AOTPAC Chair Blog

Virtual Presentations

2012-02-04T22:46:00Z

Today, I enjoyed connecting via Skype with a group of practitioners and students from Southwestern Missouri regarding what is happening on Capitol Hill, health care reform implementation and advocacy. I love being able to connect with practitioners across the country using the technology at our fingertips and increase the awareness of what is happening in the policy arena that will impact occupational therapy. Health care reform implementation shifting to the states is a great reminder as to the importance of membership in AOTA and the state associations. Our associations give us a professional voice, keep us informed, and are the power we need to drive occupational therapy into the future.

Hill Visits = Success

2012-01-25T17:47:00Z

I've just returned to Michigan after spending the last couple of days in Washington DC on Capitol Hill having meetings regarding the therapy cap, OT mental health act, and home health flexibility act. The focus of these meetings was to get in front of the leadership of the key committees and Chiefs of staff handing these issues. The strategy of getting in front of them early with a targeted approach lets Congress know that not taking action in 2012 will not be an option. It is essential that our clients have a pathway to care.

While in the area I took advantage of the opportunity to stop in and say hello and most importantly thank you to many of our occupational therapy friends on the Hill. I also had the opportunity to meet with some new, up and coming candidates from other parts of the country.

The trip was a success, we received support from a majority of the offices we met with and secured a spot at the table for the occupational therapy voice. We let our friends know we appreciate what they do for occupational therapy and offered to serve as a resource for them. What a great way to spend 48 hours, advocating for occupational therapy!

Thank you

2012-01-19T13:48:00Z

On behalf of the AOTPAC Board of Directors I would like to extend my sincerest thank you to the AOTA Membership for coming together to work toward a common goal. Thanks to the support of the membership AOTPAC achieved their 2011 Fundraising goal! More details to follow in next week's Letter from the Chair and again, thank you for your support!

Launching the AOTPAC Student Challenge - A New Approach

2012-01-17T01:39:00Z

Thanks to fabulous coordinating and leadership by the ASD Steering Committee we are trying a new approach to getting the word out about the AOTPAC Student Challenge. We held a brief conference call this evening where schools from around the country dialed in to hear what AOTPAC is about, what the AOTPAC Student Challenge is, and ways to get involved. The goal is to get as many schools participating in the student challenge as possible before AOTA's annual conference in Indy this April. More calls are being scheduled so stay tuned for more information on OT Connections, Facebook and through emails of the Assembly of Student Delegates.

AOTPAC Chair Blog - Emerging Leaders Hill Visits 2012

2012-01-10T02:30:00Z

There is a great group of Emerging Leaders ready to take on Capitol Hill this Wednesday, January 11th! We have 25 offices that will be visited by some of our 2012 Emerging Leaders cohort, sharing the message about occupational therapy. What a great time to hit the Hill and develop the relationships necessary to develop policies that support and advance occupational therapy. On a briefing call, with this group this evening I was excited by their energy, impressed by their interest in knowing the issues and proud of this next generation of leaders in occupational therapy!

Advocacy in Action

2011-06-15T14:16:00Z

Yesterday (June 14th), I took some post professional students from Misericordia University to Capitol Hill to experience advocacy first hand. We had meetings and covered the states of Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Michigan with our message and had great results! June 14th was also Virtual Hill Day for the Therapy Cap (a joint effort with AOTA, APTA and ASHA). As we were in and out of offices we heard repeatedly that they were receiving lots of emails today on the therapy cap. Proof your grassroots advocacy works! If you sent an email, your Members of Congress noticed, and the foundation is there for us to move forward to a fix. Thanks to all who participated!

2011: Doing our Part

2011-03-02T14:51:00Z

The days sure seem to be flying by...conference is right around the corner. Efforts are full steam ahead and we have some exciting things in the works for this year. The AOTPAC Board and AOTA staff have been busy preparing for Philly. Our fundraising conference goal has been set for $50,000! Make sure you stop by the PAC booth and let me know what you are doing to make the OT voice heard. Please don't forget your PAC night tickets as you are making your conference plans. It is well worth staying the extra night.....and you can join myself and my health policy colleagues in learning how health care reform is impacting the various practice settings early Sunday morning! Looking forward to seeing you all in Philly!

Thank you to AOTA's Conference Attendees for your support of AOTPAC

2010-05-04T02:02:00Z

A big thank you to the AOTA members who contributed to AOTPAC during their recent trip to Orlando. We had set a conference goal for $40,000 to be raised. I had the opportunity to share the GO Time message with leadership groups and get the word out about how we can move occupational therapy ahead in the 2010 elections. Thanks to the AOTA volunteer leadership, conference attendees and staff we raised just over $50,000! We must capture this momentum and move forward toward our larger goal of $250,000 in the 2010 calendar year. One of the most exciting things at this conference was the packed sessions for health policy topics....it was great to see the occupational therapy profession engaging to learn more about the link between policy and practice! Finally, a big thank you to the AOTA staff and their exceptional work and effort with the conference...without all of you so much of what we all do would not be possible! Kudos!

Conference is Coming!

2010-04-21T03:45:00Z

It is always crazy trying to tie up everything at work to be gone for a week but being with fellow colleagues and celebrating OT Month together is worth the mountain of emails that will await my return to the office. We just wrapped up our final board conference call before conference next week. The AOTPAC Board set a goal of $40,000 to be raised in Orlando! I hope Orlando is ready for PAC Night.....and I hope you have your ticket to the hottest party at conference! OT Karaoke Idol is back for round two and will be better than ever. So start singing on your way to work and make the PAC booth your first stop to sign up to show your stuff on May 1st at 7:30! See you in Orlando!

AOTA in Action For YOU!

2010-02-06T06:00:00Z

I loved what I heard on the recent podcast recorded by AOTA Federal Affairs Department with regards to what AOTA is doing all of us with regards to the Medicare Therapy Caps. As the front page article on the AOTA website outlined "AOTA is focusing all of our federal resources on getting Congress to act on reinstating the exceptions process," said Christina Metzler, AOTA Chief Public Affairs Officer. "We are working to ensure Medicare beneficiaries get access to the therapy they need and can benefit from as soon as possible." It is this action and commitment by our national association that makes membership so vital. Check out the links below and share the message about how AOTA is working for all of us!

http://www.aota.org/News/AOTANews/Cap-Exceptions-Process.aspx

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=28233&cmd=tc Click on Episode 18

Facebook Movement on the Therapy Caps....Join the Effort Today!

2010-02-06T05:41:00Z

If your on facebook join AOTA's effort to STOP the Medicare Therapy Caps! Search the group Stop the Medicare Therapy Cap and join the social networking movement. This is a place where we can share stories and strategies to help Stop the Therapy Cap. It is open to all people who want to make sure Medicare beneficiaries get the rehabilitation services they need: OT, PT, and Speech Therapy. Join today, share it with your OT, PT, SLP collegues and friends. When we have enough fans we can bring it to the legislators via their facebook pages and use this medium to let them know we need the fix today!

OT's Voice on Capitol Hill -- Now is the Time!

2009-10-14T02:21:00Z

Last week I traveled to my home away from home to join my colleagues on Capitol Hill. On Monday over 320+ students and practitioners joined me and the AOTA Federal Affairs team to knock on the House and Senate doors and get the message out about occupational therapy. The message was clear Occupational Therapy is Part of the Health Care Solution! Talking points spanned from ensuring access to rehabilitation services, promoting the Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act (HR 1094), addressing health care workforce needs and advocating for full repeal of the Medicare Part B Therapy Cap to talking about occupational therapy's role in wellness and prevention and how we are a cost effective solution to the rising cost of healthcare. As I visited offices that day I was energized by the students’ passion for advocacy and public policy and the commitment of the practitioners to take time away from their practices to share the OT message.

The Capitol Hill visits didn't stop on Monday...on Thursday we took 24 program directors who were in Baltimore for the annual program directors meeting to the hill to do it all again! An early morning briefing, a bus ride to Capitol Hill and a couple cups of coffee and we were ready to go! Again we visited offices sharing our OT message. Some of the meetings and questions were different this time as several offices reported physical therapy had been in the day before advocating for their direct access legislation. What a great position for OT to be in to have their ear first and last!

Today the Senate Finance Committee voted on their health care reform legislation and passed it through committee successfully. With this step comes the need for added advocacy efforts. AOTA has two additional hill days already on the books. The AOTA Executive Board is making their way to the hill before their upcoming meeting at the end of October and students the final hill day is all about you! This year we are hosting a hill day just for those attending Conclave....you will have a briefing and make your way with myself, other experienced advocates and AOTA's federal affairs team to keep the OT message in the spotlight as the health care reform discussion continues.

The time is now for OT.....AOTA has crafted a strong message for us all to share and show a united front on health care reform and it is up to each of us to do our part to educate our Representatives and Senators with that message. Make a phone call to your DC offices today or send and email from AOTA's legislative action center and let’s get the message out to every House and Senate office that Occupational Therapy is Part of the Health Care Solution!

Join Me in Washington DC

2009-08-18T05:05:00Z

Join me in Washington DC on October 5th for AOTA's annual Capitol Hill Day!

The stakes are larger than ever and we are looking for a crowd to show we understand what it at stake in health care reform. Let's surpass the record breaking 200 attendees we had last year join us to get the OT message out!

Regardless of your personal position on the current health care reform debate, it is critical to advocate on behalf of OT to be assured that people have improved access to occupational therapy as a result of the health reform process regardless of what form it finally takes.

Bring a friend, bring a colleague, bring your family to help advocate for OT and empower your profession. This year we will be addressing the following OT specific issues in the context of Health Reform:

OT in Home Health
Medicare Therapy Caps
OT's Role in Prevention, Wellness and Care Management
OT's Role in Treating Autism Spectrum Disorders in Children, Adolescents and Adults
Workforce Issues in Healthcare and Education

To register for AOTA's Capitol Hill Day send the completed Registration Form to: hillday@aota.org

See you on the Hill!

Amy

Congressional Recess - the perfect storm!

2009-08-05T04:26:00Z

The phrase perfect storm refers to the simultaneous occurrence of events which, taken individually, would be far less powerful than the storm resulting of their chance combination. Such occurrences are rare by their very nature, so that even a slight change in any one event contributing to the perfect storm would lessen its overall impact. How does this relate to the congressional recess and even more so occupational therapy. Your members of Congress are returning to the districts, they looking to gain favor amongst constituents and seeking input regarding health care reform! Such a vital discussion combined with the driving forces in Washington to pass health care reform legislation when they return is the perfect storm when connected to the voices of occupational therapy professionals in the district. Let's not let this recess pass us by but seize the opportunity to advocate for our profession! Visit your Senators and Representatives websites, call the district offices, find out where they will be and when you can have their ear and then step forward and advocate for occupational therapy! Call the district office and request a meeting, bring some colleagues with you to find safety in numbers, or look for health care reform meetings/forums they are hosting over the next few weeks. Remember to visit AOTA's website and listen to the Health Care Reform Podcasts proveided to you by the AOTA Federal Affairs Staff to feel more comfortable in your advocacy efforts. Reply to the blog and let us know where you will be advocating for OT during this perfect storm! I am taking this opportunity to introduce myself to my new Congressional Delegation in Colorado.....please join me and lets make the OT voice heard!

Health Care Reform

2009-06-15T04:32:00Z

After just returning from DC with some students from Misericordia University and spending time with them on Capitol Hill advocating for occupational therapy and seeking sponsors and co-sponsors for the Home Health Bill, it is clear that health care is a top priority in Washington.

Health Care reform is on the move and your Members of Congress are going to need to be hearing from you. Stay tuned to AOTA's legislative action center in the coming days and weeks an make sure you are ready to make the call or visit and advocate for your profession, your patients and yourself when needed! Being informed is the first step and AOTA is your link to information on health care reform!

Amy