This is an email I received from my Director regarding the Congressional
Bill. Perhaps it will help clarify the email sent by Glenda Hoye
. 
The bill does specifically mention Histology and Cytology. 
Send your response to  ElissaP@ascls.org 
or call or fax as below.

We all need to speak out! Next year is a BIG election year. Use that to our
advantage. We need to speak directly to our Senators and Representatives
also - emails, voice mails, etc. 

I belong to the Advocacy Committee - I will forward things along as I see
relevance. (Excuse us, Dear Friends outside the USA!)

God bless us everyone! 

Joyce Weems
Pathology Manager
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta

Subject:	Personnel Shortage

Hi Everyone,

As this Congress winds down its work, there is some concern that H.R. 1948
will not be enacted.  In addition, since there never was a Senate bill, it
is unlikely that any of it would be implemented.  In meetings that we
(ASCLS) have been having with the College of American Pathologists, we have
discussed what it would really take to fix the shortage.  The College's
contacts on the Hill have indicated that they believe that there is a
shortage but that loan forgiveness programs aren't really going to fix the
problem.  David Fowler reported that Secretary Thompson (HHS), as part of a
video conference on anthrax, stated four different times about the
difficulty the labs were having with keeping up with the amount of work and
stated that this was a concern that was brought to his attention and needs
to be addressed. He also stated that he needs some direction about the best
way to help the labs.   As David said, this is the time for us to tell folks
what is needed for the short and long term to make sure that the public gets
the level of testing and quality that they deserve.  CAP agrees and is
trying to get a meeting with the Secretary for the two organizations (and
other organizations that might want to attend).  CAP is asking us to come up
with some really effective strategies to fix this shortage so that CAP can
endorse them and we can all be sending the same message.  Therefore, we need
to do some brainstorming.   We know that salary and recognition are two
crucial contributors to the shortage.  But are there other things?  And what
is the answer?

So, please talk among yourselves, share this email with as many folks as you
would like but get back to David and/or I with:

a. what is contributing to the shortage (with some prioritization of the
list)
b. what will really fix it?  (including money - but money where - to just
the hospitals, to education programs, to ? where)

Please get back to us as soon as possible but no later than Oct 31. Thanks!


Elissa Passiment
ASCLS Executive Vice President
301.657.2768, X3015
301.657.2909 (fax)
7910 Woodmont Ave, #530
Bethesda, MD 20814-3015