Partner with ASPS to Advocate in Your State

ASPS's State Advocacy Grant Program is an integral part of the Society's recognition of the important role that regional, state, and local plastic surgery society partners play in shaping policy that improves patients' access to care and protects the profession of plastic surgery. Launched in FY2016, ASPS provides individual grants of up to $10,000 to plastic surgery affiliate societies as they work to advance or defeat legislation/regulations that affect plastic surgeons and their patients.

In FY2018, five state societies received grant funding:

• The California Society of Plastic Surgeons to bolster efforts to defend the definition of "board certification"
• The Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons to support their work in closing loopholes in the state's office-based surgery rule
• The Louisiana Society of Plastic Surgeons to fight changes to board certification advertising laws
• The Maryland Society of Plastic Surgeons to advocate passage of a bill that would defend a plastic surgeon's right to reconstitute prepackaged topicals in an office setting
• The New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons to continue its work to shape out-of-network legislation

To date, several state societies have inquired about funding for FY2019, which is available from July 2018-June 2019. Grant applications and awardee determinations are made on a rolling basis. Therefore, ASPS recommends any interested societies apply immediately to ensure the best chance at securing funding.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact Christian Laatsch, Government Affairs Associate, at claatsch@plasticsurgery.org or (847) 228-3326.