Statement from HOD speakers
The Board of Trustees has been closely monitoring conditions in Chicago and around the U.S. to gather the most up-to-date information before making a decision regarding the upcoming House of Delegates meeting. Recognizing the need for our AMA to make logistical plans and to provide adequate notification to the federation, the Board of Trustees determined that a decision should be made no later than 90 days in advance of the meeting. To that end, a special meeting of the Board was convened last evening to allow timely and thorough consideration of this topic.
Although conditions are improving around the country, as of this date, meetings of over 50 people in Chicago are prohibited through June 3, 2021. Most physicians will likely be vaccinated prior to June, but vaccinations of staff in the Chicago area who are not in a priority group are scheduled to begin May 31, 2021 and cannot reasonably be expected to be completed with enough elapsed time for immunity to ensue before our June 12 scheduled meeting. Federation staff also are generally not among priority groups for vaccinations. In addition, the latest CDC guidance recommends against large gatherings and travel, even for vaccinated individuals. Given these facts, among other considerations, the Board believes that a quorum cannot reasonably be achieved at an in-person meeting in Chicago June 12-16, 2021 and has made the difficult decision to cancel the scheduled Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates.
Recognizing the important policymaking role of the House, the Board simultaneously adopted a motion asking the speaker to call a Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates to be held on June 11-16, 2021 using a virtual platform. The Official Call to the June 2021 Special Meeting, including further details and a preliminary agenda, will be sent by the speakers. As previously announced, the AMA Section meetings will be held prior to the Opening Session of the House and will also be held using a virtual format.
Your Board regrets that the ongoing pandemic has once again dictated this difficult decision to cancel the in-person meeting of our House of Delegates. However, we are confident that with your ongoing patience and cooperation our House will be able to continue our fair deliberative process even in a virtual setting. We are optimistic that recent declines in positivity rates and ongoing vaccinations will allow us to meet together in Orlando in November.
Additional meeting information
Visit the speakers' update page for the most recent speakers' communications.
Visit the June 2021 Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates page for details on the virtual June 11-16 meeting.
