Approval
The Board of Directors of the American Telemedicine Association will consider applications for official status as a Chapter of ATA. Chapters may be formed around different interests including geographical and specialty or practice areas.
Authorization
Chapter affiliation with ATA will allow individual members of the Chapter to declare their affiliation and hold meetings and activities under the designation of the Chapter. ATA is able to officially authorize and endorse meetings and events of the Chapter.
Membership
Membership in ATA is required for all members of the Chapter. ATA membership should be paid directly to ATA unless other arrangements have been authorized.
Rights of Membership
Members of the Chapter who are paid members of ATA shall have all the rights and benefits of ATA membership including regular publications, listings in ATA directories, invitations to ATA meetings, and other benefits as approved by the ATA Board of Directors.
Mission
Operation of the Chapter must be consistent with the overall mission and bylaws of ATA. The Chapter shall adopt its own mission statement and set up a process for rotating leadership of the group that are elected by the membership of the Chapter. The Chapter shall not operate in any capacity nor conduct activities that are in violation of the mission and bylaws of ATA.
Funding
The Chapter shall not receive or disburse funds, conduct ongoing activities other than meetings, or make any official policy declarations unless first approved by ATA. If the Chapter agrees to collect funds to support activities (with ATA prior approval), these funds will be collected and managed by ATA staff under the guidance of the Chapter leadership.
Activities
Chapters may elect to conduct a variety of activities including newsletters, membership directories, workshops and meetings, awards programs and special library and research services. These activities will be operated without a deficit being accrued to ATA and ATA staff will handle administration and management of the Chapter operations.
Reporting
Representatives from an officially designated Chapter will be asked to annually report on their activities and interests and will be invited to participate in the ATA annual meeting.
Application
An application for Chapter status should be made directly to the current President of ATA at the address of the Association's headquarters. The application should be in the form of a letter from a representative of the group. The letter should list the initial members of the Chapter and describe the intended mission and activities of the group. The ATA Board of Directors will act on the letter and respond directly to the representative. The Association may revoke approval of Chapter status if the Board of ATA deems the actions and interests of the Chapter are in conflict with the mission and bylaws of ATA.
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