[Hartwood] Fwd: [Steps-Announce] [Announcements] Announcement Regarding the Society Chirurgeonate / Request for Comments

[doerksen at island.net]

FYI

Halima
-- 
http://www.island.net/~doerksen/


----- Forwarded message from ea at sca.org -----
     Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2014 16:55:24 -0500 (EST)
     From: ea at sca.org
Reply-To: comments at sca.org
  Subject: [Steps-Announce] [Announcements] Announcement Regarding the  
Society Chirurgeonate /	Request for Comments
       To: announcements at lists.sca.org




Announcement Regarding the Society Chirurgeonate Request for Comments

The SCA Board of Directors seeks commentary on a proposal to eliminate  
the official Office of the Chirurgeonate, and the associated changes  
to Corpora necessary to accomplish this action.

The Office of the Society Chirurgeon has been providing exemplary  
service to the Society since 1986. The Society and Board of Directors  
are tremendously grateful for the sterling service the Office of the  
Society Chirurgeon has provided over the years, and hope to continue  
to allow licensed first aid providers to provide such service, while  
needing to take into account the realities of the climate in which the  
SCA currently operates.

The Board of Directors has been advised by its outside counsel, as  
well as by its insurance company, that having officers of the  
Corporation acting as emergency services providers and warranting them  
as official Chirurgeons represents an unacceptable assumption of  
liability by the Corporation for the actions of these individuals. The  
SCA can allow individual medical professionals to provide emergency  
care under their own licenses and the various Good Samaritan laws.  
Such services can also be provided by professional emergency services  
organizations and companies that provide such services. However,  
having corporate officers and warranted officials do so represents an  
unacceptable risk according to both our outside counsel and our  
insurance company.

Acting upon the recommendations of our professional advisors, the  
Board of Directors of the SCA, Inc. seeks commentary regarding a  
proposal to eliminate the Office of the Society Chirurgeon, the  
Kingdom and local Chirurgeons, and all associated Deputies and  
warranted Chirurgeons as of a future date. All Society Chirurgeonate  
activities and warrants of office would cease at that time. Any  
emergency services at SCA activities would thereafter only be  
performed by Good Samaritans under their own licenses, or by  
professionals or professional organizations specifically hired or  
called by event staff to provide such services.

Individuals with appropriate emergency care related licenses or those  
acting under the general Good Samaritan laws that might be applicable  
are, of course, free to provide emergency care at SCA activities under  
the terms of their licenses and applicable state and local laws.  
However, they would be doing so as volunteers and would not be  
warranted by the SCA nor hold an SCA office related to the provision  
of emergency care services. Similarly, professional emergency care  
organizations (e.g., municipal, non-profit or for-profit ambulance  
providers) that are not affiliated with or part of the SCA or any SCA  
organization, might provide emergency care services at SCA events  
(particularly larger SCA wars) through arranged voluntary or for-hire  
agreements with event staff. Licensed individuals would still be able  
to provide significant service to their local groups, Kingdoms, and  
the Society by offering to provide any emergency services under their  
own licenses (and would thus be worthy of any and all appropriate  
awards) — but would no longer be providing such services through an  
official Society Chirurgeonate.

The SCA would no longer maintain an Office of the Society Chirurgeon,  
Kingdom or local Chirurgeons, or warrant any Chirurgeons or  
Chirurgeonate activity. However, individuals are still encouraged to  
meet and pursue any and all SCA-related interests on their own. People  
are, of course, free to pursue and provide emergency care at SCA  
activities as licensed medical practitioners under the licensing laws  
of their state or any Good Samaritan laws that might be applicable.  
Any such unofficial organizations, communications, or provision of  
emergency care related services would not be sponsored or overseen by  
the SCA, Inc. or any of its groups.

The SCA would no longer have Corporate, Kingdom, or local Chirurgeon  
officers or warranted Chirurgeons, so any and all class material  
taught on any related subjects would be developed and provided by SCA  
members individually and based on their own accreditation, licenses,  
and experience. Because the SCA, Inc., does not endorse or supply the  
content of any classes taught at SCA activities (other than those  
being taught by Officers in support of their Office), individual  
members are free to teach classes on any material that might be  
related to unofficial first aid activities, but would be doing so  
strictly as individuals with no official sanction or involvement of  
SCA, Inc. As individuals, such service could also be considered worthy  
of any and all appropriate awards, although there would be no  
relationship to an official Society Chirurgeonate.

The Board of Directors seeks comments on the matter through  
03/18/2014, which can be directed to comments at sca.org. Additionally,  
we invite all those interested to send their comments to the Society  
Chirurgeon (chirurgeon at sca.org). The Board of Directors invites the  
populace to take advantage of the range of our communication outlets  
-- including email lists, social media venues, and public meetings --  
to discuss the issue, but would simply like to remind everybody that  
courtesy and the presumption of honor are core values of the Society,  
and apply equally in on line venues as they do at SCA events.   
Additionally, the Board of Directors will be holding a public meeting  
at Gulf Wars, where these interested in discussing this issue are  
welcome to hear what the Board has to say and share their feedback.


----- End forwarded message -----