GAMES to Share Alabama Association's Executive Director.

Birmingham, Ala. -- Michael Hamilton, executive director of the Alabama Durable Medical Equipment Association, has also been named executive director of the Georgia Association of Medical Equipment Suppliers.

Hamilton replaces Sue Rains, who left to accept a position with a pharmaceutical company. "At the invitation of GAMES president Ron Street, I put a proposal together and presented it to the GAMES board of directors," Hamilton said. "Before I could get back to the office, they had approved it."

Hamilton, who took over the position in November, said he is working to get to know the GAMES players. "GAMES has been through a lot of changes, and it's a different ballgame for me, too," he said. "I don't know much about the Georgia legislators, for one thing, so I have a lot of work to do."

Will Alabama and Georgia unite like the Minnesota and Midwest associations?

"We have no objection to merging our associations like MAMES and MAHMES, but we don't have any plans to do so either," Hamilton said. "We have thought of the idea, but for right now there's a job that needs to be done, and I am able to do it."

Hamilton said his agenda includes pushing for adoption of state licensure in Georgia and helping to build legislative ties for both associations.

Alabama Licensure Board Members Appointed.

Birmingham, Ala. -- Gov. Don Siegelman recently named members of the new Home Medical Equipment Services Provider Licensure Board.

They are Mike Benefield, Home Medical Care, Phenix City; Lewis Fuller, Fuller Medical, Gadsden; Leigh Ann Matthews, Complete Care, Fort Payne; Larry Ready, Ready Medical Equipment, Mobile; Diane Starnes, Griffin Pharmacy Services, Sipsey; John Beard, Alacare Home Health Services, Birmingham; Claudette Ford, Springhill Hospital, Mobile; Lilly Harold, consumer representative, Montgomery; and Jeffrey Pirofsky, M.D., physician representative, Birmingham.

They will be responsible for administering the new state licensure rule.

Minnesota Association Unites With MAMES.

Stillwater, Minn. -- Membership in the Midwest Association for Medical Equipment Services swells to more than 180 this month as the Minnesota Association for Home Medical Equipment Services becomes a part of MAMES.

The association now covers seven states: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Rose Schafhauser, executive director of MAMES, said the unification process took two years, finally solidifying in September.

"During that meeting in September, both associations felt that it was time to really get down to some serious proposals, and one of the big selling points for Minnesota to join the Midwest was the number of states that the Midwest has," she said.

Schafhauser added, "The increase in membership numbers will allow the Minnesota representatives to do more aggressive membership drives, such as marketing tools for organizations and having the recognition of being a regional association."

Ed Erickson will remain president of MAMES, while former MAHMES president Curt Merriman and MAHMES board member Carol Laumer are slated to join the MAMES board as Minnesota representatives. The new directors are expected to be approved at the board meeting this month.