When I moved to Florida in 1985 to assume the post of Director of Legal Affairs at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, there were few lawyers who were commonly referred to or generally recognized as “health lawyers.” To be sure, there were troupers representing the hospitals and the industry, including Bud Cutler, Bill Trickel and Jay Hedgepeth, now no longer with us. Other pioneers included Jack Buchanan, Lou Fishman, Barbara Pankau and Harvey Pies. “Health law,” however, had not surfaced as a recognized legal specialty in Florida.

In the early 1980’s, a handful of our colleagues formed the Health Law Committee of the Florida Bar, and in 1988, the Health Law Section was officially formed. Certification in the specialty of health law became a reality in Florida in 1995, and for the past 8 years, Florida has led the nation by having the only certified specialists in the field of health law.

The Health Law Section has a record of truly remarkable achievements. Among them are its $100,000 endowment to Florida State University to assist in sponsoring a professor of health law, and the resulting synergistic relationship between the Section and Professor Mary Crossley; development of the annual two-day health law review course, chaired by Jodi Laurence; publication of two special editions of the Florida Bar Journal devoted to health law issues, edited by Barbara Pankau; development of a Florida Health Law Handbook, masterminded by Jack Buchanan and edited by Chet Barclay; institution of the annual William Trickel, Jr. Memorial Writing Award, which carries $10,000 in prize money; and the development of substantial financial resources.

I am privileged to serve as Chair of the Section for the 2003-2004 term. I believe now that we have reached a level of maturity as a Section it is time for us to step back and develop a current vision statement for the group, and a strategic plan to keep us on course. Our history shows that this Section has a substantial impact, possibly a defining impact, on the practice of health law in Florida. If we are clear about our goals and use our time and resources in a planned manner, we will be a much greater impact than if we simply react to issues raised by the industry and/or the legislature as they arise.

As a result of this effort, our bylaws may need some fine-tuning. I notice, for example, that the bylaws refer to a Public Interest Committee within the Administration Section. I am not aware that we currently engage in any activities to develop public interest in the Section. We need to consider this issue and either implement a public interest program or amend the bylaws.

As your incoming Chair, I have convened a task force to develop a vision statement and strategic plan for the section so that we can discuss these issues as a Section in a focused manner. The task force will be led by Past Chair Bruce Lamb, who will be assisted by Chet Barclay, Mary Crossley, Harold Kaplan and Laurie Levin. We wish them well and look forward to some exciting decisions regarding our future impact as a Section. Have a wonderful year!