As Speaker, Dr. Costello manages the flow of business to ensure procedural integrity, and that work isn’t done in isolation. She describes the rhythm of ACEP’s Council as predictable but energized: Reference committees hear testimony on resolutions ahead of time, and these comments help shape the debate on the floor.

“By the time we get to the floor for voting, people have heard the arguments,” she said. “They’ve thought deeply about the issues. That makes the discussion richer and more meaningful.”

Policy in Action

This policy creation process doesn’t end at the close of the Council meeting. Once a resolution is adopted, it moves along to the ACEP Board of Directors for consideration and implementation. In most cases, the Board affirms the Council’s actions and incorporates them into ACEP’s advocacy or clinical priorities. Over the years, Council-originated resolutions have influenced national policy stances on workplace violence, pain management protocols, and boarding in the emergency department, among many others.

Dr. Costello sees this evolution of ideas as a testament to the Council’s value.

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“You don’t need to be a policy expert to bring something to Council,” she says. “You just need to be someone with a perspective, an idea, and the willingness to do the work to turn that idea into policy.”

In fact, she encourages more members, especially younger physicians and those who’ve never attended, to consider participating.

“If there’s something you think ACEP should be doing, this is how you make that happen,” she said. “My advice to any physician attending Council for the first time, get up and speak. Go to the microphone. Once you’ve done that for the first time, it will be much easier the next time you come.”

ACEP’s Council is where complex issues such as workplace violence, boarding, and reimbursement challenges continue to be discussed, and where policy moves forward.

“This is one of the best things ACEP does,” Dr. Costello said.

Mr. Scheid is ACEP’s Communications Director.