CO Outreach and Advocacy Award Recipient Ensures PAs Have a ‘Seat at the Table’

Maine Academy of Physician Associates Aims to Give PAs in Their State a Voice

May 8, 2025

By Sarah Blugis

This year’s AAPA CO Outreach and Advocacy Award recipient is the Maine Academy of Physician Associates (MEAPA), recognized for their outstanding work in the previous calendar year. AAPA’s Outreach and Advocacy Award program recognizes constituent organizations (COs) for their creative and innovative programs and projects that align with AAPA’s strategic plan and commitments to the PA profession.

“It’s important to us to ensure inter-professional collaboration with our colleagues, and that PAs have ‘a seat at the table,’ whether it be legislatively, in healthcare leadership, or in educational opportunities,” says MEAPA President Kathleen Moneghan, DHA, MPAS, PA-C. “We’re committed to creating an outlet for PAs to have a voice in our state and a forum for us to provide professional growth opportunities.”

That commitment includes a variety of resources and opportunities for PAs in the state. MEAPA not only supports Maine PAs by facilitating their attendance at leadership conferences, but also collaborates with the Hanley Center for Health Leadership and Education to further leadership development.

A significant part of MEAPA’s mission is advancing the PA profession in Maine through advocacy. That includes legislative advocacy, says MEAPA Immediate Past-President Kimberly Caldwell, MPAS, PA-C, but that’s not all.

“Our advocacy includes community outreach to patients to explain what the profession is, to students to recruit our next generations of PAs, and to employers—so that PAs across Maine are all able to practice to the fullest extent of their education, training, and experience,” Caldwell says.

“We want the world to know that PAs are the kind, thoughtful, diligent multi-tools of the medical system,” says MEAPA Treasurer Rhianna Jones, MPAS, PA-C. “We adapt to change and are frequently the glue that holds a practice together.”

Last year, MEAPA successfully spearheaded efforts to pass PA Licensure Compact legislation in Maine. MEAPA navigated the legislative process through strategic engagement and collaboration with key stakeholders and state legislators, as well as by providing testimony and mobilizing their membership. These efforts resulted in Maine’s adoption of the PA Licensure Compact.

“So much volunteer time and effort goes into getting a bill across the finish line,” says Caldwell. “These efforts are undertaken by just a handful of PAs who are also busy with full-time clinical work, family, and life commitments. This award goes a long way to reinforce the importance of that work.”

MEAPA representatives say they’ve worked very hard to increase PAs’ legislative presence in Maine. This includes serving as a medical resource when the legislature is in session through the state legislature’s “Provider of the Day” program, raising awareness of the profession, and proactively fostering relationships with legislators.

MEAPA has also demonstrated a strong commitment to public health by participating in collaborative initiatives around gun safety and opioid use disorder in the state, with the goal of improving the lives of people in Maine. Last year, a MEAPA representative spoke at a rally for Maine Providers for Gun Safety, an organization formed in the wake of the 2023 Lewiston, Maine mass shooting. MEAPA has also supported the organization’s advocacy efforts, meeting with state legislators and providing comments and testimony on local bills.

Keeping the next generation of providers in mind, MEAPA also strives to foster student engagement. They support students through several awards and scholarships, and collaborate with Maine’s only PA program, at the University of New England. Their goal is to provide opportunities to PA students to grow professionally, and form valuable relationships to support student retention in Maine following graduation.

Within their organization, MEAPA’s board consists of ten members, with two student representative seats. “We are a fully volunteer board without oversight or administrative support of an executive director,” says Moneghan. “The MEAPA Board of Directors truly dedicates a significant amount of time in hopes of improving the PA profession and patient care in Maine.”

Sarah Blugis is AAPA’s Manager of Executive and Leadership Communications. She can be reached at [email protected].