AOSA members travel to Capitol Hill to advocate for optometry’s future

More than 250 members of the American Optometric Student Association traveled to Washington to participate in the Congressional Advocacy Conference, according to an American Optometric Association press release.

“I’d like the ability to practice to the fullest extent of what I’ve learned in school, and I’d like that for all optometrists,” AOSA President James Deom, a fourth-year student at Salus University, said in the press release.

The students lobbied for the National Health Service Corps Improvement Act (HR920/S1445) and the Optometric Equity in Medicaid Act (HR855), according to the release.

The AOSA has made it a priority to encourage students to contribute to the AOA-Political Action Committee, and this group represents the fourth-largest AOA affiliate in terms of PAC contributions, the release said. At six schools of optometry more than 20% of the students contribute, and at the University of Houston College of Optometry more than 35% contribute.

Students and practitioners share their perspective on advocacy and the issues that face the profession in a video jointly produced by AOSA and OptometryStudents.com. The AOA’s Washington Office also produced a short video to share a broader perspective on the Congressional Advocacy Conference.

The AOSA represents more than 6,200 students attending the 23 schools and colleges of optometry in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.