One of the most active state affiliates of the American Geriatrics Society, the Arizona Geriatrics Society (AzGS) has a reach that extends beyond Arizona's borders.

With 180 members, the AzGS organizes an annual conference and meeting each fall that draws roughly twice that number of attendees -- not only from the Grand Canyon State, but also from neighboring and distant states. Since 1993, the society has published a scientific journal, the Arizona Geriatrics Society Journal that now reaches 1,500 subscribers as far away as Massachusetts and Florida.

A few years ago, however, membership and conference attendance were even higher. So the AzGS is now regrouping, with initiatives to increase both and to ratchet up its advocacy work as well.

"There are several areas of concern that the society faces that we are now working to address," says Walter Nieri, MD, a past president of the society, its representative to the AGS' Council of State Affiliate Representatives (COSAR), and Program Director for the Sun Health /St. Joseph's Geriatric Fellowship Program in Sun City.

Originally part of the Los Angeles-based Western Division affiliate of the AGS, the AzGS reincorporated under its current name in Sun City in 1989. "There were things about our state that were rather unique," and warranted creating an independent affiliate, Dr. Nieri says. While Arizona isn't one of the "oldest" states in the U.S. (in 2003, when the Census Bureau ranked states by the percentage of residents who were 65 or older, Arizona came in 21st) it is home to some of the nation's largest retirement communities, he explains. Three communities alone, Sun City, Sun City Grand, and Sun City West, together have a population of approximately 100,000 residents who are 55 or older.

The AzGS' annual meeting, which the AGS has recognized as one of the top meetings sponsored by an affiliate, typically runs 2 to 3 days and features national as well as local experts and grants CME credits. The society has also organized smaller summer meetings that focus on a specific topic, such as information technology.

"In addition to our journal, which is published three times each year under the superb direction of Dr. Mindy Fain, we publish a quarterly newsletter which highlights the activities and research of our members and other organizations in the state," says Dr. Nieri. "We also have a wonderful Web site which provides an excellent resource for our members and community."

AzGS offers a geriatrician referral service as well. As a benefit to both older Arizonans and society members, the phone and email referral service offers older adults and their caregivers' referrals to member physicians practicing geriatrics in their communities. The society plans to expand the service this year, to include nurse practitioners and physician's assistants who practice geriatrics.

When it reincorporated in 1989, the AzGS had about 40 members, all physicians. In the early 90's, it opened membership to all professionals involved in or interested in the care of older adults, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social service workers, educators, administrators, researchers, geriatrics fellows, gerontology students, individuals associated with local aging agencies, and lawyers involved in elder law issues. Membership rose, peaking to around 250 members a few years ago. The current membership, however, is 184 and the Society is working aggressively to increase both membership and attendance at its annual meeting, which, while popular, is attracting somewhat fewer attendees than previously.

"Some of our members who are close to retirement have not renewed their membership or their geriatrics certification," Nieri notes. "They don't consider themselves geriatric physicians anymore," he adds, describing what is a nationwide phenomenon. "In addition, we have not done a good job of recruiting those just completing geriatrics training and establishing roots in Arizona."

Attendance at the AzGS' annual meeting has dropped somewhat in part because of competition from other conferences such as Pri-Med's, says Dr. Nieri. Attendees can often earn CME credits at these conferences at no cost.

"The goal of this year's program committee will be to effectively address this issue and to make our meetings more appealing to all of our members," says AzGS President William Arnold, Ph.D., who envisions taking programs to healthcare professionals around the state. "We can offer continuing medical education in rural areas such as Yuma, Flagstaff, Sedona, and Prescott to those who cannot take the time to come to the annual meeting. It can take three to five hours to come from the remote areas of Arizona. We have begun experimenting with regional programs throughout the year."

With a new executive director, Trudy Kiesewetter, (AzGS employs both a part-time director and part-time staff person) the society has set an ambitious goal of restoring membership to its previous high. "We're trying to find additional ways to maintain members and to make sure geriatric physicians who have just finished fellowship programs or have come here from out of state join," says Dr. Nieri. "We're also looking to get retired healthcare professionals, legislators, and lawyers more involved in the society."

Recruiting more heavily among retirees, legislators and others should allow AzGS to get more involved in public policy advocacy efforts, another goal for 2007, he says. AzGS' board of directors has been restructured to include many leaders in various disciplines sharing the same goal of providing quality care and services to older adults.

"We've set as our goal developing closer links with lawmakers and other organizations such as AARP, the Arizona Medical Association, the state hospital association, corporations, and an influential state senior advocacy group made up of older adults called the Silver Haired Legislators," Dr. Nieri adds. "We also need to get to the family practice and internal medicine physicians who are currently treating the baby boomers but need information about geriatric medicine. If we can get more people involved, and act jointly, we're more likely to get things done."