March 6 Update on New Landscape
Submitted by: Brenda Linares, AHIP, MLA President, and Kevin Baliozian, MLA Executive Director
To MLA Members:
The past month has been challenging for many of us, including MLA, as we navigate the evolving landscape of healthcare, academia, DEI, scholarly publishing, and information access.
On February 14, MLA leadership updated members on its approach to collaborating with larger organizations while reinforcing the strength of MLA’s community. The focus remains on preserving engagement by updating the MLA website to remove participation barriers, hosting listening sessions, and connecting members for collaborative action, fostering unity and support during uncertain times.
Below is a summary of MLA’s actions over the past three weeks.
Thank you to the 35 MLA members who have volunteered to lead caucus listening sessions, gather anonymous Padlet feedback, compile alternative links for health information removed from government websites, and draft sample communications to congressional leaders regarding issues raised in Executive Orders. These groups will begin their efforts this week.
On February 19, the MLA Board of Directors met virtually and reviewed the legal and business risks facing MLA related to the recent executive orders from the new administration:
- Nonprofit DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs are under scrutiny.
- Federal funding recipients face the highest risk, as they must certify compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.
- The administration may use legal mechanisms such as the False Claims Act to penalize organizations for non-compliance.
- Nonprofits receiving grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements must ensure DEI initiatives do not violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
- Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in contracting, is being used to challenge race-based scholarships, fellowships, and grant programs.
The board also examined the overall risks regarding the participation of our members and non-members in MLA activities, as some federal agencies are reviewing nonprofit websites for DEI-related terms.
On February 20, the MLA Headquarters team made edits to MLANET, as tasked by the Executive Committee and in line with the discussions the Executive Committee had with staff leadership over the last month and with the full MLA board on February 19.
On February 21, MLA added its support to a Research!America-led community letter to appropriations leaders in Congress. This letter, signed by 600 associations, requests a funding boost for NIH; and legislative language preventing the administration from moving forward with changes to Facilities and Administrative (F&A) cost reimbursement.
On February 24, Dede Rios led an Open Forum with Community Council Chairs and on February 28, Keith Pickett led an Open Forum with Chapter Council Leaders. Both Open Forums were well attended and attendees had an opportunity to ask questions, share concerns, and ideas on how MLA could provide support to our members. Many of the attendees were very grateful for this opportunity to share ideas and build community with other members and be there for each other.
On February 25, MLA released a Statement on Protecting Access to Health Information to over 10,000 members and non-members, reaffirming MLA’s fundamental values and detailing MLA’s position on the recent issues affecting our health information profession. To date, the statement has an open rate of over 27%.
Currently, the MLA DEI committee is drafting recommendations on changing its name and charge. The board will examine a motion when submitted. The DEI Committee will also review changes to MLANET pages and may recommend further edits.
The board will also review motions to approve changes to the Statement of Appropriate Conduct and the MLA Competencies as both directly affect our Federal and State attendees, presenters and instructors.
In summary, we are moving cautiously while affirming our values, balancing process with speed, protecting the privacy of our participants and contributors, and working to ensure MLA remains an effective and welcoming community.
Brenda Linares, MLIS, MBA, AHIP
MLA President
Kevin Baliozian, CAE, MBA
MLA Executive Director