brent braveman's blog

Social Justice and Libertarianism--Some New Learning for Me!

2013-04-16T14:16:54Z

I have begun to become very interested in understanding how persons affiliated with different political parties can come to common understandings. When I figure it all out I will run for Congress! LOL

Here is part of a post I shared in a discussion thread on social justice that relates to this topic. I have included a couple of "neat" resources that have helped me to learn more about one set of political views.

"For me social justice is a broad set of beliefs about the world we live in and how to make it better. Strategies driven by these beliefs can vary and disagreeing on the strategies does not mean we need to reject the underlying belief. Any who would say they agree with me on an issue simply driven by political party affiliation or current political events might also hold a "narrow political view" in my opinion and I would not intend that description as disparaging. Nonetheless, I will not be using that descriptor here any longer <smile>.

I do not see social justice as an idea held by those affiliated with any single political party. It can be supported by Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and the "really torn because I agree with some ideas and strategies put forward by each party like me!"

At one point, many moons ago I shared a link to the Heritage Foundation and shared a resource on Libertarianism. At the time I noted I did not know much about Libertarian points of view and thought that taking the time to go read and see if there were any who held both Libertarian beliefs who supported social justice was a good thing to do. Based on what I found it seemed to me the answer was yes.

It is also very clear that some believe it is not possible to think of oneself as a Libertarian and support social justice, but I have begun to follow the blogging and writing of some who do in order to learn.

For anyone interested in exploring this side of the many issues being discussed here I will share the following:

Social Justice and Libertarianism

First, a very short clip by John Tomasi who is critical of many conceptualizations of social justice but has offered a view of social justice that makes property rights “weighty”

Banks and Brown offer this description of his book which I have on order:

“Tomasi explains his concept of social justice, which he says is not the same thing as redistributive justice (even according to the Rawlsian conceptualization of justice). Tomasi says that social justice, at it’s most basic level, is a concern for the fate of the poorest members of society. His new book, Free Market Fairness, attempts to trace a framework for the operation of justice within a market system that retains strong private property claims.”

www.libertarianism.org/.../john-tomasi-can-free-markets-social-justice-coexist

Second:

Two sides of the coin are offered and explained clearly (I thought) by Matt Zwolinski Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of San Diego, a co-director of USD's Institute for Law and Philosophy, and the founder of and frequent contributor to the Bleeding Heart Libertarians blog.

dailyadams.com/libertarianism-and-social-justice

Third:

The following blog has contributions by Matt Zwolinski and other professors from various universities on issues such as social justice, natural rights etc. The blog was started by Matt Zwolinski highlighted in the video clips mentioned above who believes that social justice and libertarianism are not mutually exclusive:

You sign up to get the blog posts automatically by Email:

bleedingheartlibertarians.com

Thanks"

Our Social Justice Conundrum--Stuck in 2011

2013-04-06T15:45:00Z

Timing in the universe is a funny thing some times. Just this week I received the page proofs for a chapter that I wrote for a new book coming out through AOTA Press. It is a chapter on running “Online” meetings as a new form of communication. Throughout the chapter I highlighted the dangers and frustrations of communication electronically. The never ending discussion thread on social justice has seen almost every one of those dangers and frustrations highlighted! LOL.

One of my favorite wines is by Caymus Vineyards and it is called "Conundrum." I like it because it is a blend of grapes that results in an unusual flavor and the flavor seems to shift depends on what you pair it with. Sometimes some old chardonnay characteristics creep out and other times it seems like a classic sauvignon blanc. Deciding how to describe the wine and its characteristics is a confusing problem that is intricate and difficult. The discussions that have taken place on OTConnections on social justice are ones that seem well paired with a cold glass of my favorite wine. The entire experience has been a conundrum. This is especially true when someone goes back to a context of discussion two years old and assigns meaning now that does not seem to fit because the whole context of the discussion that existed then is missing. The communication that is present in just the words is missing important things. In some ways it feels like that argument you can have which cannot be won when someone is angry or insulted and holds firmly to "but that is what you said" no matter how emphatically you say "but that is not what I meant!" This is one of those dangers of discussing complex ideas in an Online format.

I have been trying to post some examples in the social justice discussion thread to revisit a concept we struggled with a bit 2 years ago, but there is something about them that results in me getting a message that posts are being moderated. Perhaps I am too long winded, LOL, because other shorter posts go up with no problem (so it is not ME they are moderating! Whew!).

During the long and winding discussion on Principle 4 that occurred in the early spring of 2011 a wide number of topics were discussed. One of the topics became a discussion about what it meant to operate from a social justice framework. Some pretty strong, absolute statements were made about whether social justice as defined in our Code of Ethics and utilized commonly in the occupational therapy literature mandated/required redistribution of wealth and/or the involvement of government. I believed the assertion was put forward that it ALWAYS did require redistribution of wealth and government involvement and I disagreed. I sought to call attention to some of the work conducted by occupational therapy practitioners around the globe who worked with people who they saw as suffering social and occupational injustice. Many of these efforts are carried out without government funding and the focus is habilitative and not on creating change by changing policy.

I made the following statement, “Social justice does not require the involvement of any level of government and I think it is just sad that the concept is being twisted to suggest it does.” I understood then and I acknowledge now that there ARE social justice efforts that do seek to create change by changing government policy. Some of these efforts seek to address systematic discrimination and inequities by changing how tax dollars are spent. Clearly groups of citizens in general and groups of occupational therapy practitioners object to these types of efforts.

The statement that I have made was recently described on OTConnections as “astounding,” “shocking” and “a big mistake.”

The case has frequently been posted in the discussion thread that because I used citations elsewhere that contradicted the point I was trying to make in this part of the discussion, I either did not understand what I had read or perhaps I did not read it. THE FACT THAT THE EXACT OPPOSITE IS STATED IN THE BOOKS I POSTED IN THE RESOURCE UTILIZATION ARTICLE IN AJOT OR ELSEWHERE MEANS EXACTLY NOTHING! Citing a resource in a paper or book does not mean you agree hook, line and sinker with every word printed in it. It means you used the material and it informed the writing you are presenting in that work and you are giving those authors credit and recognition for their hard work. It does not mean that you agree in whole, you can agree with assertions in Chapter 3 and disagree with assertions made in Chapter 12. It does not mean that if in a different piece of writing you proffer an opinion or point of view that is in contradiction to some piece of the resource that you are confused, being misleading, or that you did not read the resource!

When the discussion was occurring in 2011 a number of questions were asked hypothetically to call the wisdom of Principle 4 into question. As we tend to do in this type of forum some of these questions were a bit of stretch to make a point. Questions asked included questions such as “So does this mean I will be forced to join a picket line?” or “So does this mean I need to advocate for Gay marriage or abortion or other things I don’t believe in?” or “Does this mean AOTA is supporting higher taxes and social programs I don’t believe in?

It became clear during and after the original discussion that many operational definitions would be helpful. We spent dozens of posts arguing about whether equal and equitable mean the same thing. In this series of postings arriving at operational definitions of “governmental involvement” and “required” both would have saved much time. For example which of these following scenarios would fit a definition of governmental involvement?

a. A private organization that receives no government funding and only accepts private donations carries out activities to address what they see as systematic discrimination and inequitable access to societal resources. Their activities do not include lobbying or working to change the government but seek to provide additional resources and services to persons in disadvantaged groups and their communities. They provide training to community members on how to access existing resources.

b. An organization the same as A, also does not include lobbying or working to change the government or its policies but does receive a community block grant from their city which accounts for 4.2% of their total funding

c. A research effort examines the impact of policies and operations of private nursing homes on the lives of residents and the likelihood they will return to more independent living in the community. The research is conducted within a social justice framework because the researchers believe there are systematic inequities preventing the residents from accessing resources available to all citizens. The research is funded by a private foundation.

d. The same research effort described in c is carried out but is funded by NIH.

e. A private non-profit organization has the mission of educating the public including the general public, about safer sex practices. From an explicitly social justice perspective they identify that they believe persons in certain races and socio-economic groups are systematically disadvantaged in terms of access to societal resources for preventive health care and education. Their activities seek to educate people about safer sex and to advocate for more resources for economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Part of what they do is to ask their donors to ask their elected officials to spend more money on preventive health education but they do not directly lobby government officials and do not promote any specific legislation.

Do any or all of these represent cases where we would say that there is "government involvement?"

REQUIRED was a key word in that particular interchange. The discussion was not whether social justice efforts EVER include the government or even OFTEN include the government, but whether when you hear about an effort framed as a social justice initiative does it REQUIRE involvement of the government. Is involvement of the government a mandatory condition? I think this is especially important when we are discussing the OT literature and not the broader literature on social justice. It can impact our thinking about our Code of Ethics.

I do not believe my statement was any type of mistake and I still believe the point I was trying to make in February 2011 was valid. Whether I made it effectively I am not certain but if we continue the discussion now, I hope we do in a way that recognizes that we come to the discussion from different places and experiences. Recognizing opportunities to present operational definitions and ask about why we may react to the same words in very different ways is important in Online discussions.

I recommend the Caymus Conundrum to anyone who enjoys a glass of wine and is open to an experience that may be a bit confusing for the tongue. As for the OTConnections discussion on social justice.....it is a different type of conundrum all together!

Thank You to All AOTA Members who Voted in the Election! I Am Thrilled!

2013-02-28T14:14:37Z

Many thanks to all the AOTA members who voted in the 2013 AOTA General Elections!

I learned last evening that I was elected as the new AOTA Secretary for July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2016! I am absolutely thrilled to return to the Board of Directors and the Representative Assembly. We have a lot of hard work to do on our Centennial Vision in the last few years before 2017!

I want to acknowledge the three wonderful professional who were on the ballot with me: Corky Glantz, Mary Ellen East and Susan Tucker. They are all amazing women, incredible occupational therapy practitioners and each have contributed much to AOTA and the profession. I was honored to be on the ballot with them!

I take office on July 1 and hope to hear from members about their concerns, their priorities and their ideas!

Occupational Therapy: Living Life to It's Fullest! (As AOTA Secretary!)

Challenges and Opportunities for OT under Health Care Reform: Conversations with Faculty and Students (Oh, and don't forget to vote in the AOTA Elections!)

2013-02-13T16:34:16Z

The last few weeks have been busy as I have spent part of my time in several activities related to occupational therapy and health care reform. As the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is rolled out some of the challenges and opportunities for occupational therapy are becoming more apparent. I am continuing to serve as the Chairperson of the AOTA Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform implementation and as such I am honored to receive invitations to speak to various consituency groups.

Recently I had two opportunities to present to occupational therapy faculty and occupational therapy students at Texas Woman's University (TWU) and discuss some of the implications of health care reform for OT. I am collaborating with three Program Directors from occupational therapy assistant educational programs to develop a FACT sheet for OTA's on the ACA and its impact on assistants. Two presentations coming up later in the year will include a visit to Oklahoma to present the Keynote Address for the Oklahoma Occupational Therapy Association in the Fall and later this spring I will travel to Worcester, Massachusetts to address the New England Occupational Therapy Educational Consortium Annual Conference.

There remain many unanswered questions about the true impact of the ACA on occupational therapy. Some of the key developments to watch include Medicaid expansion, implementation of health insurance exchanges and development of the benchmark health care plans for these exchanges. As the "essential benefits" required under the ADA are implemented in action there may be key opportunties for OT related to prevention, wellness and habilitation in addition to rehabilitation. The AOTA Board of Directors is making primary care a board priority this year and defining the role of occupational therapy as part of a primary care health team is an important challenge. Other things to watch for include information on some of the CMS trials related to post-acute bundling and accountable care organizations. As accountability to prevent readmissions and costly complications is placed more on providers OT may be well placed to demonstrate our value in preventing falls and helping patients to safely transition from hospital to home.

This is an interesting and challenging time, and having informed leadership at the helm of our organization has never been more important. I hope that if you have not already voted in the AOTA Elections, that you will vote today, and consider my experience and knowledge and vote for me for AOTA Secretary!

Have you voted yet in the AOTA Elections?

2013-01-25T18:39:21Z

The AOTA elections have been open for a little more than a week. I have been hearing from many of my colleagues who have already voted and I encourage you to do the same if you have not already done so!

My name is on the top of the ballot for the office of Secretary and I am thrilled about the prospect of returning to service on the AOTA Board of Directors and in the Representative Assembly. I served as Speaker of the RA for 3 years and sat as a voting member for 5 as the Chairperson of the Special Interest Sections Standing Committee. As Speaker I also sat as a voting member of the Board of Directors.

These experiences along with my current service to the Association as the Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform Implementation means that I will be able to hit the ground running and help to continue our progress toward achieving the Centennial Vision!

Please visit www.aota.org if you have not already voted and cast your ballot today! Thank you in advance for your consideration of me as your next Secretary!

AOTA ELECTION VOTING STARTS TUESDAY! 10 REASONS TO CONSIDER ME AS YOUR NEXT AOTA SECRETARY!

2013-01-13T16:29:30Z

Voting in the AOTA Elections begin Tuesday, January 15th at 12:01 EST! Please vote and please consider casting your vote for me to have the honor of serving as the next Secretary of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Here are 10 reasons why I believe that I would be successful in this role:

1. My passion and commitment for occupational therapy and those we serve! I have worked tirelessly to help achieve our Centennial Vision since my participation in the first CV Leadership retreat!

2. My deep concern and understanding of member needs and that meeting member needs is mission one for any professional organization. Our members as professionals and volunteers ARE the American Occupational Therapy Association!

3. My proven experience in getting things done as an occupational therapy leader at the local, state and national levels.

4. Three years as the Speaker of the Representative Assembly responsible for oversight of bodies of the RA including the Bylaws, Policy and Procedure Committee upon which the AOTA Secretary sits.

5. Three years of experience as a voting member of the AOTA Board of Directors. I have sat at the table where the Board makes its decision and I will hit the ground running working on your behalf!

6. Five years of experience as a voting member of the Representative Assembly. I have experience in both of our governance bodies!

7. I understand first hand the unique needs and perspectives of clinicians, educators, researchers, managers, consultants, entrepreneurs and students.

8. My expert experience as a manager of large complex departments including the development and management of $25 million dollar plus budgets (experience in human resources and finance to help guide your association resources!).

9. My broad perspective of what influences our future including health care reform, policy, reimbursement, development and use of science and evidence to support our interventions, and global influences; including my experience as an advocate and in lobbying for our profession at state capitals and on Capital Hill!

10.I value our future and embrace the critical importance of students and occupational therapy assistants in creating that future to not only succeed but flourish!

Thank you!

Please Consider My Abilility to Help Meet the Priorities of the AOTA Board as Your New Secretary! Please Vote in the AOTA Elections!

2013-01-04T21:49:21Z

When voting starts on January 15^th please consider my experiences and the skills and knowledge that I will bring to the table to help the AOTA Board of Directors achieve its priorities as your new Secretary!

Each year the AOTA Board of Directors identifies and shares it priorities for the next fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). The priorities and measures of success are published on the AOTA Website in the governance section.

I have provided a link to the Webpage that highlights the current Board of Director priorities and the measures of success; but I would like to highlight how my skills and experiences are a perfect match for working with the other members of the AOTA Board of Directors to achieve our Centennial Vision!

Under each bullet that lists a current Board priority, I have summarized how my experience, knowledge and skills match up and have highlighted how I could contribute to achieving success in moving toward our Centennial Vision!

http://www.aota.org/Governance/BOD/Priorities-2013.aspx

Continue to engage in leadership development initiatives.

The outcome measures here relate to providing leadership development training to new practitioners and middle managers. In addition to being an author on several chapters related to leadership, I am one of the invited members who serve as the instructors/faculty for the AOTA Middle Management Leadership Institute. I also served as a mentor in AOTA’s Emerging Leadership Program and was selected as one of 18 fellows for the AOTA/AOTF Leadership Fellowship program for academic leaders.

Promote the profession to consumers and referrers.

In my roles as the Chairperson of the Special Interest Sections Council and as the Speaker of the Representative Assembly I was integrally involved in the process of approving and creating Tip Sheets, FactSheets and resources for AOTA. I have authored official AOTA documents and I am listed as one of AOTA’s “media experts” and have been contacted several times by reporters and other forms of media to be interviewed about occupational therapy and our future. I have experience in marketing and promotion to insurance carriers, physicians and consumer groups. I have presented over 50 times at state OT conferences, AOTA national conference and work disability related conferences.

Engage in broad-based advocacy to ensure funding for OT in traditional and emerging areas.

I am the current Chairperson of the AOTA Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform Implementation and have presented to the AOTA Education Program Directors, the Assembly of Student Delegates, and multiple students groups at various educational programs across the country on health care reform. I have attended “Capital Hill Day” multiple years and have made over 20 separate visits to Capital Hill to advocate on behalf of AOTA and the profession. I recently have been invited to present at a state OT Association as the Keynote speaker in 2013 and to a regional consortium of fieldwork educators on health care reform and its impact on occupational therapy.

Support and enhance state association advocacy activities.

I served as the Vice-President and the President of the District of Columbia Occupational Therapy Association and sat as a voting member of the Committee of State Association Presidents (now the Affiliated State Association Presidents). I have experience advocating in multiple states for passage and expansion of state licensure laws and have collaborated closely with our state affairs staff in my ad hoc role and as Speaker of the Representative Assembly.

Train and develop members to conduct effective advocacy.

In addition to my participation in state and national advocacy I have helped to provide advocacy training for students and practitioners at local workshops, state association meetings and the AOTA conference. I have over 25 years of experience in designing and delivering training programs in face-to-face and Online formats!

Promote the role of occupational therapy in health care reform, especially within primary care.

As noted, I am the Chairperson of the AOTA Health Care Reform Implementation Ad Hoc Committee. I have been called to provide testimony to the National Institute of Medicine related to changes to the Social Security Administrations guidelines for determining disability for a major disability diagnostic category and have collaborated closely with AOTA legislative staff.

Create an outcomes database.

As a scholar and researcher I conducted research related to the outcomes of occupational therapy intervention to assist persons living with HIV/AIDS to return to work and independent living in the community. I am experienced in designing and conducting outcomes based research and with the use of outcomes to justify intervention and promote our profession.

Promote evidence-based practice.

As the Program Director of the 4^th ranked occupational therapy educational in the country I oversaw the development and implementation of a curriculum design devoted to the promotion of evidence-based practice. I am the author of an occupational therapy text book on management that promotes and evidence-based approach to clinical and managerial practice in our profession. I currently am the Director of a 100 person Rehabilitation Department at the nation’s number one cancer hospital!

Promote alignment of OT research with the AOTA–AOTF Research Agenda and Build the research capacity of the Profession

As a prior member of the AOTA Board of Directors and as the Program Director for the 4^th ranked occupational therapy educational program in the country I have been involved in several collaborative efforts to promote the research agenda of the profession. I have presented at AOTA’s research forum at our annual conference and have a history of collaboration on an international basis in research. I was Co-Principal investigator on over $1.2 million dollars in federal research funding and have served on National Institute of Health (NIH) grant review panels 10 times.

Develop programs to encourage faculty to acquire doctoral degrees.

I was integrally involved in the development of the OTD program at the University of Illinois at Chicago and served on the faculty of the program while at UIC serving on the doctoral committees of multiple students. I have long been a proponent of preparing students for participation as faculty and scholars as part of an “educator/scholar” track in our educational programs. As a former faculty member educated at the doctoral level and program director for a top ranked OT program I understand what it takes to help develop these programs and to support the development of the future faculty of tomorrow!

Please remember to vote starting January 15th and please consider casting your vote for me to be the next Secretary of AOTA!

Thank you!

Please Consider My Management and Financial Skills When Casting Your Vote for AOTA Secretary!

2013-01-01T15:21:41Z

One important role of the AOTA Secretary is to sit as a voting member of the AOTA Board of Directors. A critical function for the Board is its fiduciary responsibility which is the responsibility to manage the association’s budget and maintain its financial health. I believe that Board members should be chosen carefully by the membership and members should assess the experiences, skills and the abilities of candidates to contribute to the goal of using our financial and human resources wisely. Simply put, as an AOTA member you want to be sure that the Board is ready to be sure we get the most bang for our membership’s bucks!

My background includes 3 years of prior experience on the AOTA Board of Directors while I also served as the Speaker of the Representative Assembly (RA). In that role I worked closely with the AOTA President, the Chief Executive Officer and other members of the staff including federal and state affairs and our program staff. I gained insights into the financial management of the association that can only come by sitting in the room when those decisions are being made. This prior experience would be invaluable if I were elected as Secretary and returned to a position on the Board of Directors.

As Speaker of the RA (AOTA’s policy making body), I was involved in guiding the financial planning and estimates of costs and resource demands for all RA motions and business. This experience provided me with an understanding of the various types of costs that can be associated with approved motions and charges from the Assembly to the AOTA officers, bodies of the Assembly and association staff.

Over my 27 years of practice I have been a manager in multiple settings and have been responsible for developing and managing complex budgets. Currently I manage a 100 person department with a revenue budget of over $23 million dollars and over $9 million dollars of expenses. I would bring this experience and skill set to the table if I were elected Secretary.

Our association officers carry a heavy burden to perform the specific duties of the position to which they are elected, but also to collaborate closely with our staff leadership to make key financial and other decisions. I am confident that my skills in financial and organization management along with my passion and commitment make me a great choice to be the next Secretary of AOTA and a member of the Board of Directors! I hope I can plan on your vote when elections open in just 2 weeks!

Candidate for AOTA Secretary: A bit About Why I am HOOKED on service to AOTA and the Profession!

2012-12-19T16:04:33Z

In the fall of 1984 I completed a 3 month fieldwork experience at the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Department of Continuing Education. It was an amazing experience that introduced me to the workings of our professional association, its staff, the Board of Directors and the structure of volunteers that we rely upon to accomplish so much of our work. I was also fortunate enough to meet my first professional mentor who guided me through my early professional years.

Two years after I graduated I moved to the Washington D.C. area and soon after at the urging of my mentor I ran to be the President of the District of Columbia Occupational Therapy Association (DCOTA). DCOTA was a small association at that time and I ran “unopposed “and so became the President. One function was to attend what at that time was called the Committee of State Association Presidents (CSAP). Today we know CSAP as ASAP or the Affiliated State Association Presidents. At that early point in my career I became totally HOOKED on service to the profession. I met so many energetic and committed volunteer professionals and was so impressed I knew that I wanted to become involved and stay involved with service to AOTA!

In the 21 years since my term as DCOTA President I have held many appointed and elected positions and have learned so much about our profession and the Association. As my career has evolved and I worked as a clinician, a manager, a teacher, a researcher, an author and as a consultant I gained the knowledge and skills that allowed me to adopt new volunteer roles and contribute to AOTA in new ways.

I am STILL HOOKED on service to AOTA and the Profession and am hopeful to serve as the next Secretary. Between now and 2017 we have important work to complete and naturally our work will not be done once we hit our Centennial Anniversary. I am looking beyond 2017 and along with others hope to help guide our profession through the implementation of health care reform and to meeting the many challenges we will face. I also see tons of new opportunities on the horizon and think that I have the energy, vision, excitement AND skills to help the Board of Directors and other AOTA volunteers to rise to the challenge of making the most of those opportunities.

As the election nears, I hope to hear from some of you and am happy to answer any questions you might have about my background, my desire to serve as your Secretary, or my ideas about how to make the future of AOTA and the profession bright!

I will continue to blog and share my thoughts on serving as Secretary and the other issues I address through my blog. In the meantime, here is a full summary of my service to AOTA:

Thank you!

Chairperson. Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform Implementation. American Occupational Therapy Association. 2011-2012.
Member. Centralized Application System Ad Hoc Task Group American Occupational Therapy Association. 2009
Speaker. Representative Assembly. American Occupational Therapy Association. 2007-2010
Member. Board of Directors. American Occupational Therapy Association 2007-2010
Member. Centennial Vision Commission. American Occupational Therapy Association 2007-2010
Chairperson. (Nationally Elected Position). Special Interest Sections Council. American Occupational Therapy Association. 2005-2007
AOTA Centennial Visioning Leadership Retreat. Invited participant in a 1 ½ day retreat for American Occupational Therapy Association to develop a vision statement for the profession’s centennial in 2017. 2006
Proposal Reviewer. American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference. 1997-Present.
Chairperson (Nationally Appointed Position). Special Interest Sections Council. American Occupational Therapy Association 2003-2005
AOTA Scenario Planning Retreat. Invited participant in 2-day retreat for the American Occupational Therapy Association leadership to plan a long-term strategic vision for the profession of occupational therapy. 2004.
Chairperson (Nationally Elected Position). Administration and Management Special Interest Section. American Occupational Therapy Association. 2000-2003
OT Practice Advisory Committee. 2000-2008. Editorial advisory board for “OT Practice” a biweekly magazine published by the American Occupational Therapy Association.
The Fund to Promote Occupational Therapy. Invited participant in 2-day retreat to plan the strategic objectives and mission of the Fund. November 2002
Education and Research Liaison. Administration and Management Special Interest Section Standing Committee. American Occupational Therapy Association. 1997-2000
Member, Roster of Accreditation Evaluators. American Occupational Therapy Association.1995-1998.
AOTA Commission on Education. Fieldwork Educator Representative. University of Illinois at Chicago. 1994, 1995, 1996
Committee of State Association Presidents. District of Columbia Representative. 1991-1992
President, District of Columbia Occupational Therapy Association. January 1991, to March 1992
Vice-President, District of Columbia Occupational Therapy Association. January 1988, to December 1990

Medical Homes: A Health Care Reform Strategy that May Present Opportunities for Occupational Therapy Practitioners

2012-12-03T16:14:00Z

One way I stay abreast of news about health care and health care reform is to sign up for daily email notices from organizations such as the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and from America's Health Insurance Providers (AHIP).

A recent AHIP Smartbrief included information about a study on medical homes. As Chairperson of the AOTA Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform Implementation I was interested in learning more about the research on medical homes.

The medical home is one strategy for provision of care that is likely to be promoted under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). AOTA has a working group on Accountable Care Organizations and medical homes and more info about that working group can be found on the AOTA Website. http://www.aota.org/Practitioners/Advocacy/Health-Care-Reform/ACO.aspx.

Here is some info from the Smartbrief:

In a recent study funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, researchers from the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Duke University School of Medicine researchers noted that "patient-centered medical home practice model "holds promise" for improving patient and staff experiences, but there's not yet enough evidence to determine how the model affects clinical outcomes and costs, a new report concludes. The authors defined a medical home as a practice that used team-based care; incorporated at least two of four care-improvement-focused elements such as enhanced care access, care coordination and a systems-based approach to improving quality and safety; represented "a sustained partnership"; and featured "an intervention that involves structural changes to the traditional practice."

As medical homes become more developed as an intervention strategy and evidence mounts about their effectiveness, opportunities for occupational therapy practitioners may arise in case coordination efforts and in the provision of prevention services. This particular study did not find evidence of cost savings, found that visits to emergency rooms decreased but admissions to hospitals did not. Other studies of medical homes have documented cost savings however as well as improved patient and staff experiences. More research on medical homes is needed but it is a health care reform strategy that bears close watching by our profession, especially those in home health care.

To learn more, you can find the study report here: http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1402441

Develop an Advocacy Habit!

2012-11-27T15:50:00Z

I have to admit that I am a political junkie! During our recent election cycle I visited CNN, the Huffington Post, Fox News, and most of the major poll sites not once but several times a day. I also spent a lot of time discussing and debating the candidates and the issues with friends and acquantances in person and Online on Facebook. I learned a lot about the views of others and my own views through this process.

Many of the "hot" issues that were debated during the elections and are still to be decided will affect us as occupational therapy practitioners and affect those we serve. For example, some of the decisions that Congress may make about how to respond to the "fiscal cliff" may impact Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

Advocacy can be a tricky business........there are times when it may be easier for all of us to advocate for the same action (e.g. including habilitation as an essential benefit in the ACA regardless of whether we supported its passage or not) and other times when various members of the profession may be on opposite sides of an issue depending on our policital and economic beliefs (e.g. should tax rates go up, down or stay the same?).

This morning it occured to me that while I have STRONG opinions on how we should be responding to the fiscal cliff and while I have communicated these views to my friends and acquantances who enjoy political debate, I had not yet communicated these messages to the Senators and the Representative who actually will cast votes!

I have often remarked that "If you don't vote, you don't get to complain!" Moreover, I think that if you don't communicate to your representatives in Congress how you would like THEM to vote, you can't complain about how they do!

Each of us can develop the habit of advocacy and communicating our views to our Senators and Representatives whether we are speaking as one on behalf of our profession or speaking our own individual views. I emailed my Senators and Representative today and gave them my view on how we should respond to the fiscal cliff. Now its your turn!

Find your Senators and Representative here at this link just by entering your zip code. Compossing and sending an Email to each took me less than 10 minutes total!

http://www.opencongress.org/people/zipcodelookup

2013 AOTA Elections: I am running for Secretary!

2012-11-21T17:59:00Z

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. The slate of candidates for the 2013 AOTA elections was posted today and I am happy to share that I am running for the office of AOTA Secretary. With just a few years until our Centennial year there is important work to be done. I believe that my experience as a clinician, manager, researcher, educator and community consultant provide me with a broad range of experiences from which to draw. My volunteer experience at the state and national level has provided me with the opportunity to interact with occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants and students all over the country. My current role as the Director of Rehabilitation for a 100 person department and as Chairperson of the AOTA Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform Implementation have allowed me to gain a deep understanding of the issues facing our profession. Over the next two months, I look forward to hear your ideas about where AOTA and our profession need to head next and what else we can do to achieve our Centennial Vision.

Here is my candidate statement:

My experience on the AOTA Board of Directors and as Speaker of the Representative Assembly (RA) has prepared me to excel at the key functions of the Secretary. These functions are to act as custodian of official AOTA documents, represent the Board of Directors on the Bylaws, Policy and Procedure Committee and to serve as a voting member of the Representative Assembly (RA).

My experiences as Speaker of the RA, a State Association President, an academic Program Director, faculty member and researcher, and as Director of a large Rehabilitation Department provide me the wide range of knowledge and skills to contribute broadly as your Secretary. As the Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Reform Implementation I have gained the knowledge and advocacy skills to help us navigate the challenges we will face as our health care and other practice settings continue to change.

For 27 years I have been a passionate and tireless advocate for occupational therapy. I have consistently offered my volunteer services to move our profession forward and wish to serve again during this critical time in striving to achieve our Centennial Vision. It would be an honor to serve AOTA as your next Secretary.

Thank you!

Essential Health Benefits as Part of the Affordable Care Act

2012-11-15T20:38:00Z

Leading up to and after our recent election, I have enjoyed debating various issues with friends and acquaintances on Facebook. Through that process and now in the last week it has become clear to me that there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings about what is included in the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). Many people still seem relatively unfamiliar with the ACA and what will happen as a result.

In the next few blog installments I want to describe some of the critical elements of the ACA and point members to resources to learn more about it.

First, there are some GREAT resources on the AOTA Website that can be found at;

http://www.aota.org/Practitioners/Advocacy/Health-Care-Reform.aspx check it out!

If you just have time for a quick read here is some info quoted from the government Website below:

"Essential health benefits are a set of health care service categories that must be covered by certain plans, starting in 2014.The Affordable Care Act ensures health plans offered in the individual and small group markets, both inside and outside of the Affordable Insurance Exchanges (Exchanges), offer a comprehensive package of items and services, known as essential health benefits. Essential health benefits must include items and services within at least the following 10 categories: ambulatory patient services; emergency services; hospitalization; maternity and newborn care; mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; laboratory services; preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management; and pediatric services, including oral and vision care. Insurance policies must cover these benefits in order to be certified and offered in Exchanges, and all Medicaid state plans must cover these services by 2014."

For more detailed information, check out the site!

http://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/e/essential.html

Time for Post Election Advocacy: This is a Critical Time for Occupational Therapy in Our Health Care System

2012-11-08T14:58:00Z

My blogging hiatus is over!

Now that the national election is settled and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (AKA as "Obamacare") has little chance of being repealed or replaced the question becomes, "What now for occupational therapy?" No matter what you thought about the ACA or who you supported in the election, the answer to that question has to be, "It is time to advocate for occupational therapy to play a central role in our reforming health care system!"

It was rumored that the White House was holding off on the release of some new regulations and guidelines until after the election and we may see them very soon. There are multiple critical issues for our profession and some real opportunities if we step up at the national and state level. A few are:

Definition of Essential Health Benefits

There are 10 essential health benefits that must be required by insurance companies that participate in State Health Insurance Exchanges and "Rehabilitation and Habilitation" is one of them. What that coverage includes specifically however and payment can still be influenced.

Occupational Therapy as part of a Primary Health Care Team

There will be a new emphasis on primary care in medical homes and other settings and OT CAN be defined as part of the primary care team if we can clearly articulate our roles and contributions to quality and cost savings.

Occupational Therapy as part of the total health care solution in prevention and wellness

There will also be increased emphasis on prevention and wellness especially with those on Medicare, Medicaid and the those challenged by chronic illness. We need intervention models, clear and concise descriptions of our prepartion and role in prevention and wellness and creative people stepping up and into these roles.

Telehealth

The triple aim of improving health, health care and quality/effectiveness of health care will include new models of service delivery and telehealth holds great promise as a cost effective way of reaching our clients. This is especially true as new payment models such as post acute bundling hold organizations accountable and provide a single payment across service delivery contexts. Using telehealth to help prevent costly readmissions and help our patients be safe in the home is just one example.

Meeting the Challenge of Expanded Insurance Coverage and Expanded Medicaid Enrollment

With the ruling of the Supreme Court, many more Americans will become eligible for care under affordable insurance and/or expanded Medicaid enrollment. We may be challenged to provide all of the personnel needed to fill what will be a continually expanding workforce for our profession. There will be ongoing opportunities in education and academic settings.

These are just a few examples of the opportunities and challenges for our profession as the ACA is fully implemented. There will be great need for us to advocate for and promote occupational therapy at the federal level and within our states. Membership in AOTA and your state associations and financial support of AOTPAC and state PACS has never been more important!

More than ever I am excited about working on behalf of our profession and I hope you will all see these challenges as a call to get involved!

This is the time to work to achieve our Centennial Vision and use our power to help meet society's occupational needs!

Time flies when you are....................................

2012-05-12T15:24:00Z

Wow, so almost two months since the last time I did a Blog entry....time does really fly when you are working hard and playing hard!

I have been swamped at work and have been focusing on creating more balance in my life and having a ball playing with my new friends in Houston spending much more time in leisure and play occupations!

Things at MD Anderson are going GREAT and I was thrilled yesterday to learn that my request to add 3 more inpatient occupational therapy and 1 more inpatient physical therapy position were approved. In addition we are starting a full scale business plan for the continued development of our outpatient services at the Medical Center and our Regional Care Centers. With nearly another 180 inpatient beds to open and the explosion of services at our RCC's I expect the Department of Rehabilitation Services to near close to 125 FTE in the next couple of years! Yikes!

I had a wonderful and energizing time at the AOTA conference in Indy and got a great response to the 3 hour workshop that I did on increasing personal power. There were about 60 in attendance and it was a great group. It was also SRO at the Health Care Reform Implementation Townhall and it was wonderful to see so much interest.

I want to congratulate all of the new Board members and officers especially our new President Elect Ginny Stoffel and our new Vice-President Amy Lamb. I am confident they are going to do wonders to move us toward our Centennial Vision. I was disappointed not to be elected VP, but as is said.............I will be back! We can all use a good "ego-check" now and then (LOL) and the experience, and the support I received from members reinforced how much I enjoy working on behalf of our Association. It has not deterred me from my ultimate goal which is to serve AOTA as its President......just extended the timeline a bit!

The last two days I was in Baltimore visiting the Department of Rehabilitation Services at John Hopkins University. I completed a site visit to learn about some best practices in management from the Director of Rehabilitation who happens to be a Physical Therapist. I got some great ideas and have decided I need to network more aggressively with other directors of large departments, especially those who run mulit-disciplinary departments. I hope to make some great connections in June when I travel to Tampa for an invitation from APTA to present at their annual conference as part of a panel on multidisciplinary supervision and management. My PT colleague and I had some interesting conversation about the worries that some occupational therapy practitioners express from time to time that PT is taking over............I loved his comment, "Just be good at what you do and do it....." I could not agree more!

Now that conference and a host of other activities are over, it is time to get my gang geared up and focused on our strategic plan again! I'll post more on that soon!

Hope everyone had a GREAT OT month and happy Mothers' Day to all the mom's out there!