APPENDIX III: ASTHO RELATIONSHIPS

GUIDELINES FOR ASTHO AFFILIATE RELATIONSHIPS

Organizations seeking affiliation must be in existence during the two-year prior to the time of application for affiliate status. During this time, the organization must have demonstrated:

Evidence of a purpose being served by the organization, as demonstrated through publications or projects which are beneficial to the public health or to the work of state public health agencies.

The organization must be major programmatic unit of a state health department, separated from and not a sub-unit of any existing affiliate.

The programmatic unit must exist in at least half of the states.

The organization must have held Annual Meetings at which at least 25 states have been represented.

Periodic (quarterly or semi-annual) communication must have been circulated among members of the organization.

At present, the ASTHO relationship with its affiliates is loosely structured.

ASTHO’S EXPECTATIONS FROM ITS AFFILIATES

1. Serve on ASTHO committees, as requested.
2. Annual attendance of the Affiliate President or representative at the Affiliates Presidents’ Meeting with the ASTHO Executive Committee.
3. Development of position statements.
4. Concurrent/joint meeting every four to six years.
5. Representation of ASTHO at meetings on issues specific to Affiliate’s interest, when requested.
6. Review and comment on issue papers or policy statements on issues specific to affiliates’ interest.

ASTHO will coordinate with the Public Health Foundation efforts on behalf of Affiliates in pursuing grant support that will enhance the work of Affiliates.

ASTHO will provide a legislative bulletin board on the electronic mail system to which all Affiliate members will have access.

ASTHO will continue to provide each Affiliate President ( or other designated representative) with copies of ASTHO membership mailings, Washington reports and legislative alerts.

ASTHO will convene annually a meeting with Affiliate Presidents to review current and future issues, and the nature of ASTHO’s relationship with each Affiliate. Currently, this meeting is held at the time of the APHA Annual Meeting.

ASTHO will designate a member to serve as liaison to each Affiliate organization who will present the position statements and concerns of Affiliates to the ASTHO Executive committee. The ASTHO liaison will attend the Annual Meeting of the Affiliate, whenever possible.

As part of the affiliation agreement, ASTHO and the Public Health Foundation staff will work to assist the Affiliates, whenever possible, in the development of their programs and activities. Staff will assist Affiliates in the preparation of grant applications. Arrangements may be made whereby the ASTHO or Foundation staff will provide the ongoing staff support under such grants. When major commitments of time and effort are involved, arrangements for covering the reimbursement for staff time and effort may be necessary and should be explored.

RESOLUTIONS AND POSITIONS PAPERS

In 1983, ASTHO established resolutions and position papers as a means for ASTHO members and Affiliates to channel recommendations on public health issues, policies and posture for discussion and/or adoption by ASTHO.

1. Any committee, affiliate, or member of ASTHO may request that ASTHO address a public health issue and take a specific stand with regard to that subject.
2. Request for determination by ASTHO of a policy on any public health issue must be made in writing in the form of a Position Paper or Resolution. (See page ///for format.)
3. Proposed position papers or resolutions must be forwarded to the Executive Director of ASTHO, who will acknowledge receipt in writing to the Affiliate President and forward the proposal(s) to the Chairperson of the ASTHO Resolutions Committee for action with copies to their members of the Resolutions Committee for information.
4. The chairperson of the Resolutions Committee will cause the Committee to review, by meeting or by telephone, the proposals and establish a consensus for recommendation to the Executive Committee of the policy or posture to be adopted by ASTHO.
5. The ASTHO Executive Committee will, in meeting or by telephone, review the recommendations of the Resolutions Committee and approve or disapprove, with or without amendment, the proposed policy or posture and determine how to implement necessary action.
6. It is expected that proposed resolutions or position paper would be submitted to the Executive Director no less than 60-days prior to any scheduled Executive Committee Meeting if it were to receive action in a timely manner. This is the minimum time required and more time should be allowed if possible.
7. In the case of a proposed resolution or position paper, which is generated out of an affiliate meeting concurrent with or shortly preceding the ASTHO Annual Meeting, the resolution/position paper shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee in a special session prior to the general session. The Affiliate President, designee and/or Executive Committee liaison will present the issue. On an affirmative majority vote of the Executive Committee, the resolution/position paper may be brought before the membership.
8. Members may also bring up proposed resolutions or positions for consideration, but the resolution/position paper must be brought before the Executive Committee as described in No. 7 above prior to being brought to the full membership. At the discretion of the President, the Executive Committee pre-examination of an issue may be omitted, but only where in his/her opinion a clear majority of the membership is likely to support immediate affirmative action.
9. In the event of an issue requiring an immediate ASTHO position and outside of the context of a meeting, the President may, with the concurrence of the President-Elect or the Executive Committee liaison of the most related Affiliate, initiate a conference call or individual telephone poll of the Executive Committee. Upon concurrence by the majority, the President may indicate tentative ASTHO concurrence pending confirmation by the membership at its next regular meeting.
10. In the process of determining its decision on any proposal, the Executive Committee will consider the timing of potential actions and the degree of interest throughout the ASTHO organization on the subject being addressed, and may delay action on any request to allow all members to be polled or to permit floor discussion at the next Association Annual Meeting, as appropriate.
11. The ASTHO Executive Director, in addition to assisting in the accomplishment of the Executive Committee’s determined course of action, will insure that all members and the requesting individual or organization are informed of the Executive Committee’s decision.
12. For each Annual Meeting of ASTHO, the Executive Director will prepare a summary of position papers/resolutions which the Executive Committee has approved since prior to the Association Annual Meeting and cause this summary to be presented to all attending members.
    

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