Infection-Control-Advisory.pdf">CCAOM Guidelines</a> <em>Updated April 30, 2020</em></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/hai/settings/outpatient/outpatient-care-guidelines.html">Guide to Infection Prevention for Outpatient Settings: Minimum Expectations for Safe Care</a> CDC Guidance</li>
</ol>
<p>As long as acupuncturists follow the above guidelines, including but not limited to:</p>
<ol>
<li>Screening patients for COVID-19 symptoms at time of scheduling, via online or phone screening;</li>
<li><em>COVID-19 positive cases should not visit the office for treatment until they have been released from isolation using current NM DOH Guidelines for isolation and quarantine;</em></li>
<li>All providers, staff, and patients wear a mask at all times in clinic; staff and providers should consider the use of N95 or KN95 masks;</li>
<li><em>Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces (e.g., doorknobs, light switches, and surfaces in and around toilets in patients’ rooms) on a more frequent schedule;</em></li>
<li>Document increase cleaning and disinfecting procedures as recommended by the CCAOM Guidelines and CDC Guidelines;</li>
</ol>
<p>the New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and Asian Medicine does not recommend the closing of acupuncturists’ clinics solely due to the public health emergency at this time.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>NMSAAM is not qualified to give legal advice, and nothing in this document is intended to act as or substitute for legal advice. NMSAAM does not take any liability, expressed or implied, for acupuncturists who act on recommendations or conclusions contained in this document; it is provided as is and for information only.</em></p>
<hr />NMSAAM Board of DirectorsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENotice of Committee Meeting Nov 192020-11-10T00:00:00+00:002020-11-10T00:00:00+00:00/2020/11/10/meeting-notice<p>Notice is hereby given that the <em>NMSAAM Governance Committee</em> has scheduled a meeting for <strong>Thursday the 19th of November at 7pm MST</strong>.
The meeting will be held via Zoom video conference.</p>
<p>Please contact the committee chair at <a href="governance@nmsaam.org">mailto:governance@nmsaam.org</a> with questions or to make arrangements to attend as an observer.</p>Steven Malins, DOM (Committee Chair)Notice is hereby given that the NMSAAM Governance Committee has scheduled a meeting for Thursday the 19th of November at 7pm MST. The meeting will be held via Zoom video conference.Governance Committee Report: Sept 17th2020-10-29T00:00:00+00:002020-10-29T00:00:00+00:00/2020/10/29/committee-report-sept-17<p><strong>Approved</strong> 29th of October, 2020</p>
<hr />
<p>The governance committee met on the 17th of September, 2020 at 7pm MDT.
The following members were present:</p>
<ul>
<li>Steven Malins, DOM</li>
<li>Yvonne Walston, DOM</li>
<li>Robert Bibeau</li>
<li>Bernadette Lujan, DOM</li>
</ul>
<p>The following ex-officio member was absent:</p>
<ul>
<li>John Scott, DOM</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="topics-discussed">Topics Discussed</h2>
<ol>
<li>Roll of the governance committee</li>
<li>Members and adding the immediate past president of the society as an ex-officio member; unanimous consent to affirm immediate past president as ex-officio member</li>
<li>Need for finance committee to look at prospective budget</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="documents-reviewed">Documents Reviewed</h2>
<h3 id="committee-charter">Committee Charter</h3>
<p>The governance committee reviewed the <strong>Governance Committee Charter</strong> available on the website
<a href="https://nmsaamgov.github.io/committees/governance/gov_charter.html">here</a>.
The charter was unanimously approved.</p>
<p>The committee resolved to draft a preamble to the committee charter that emphasizes the role of the committee is to <strong>increase</strong> participation and transparency of the society.</p>
<p>The committee discussed the process for elections detailed in the charter.
It was agreed that it is far too late to implement it for the 2020 annual meeting.
The committee agreed to follow the process for the 2021 annual meeting.</p>
<h2 id="recommendations">Recommendations</h2>
<ol>
<li>The governance committee recommends that the board designate a finance committee. The governance committee is willing to act as the finance committee until a permanent committee can be established; subject to approval and authorization by the board.</li>
</ol>Steven Malins, DOM (Committee Chair)Approved 29th of October, 2020Position Statement on New Mexico Acupuncture Clinical Skills Exam2020-10-20T00:00:00+00:002020-10-20T00:00:00+00:00/2020/10/20/statement-skills-exam<p>It is the opinion of the New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and
Asian Medicine that:</p>
<p><strong>The clinical skills examination specified in Paragraph (2) of
Subsection B of 16.2.4.8 NMAC is both necessary and sufficient to
protect public safety. The New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and
Asian Medicine (NMSAAM) strongly supports the clinical skills
examination as currently administered.</strong></p>
<p>The exam authorized by the <em>Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Practice
Act</em> and defined in Paragraph (2) of Subsection B of 16.2.4.8 NMAC,
hereafter “the exam”, has been a requirement for the practice of
acupuncture in New Mexico since the act was passed in 1981. Since that
time, there have been very few adverse events relating to the practice
of acupuncture in the state. This is, in part, due to the exam
requirement.</p>
<p>The exam as currently administered has been evaluated by outside PhDs
in psychometrics. This was done by the Board of Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine, “the board”, at the board’s expense. It was
established that the current exam:</p>
<ol>
<li>Is objective in its testing of licensee candidates;</li>
<li>Tests objectively different criteria than any exams offered by the
National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine (NCCAOM).</li>
</ol>
<p>The practical nature of the exam is similar in scope and rigor to
those required by other health providers, including but not limited to
optometrists and emergency medical technicians (EMT).</p>
<p>As a matter of high professional standards and public safety, NMSAAM
strongly supports the continued administration of the exam.</p>
<p>NMSAAM Board of Directors<br />
Approved October, 2020</p>New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and Asian MedicineIt is the opinion of the New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and Asian Medicine that: