Happy holidays to all of you. I want each of you to know that I am grateful that you have elected me as the President of FACP. I honestly had reservations about becoming the President, but I have really enjoyed this experience. The best part is getting to know like-minded people from around Florida. I can say that I have more friends now than I did six months ago. To me, that is a blessing.
Last month I invited you to communicate directly with me about your perception of what COVID-19 has done to all of us. I am going to be more specific now. I am somewhat known for taking people out for lunch to talk about the Collaborative Process. I have not been doing that since the pandemic hit us, but I have met a lot of new people through Zoom calls. I invite you to have a conversation with me so we can get to know each other. Who knows what wonderful things can come from such a conversation! Please feel free to call me in my office at 305-448-1555 or on my cell at 305-322-5138. You can also e-mail me at rmerlin@merlinlaw.com. I would love to get to know you.
I am very pleased with how FACP is doing these days. There are so many people who are involved, sharing their creative minds and working to spread the word about Collaborative Practice throughout Florida. We will have a virtual post-holiday party on January 11, 2022. Look for notices from us for details about the celebration. The Outreach Committee will be bringing back Grand Rounds next month and we will have a number of webinars that you can attend in the months ahead. We will also have a statewide celebration of the United Nations World Creativity and Innovation Week during April 15-21, 2022. That will be an opportunity for all of us to gather simultaneously and hopefully get media coverage to promote what we do on a daily basis – Collaborate! We have a committee working to get an administrative order adopted by the Florida Supreme Court about the Collaborative Process. Our IDEA committee is starting to move forward to promote inclusion diversity, equity and accessibility. Our Conference Committee is planning our Annual FACP Conference, which will be on June 9-11 at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street. That will be a great event and there are many more programs to come.
FACP is not a closed society. All of you are welcome and urged to get involved in planning programs and events. Don’t be shy! I promise that you will be better off if you get involved in FACP, and I know we will be better off if you actively join us.
Happy holidays to you and your families.
