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Professional Advisory Groups

OPAG By Laws

  1. Name
  2. Mission
  3. Objectives
  4. Membership
  5. Leadership
  6. Operations and Procedures
    Article I

    Name

    The Optometry Professional Advisory Group shall also be referred to as the Group or OPAG.

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    Article II

    Mission

    Represent and advocate for the professional discipline of optometry and its commissioned officers, civil servants, contract and tribal optometrists serving within the Public Health Service and affiliated services.

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    Article III

    Objectives

    The OPAG functions in a resource and advisory capacity to assist in the development, coordination, training and evaluation of activities related to Health Services Officers (HSOs) in the optometry discipline in the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) with the specific objectives of:

  • Maintain and publish statistical information about PHS optometry officers collectively.
  • Maintain and publish current and historical information about the service of optometry officers.
  • Formulate and publish recommendations regarding issues affecting the service of PHS optometrists and assist in their implementation.
  • Foster the recruitment of PHS optometrists.
  • Promote optometry officer career development, retention policies and activities. physician assistants and assisting in meeting the needs relative to recruitment, retention, training, professional development and utilization;
  • Optometrists of each respective agency shall appoint up to one optometrist for every 20 commissioned corps or civil service, or direct tribal hire optometrists on duty, or part thereof, to serve 2 years. For the November 2006 appointment of OPAG membership, one half will serve for 3 years and one half will serve for 2 years. Thereafter, all appointments will be 2 year terms, one half of which expire yearly
  • OPAG appointees may be recalled at any time with a majority voice of their respective agency optometrists.
  • OPAG members are required to attend at least two-thirds of the scheduled meetings or they may be replaced by the respective agency.
  • On behalf of the OPAG members, the OPAG Chair may designate optometrists and others to serve as OPAG non-voting members adding needed special expertise and abilities for prescribed terms of assignment.
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Article V

Leadership

  • Officers will include a chairperson, vice chairperson and secretary, elected for each calendar year by a majority of OPAG voting members.

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Article VI

Operations and Procedures

  • A majority vote of the OPAG membership shall be required for all OPAG decisions and actions.
  • OPAG meetings shall be scheduled as determined by the membership with a minimum of two per fiscal year. The chairperson, or in their absence the vice chairperson or other designee, will organize and conduct meetings. Meeting minutes will be approved by a majority of voting members and published within two weeks of each respective meeting by the Secretary.
  • Bylaws are amendable by a majority of the OPAG voting membership and shall be reviewed for updating at least every 36 months.

08/04/2006

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