Vital Times 2017 - 20

to past CSA treasurers who served on the 2016-17 Audit
Committee: Committee Chair Peter Sybert, MD, Edgar
Canada, MD, Michael Champeau, MD, FASA, Lawrence
Sullivan, MD, and Narendra Travedi, MD, FASA.
Based on membership surveys, we recognize that advocacy
is a critical mission of the CSA. In FY 2017, we took steps
to shore up the finances of our political action committee,
GASPAC. An unanticipated consequence of joint billing
with the ASA that started in FY 2014 caused a significant
decline in GASPAC direct donations.
Prior to 2014, members could make an additional
contribution paid directly to GASPAC when paying annual
dues, but this is no longer an option with ASA joint billing.
As a consequence, GASPAC funding has been significantly
reduced over the past two years. In response, the CSA
took steps to ensure that our society has a strong voice in
Sacramento and Washington, DC by leading the successful
member donations campaign "100 Days to $100K" and by
approving a nearly $50,000 donation to GASPAC in FY
2017. A second, and more important step, to provide longterm stability is a $99 increase in dues dedicated to support
GASPAC beginning in 2018. The FY 2017 GASPAC
donation and dues increase were approved overwhelmingly
by the House of Delegates (HOD) in June 2017. Our goal
is to realize a GASPAC fund of $1,000,000 in the next five
years. In partnership with KP Public Affairs, this funding
will allow advocacy with unprecedented strength on behalf
of our members and our patients!
Looking to FY 2018, we are moving forward on the
strategic goal of strengthening our commitment to improve
community outreach by supporting Project Lead the Way
(PTLW). In partnership with UCLA, we are supporting
attending and resident anesthesiologists working with
local high schools and funding teacher training of STEM
education in important congressional districts around Los
Angeles, including that of Assemblymember Sebastian
Ridley-Thomas.
Another important change starting in 2018 is our transition
to an annual, calendar year budget, as approved by the HOD

20 | CSA Vital Times

in June 2017. We are completing 2017 with a truncated,
six-month budget to be followed by our first 12-month,
annual budget beginning January 1, 2018. The rationale
for this transition is to align our budget cycle with that
of our revenues, another change related to our successful
transition to ASA joint billing. As a consequence, current
CSA President, Karen Sibert, MD, FASA, has appointed a
Budget Task Force to make recommendations on the best
process for development and approval of our annual budget
going forward. This could include an additional fall meeting
of the HOD, possibly via electronic conferencing, or other
mechanisms to be determined.
As an additional step toward strengthening CSA
engagement and adding value to membership, we are
moving forward in 2018 with a first-ever, comprehensive
research and development project of market research. Goals
of this effort include:
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Better identification of the needs of members
and non-members
Identification of a set of priority areas of
member value
Improved marketing campaign to increase
membership among young physicians,
including recent graduates
Improved marketing to retain and meaningfully
engage current CSA members

Stay tuned as we move forward with this effort by reaching
out to each of you in the near future!

By all accounts, FY 2017 has been a
great financial and strategic success.
Thanks to our key partnerships with
AMG, KP Public Affairs, and the ASA, we
look forward to further advancing the
goals of all CSA members in support of
our patients and our specialty in 2018
and beyond!

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vital Times 2017