• 2024 Legislative Interim Topics
• JLHSS Meeting
• Suicide Awareness Proclamation
• Immunization Unit Updates

• WMS Annual Meeting Updates
• WY Leaders in Medicine
• Trauma-Informed Care
• Project Firstline

The Wyoming 67th Legislature adjourned the 2024 Budget Session on Friday, March 8. In case you missed it, a comprehensive final legislative summary that was sent out last month is linked HERE. 

With the 2024 Session just barely behind us, it's already time to start thinking about the interim work in advance of the 2025 General Session. Each standing committee of the Wyoming House and Senate meet jointly through each interim to debate topics that the committees request and management council approves. 

This year's interim topics are linked HERE for your consideration. A few highlights that will be discussed this interim include:

• Education Committee - 
• Early Childhood Education (page 3-4)
• K-12 Mental Health 
• Labor, Health and Social Services (page 8)
• Maternity Healthcare and Childcare Issues
• Wyoming Healthcare Authority 
• Provider Enrollment
• Music Therapy Licensure 
• Step Therapy Reform

If you have suggestions, thoughts, or comments on any of the above topics or want to get more actively involved with the crafting of legislation, please don't hesitate to reach out to any one of our physician leaders or Executive Director Sheila Bush.

The Wyoming Legislature divides their work by subject among 12 permanent parallel committees in the Wyoming Senate and House of Representatives. These committees are called "standing" committees. In the interim, the period between sessions, the standing committees in each body merge to form joint interim committees. Joint interim committees study topics assigned by Management Council. 

The Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee is assigned the topics that most often impact the medical profession and the delivery of healthcare services in the state. You can learn more about this committee, including the members appointed to it, by clicking HERE - click the members tab. 

Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Meeting

Monday, April 29 - Tuesday, April 30

Afton, Wyoming

Afton Community Center

 VIEW AGENDA HERE

Governor Mark Gordon has declared June as Veterans & First Responders Suicide Awareness Month.

A formal reading and signing of the proclamation will take place on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 9:00 am on the steps of the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne.

Fellow Patriots of Wyoming this is our opportunity to join together to raise suicide awareness within our Veteran and First Responder communities.

Please use this day within your own organizations as another platform to break the stigma associated with suicide and to open conversation.

Plan your own event or join another. This day is not intended for any one group but for any and all groups to utilize in suicide awareness and prevention.

Click image to view proclamation

Click image to view newsletter

The WMS Annual Meeting will be held in Laramie October 25-26!

The 2024 annual meeting will be held on a UW Football home game weekend. We are thrilled to invite our members to participate in an exciting conference filled with networking opportunities, education seminars, and a tailgate experience with attendance to the game!

Registration will open soon, and there will be early bird pricing, so make sure the meeting is on your schedule!

Lodging will sell out as we get closer to the event. We encourage everyone to reserve lodging ASAP if you're even thinking about going - just make sure you are aware of the cancellation policy for your hotel!

WLM Brochure

The Wyoming Leaders in Medicine program is accepting applications for the 2024-2025 cohort! Apply today!

WMS is excited to bring you the 2024-2025 Wyoming Leaders in Medicine-Physician Leadership Academy.

The application process is short, and the memories will last a lifetime!

If you have any questions about the program please email info@wyomed.org or call the WMS office at 307-635-2424.

Did you know?

The WMS Online Learning Calendar has shared over 70 education opportunities in 2024 - and that's just the first quarter! If you're looking for local and/or online CME opportunities, our calendar is a great resource! Click on the button below to access.

WHAT IS TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE?

The majority of children have faced at least one potentially traumatic early childhood adverse event. Toxic stress caused by trauma can have lasting negative impacts on multiple body systems, especially the developing brain.

Trauma-informed means we understand the effects of early adversity on the brain and body and the echoes across lifespan.

Trauma-informed care is medical care in which all parties involved assess, recognize, and respond to the effects of traumatic stress on children, caregivers, and healthcare providers. It acknowledges the biological effects of adversity without suggesting that it is the patient's destiny. It begins with listening, validating and offering support to the family to help the patient buffer adversity and build resilience.

Trauma-informed care can seem like an abstract concept, but there are things physicians can do to implement the concepts in their practice.

TIPS OF THE DAY:

REFRAMING TRAUMA



1. Shift the conversation from "What's wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?" Recognizing and understanding that a child has experience trauma can allow physicians to provide better care.
2. Help patients identify protective factors in their life, such as safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments, rather than tallying up traumatic experiences.

Keep your patients safe - prevent infections.

Learn more from Project Firstline

WMS Member Website

WMS Public Website

WMS Annual Meeting Website

The WIRE