News and Announcements
OT Fun Day at UAB!,
On May 30, 2009, the UAB Student Occupational Therapy Association hosted its 1st Annual Occupational Therapy Fun Day. The event brought people of all ages out to experience the world of occupational therapy first hand. The time has come again for the community to gather in celebration of occupational therapy.
On April 17th, 2010 at 11:00 am, the festivities will commence. Fun day offers a wide variety of carnival games that showcase the many facets of occupational therapy. Each game relates to an area of occupation or functional skill. Games will include treasure hunt, fishing, pie-in-the face, moonwalk and more. There will also be concessions available for purchase. Come one! Come all! Come children, adolescents and adults! Help us to spread the word about this exciting, valuable field through our favorite occupations, leisure and play.
OT Fun Day April 17th, 2010 11:00 am -2:00 pm On ‘the green,’ (the corner of 10th Ave. S. and 15th St. S)
Important Legislative Update
As expected, we are faced with another challenge this year from the athletic trainers. While we are in support of athletic training as a profession, the current language of a recently introduced bill would broaden their scope of practice to a point that potentially endangers healthcare consumers in our state, many of whom that would fit the profile of patients and clients presently served by occupational therapy practitioners. You can read the bill BY CLICKING HERE, but in a nutshell, the Alabama Athletic Trainer Association is attempting to change their practice act to define “athlete” as anyone who participates in functional activities, and “athletic injury” as anything that affects the person’s participation in any activity that requires physical strength, agility, flexibility, speed, stamina, or range of motion. This is unacceptably broad language that would widen their scope of practice to do things for which they have not been educationally prepared.
What has happened so far...
On the evening of February 23rd, a Senate Bill 454, the Athletic Trainer Bill, was introduced and was referred to the Senate’s Business and Labor Committee. ALOTA made a request for a public hearing on the matter, as did our PT counterpart, the Alabama Chapter of APTA. There was a hearing on the morning of the 25th, and although it was not a public hearing, ALOTA was allowed to speak in opposition to the bill. In the end, the committee voted 6-2 to pass the bill.
In order for a bill to become law, it must pass through both the full House of Representatives and the Senate, and then be signed by our Governor. This process essentially starts at the committee level. As it stands right now, SB 454 has cleared the first step on one side of the process; a house “companion” AT bill has not been filed yet, and the senate version was not on the calendar to be heard by the senate at large, but we fully expect the bill to be actively pushed by ALATA and their supporters.
ALOTA, the Alabama Chapter of APTA, and the Alabama Chiropractic Association are against this bill. With this being an election year, and many high profile controversial issues being dealt with in our state government already (e.g., bingo, the budget), it is unlikely that our legislators would want to pass a controversial bill but this only works in our favor if our legislators correctly see this for what it is and it is a controversial bill.
Wondering what you can do?
Please take the time to CALL members of the Senate Rules Committee, contact information of whom can be found BY CLICKING HERE.
The Rules Committee sets the agenda for the Senate at large, meaning they determine which bills make it on the calendar for the senate to hear and vote on. Please keep it short, polite, and respectful. If you don't know what to say, here is a suggestion:
"Senator (name), my name is (name) and I am an (occupational therapist, occupational therapy assistant, or occupational therapy student). I am calling you because you sit on the Rules Committee in the Senate, and I wanted to let you know that I am opposed to Senate Bill 454, the Athletic Trainer Bill, the way it is written. It is a controversial bill in that it has the potential to misrepresent what athletic trainers are qualified to do, and could do harm to healthcare consumers. Thank you for your time, have a pleasant day."
You don't need to say a great deal more than that, unless they ask you questions, in which case you could refer to THESE TALKING POINTS.
Would you like more information about the implications of this at a national level? Click here to read a letter from AOTA’s Paul Fontaine on the matter to his congressman.
Now is the time to act, and it is your action that matters. Need help? Let us know BY CLICKING HERE; we will get back with you ASAP.
Spring Conference Registration!
ALOTA Spring Conference is rapidly approaching. It is set for March 27 in Huntsville, AL at Children's Rehab Services. You cannot ask for a better deal on continuing education with an excellent opportunity to network with clinicians in your state. Check out the brochure for more information. You may also register via PayPal under the continuing education tab. Please be sure to observe the drop-down box and choose the correct member status for payment.
Not a member, but want the member rate? You can also register for membership by downloading the membership application and submitting with check or paying via Paypal under the "Join" tab.
We look forward to seeing you there!
GOTA and NMEDA present a National Seminar & Education Workshop
Helping Your Patients Achieve Independence: Automotive Mobility Solutions
A national seminar provided by GOTA (The Georgia Occupational Therapy Association) and NMEDA (National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association)
An introductory level course for adult and pediatric therapists, and others not familiar with adaptive driving and modified vehicles. This course will assist the allied health practitioner in understanding and advocating for individuals and families seeking vehicle modification solutions. It will provide live, hands on, walk-a-round solutions for wheelchair accessible vans, automated and manual seating systems, hand controls and wheelchair docking devices. Local adaptive mobility vendors will be on site.
ALOTA members can register on-line for the GOTA member rate.
You may also register by downloading this pdf and either faxing (770-433-2907) or e-mailing to Jennifer Westmoreland of GOTA.
Call for Papers - 2010 Marie Moore Lyles Symposium
The date for the symposium is June 12, 2010 and will be held on the campus of Tuskegee University (East Central District). The theme for this year’s event is as follows: “Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence in Education, Practice, and Research.” If you are interested in presenting at this symposium, please see the guidelines for submission. All questions and/or submissions should be directed to tuotaa@gmail.com.
Call for Papers - Spring Conference 2010
Spring conference is rapidly approaching! It will be held March 27, 2010 at Children's Rehab Services in Huntsville, AL. If you are interested in presenting at this conference, please see the guidelines for submission. All questions and/or submissions should be directed to Dave Bledsoe, Vice-President.
Central District Chair Needed
If you are interested in serving on the board and getting involved in your local occupational therapy community, then consider serving as central district chair. If you are interested or know anyone who may be, please email Valley Osborne-McCurry for further information.
The Vote is In!
We welcome David Bledsoe as vice-president of ALOTA. He brings an abundance of experiences that will enhance our team as we attempt to continue to offer you outstanding conferences.
Get On-Board
Want to get involved with ALOTA? We are taking nominations for the positions of Public Awareness and Reimbursement Chair. If you are interested or would like to nominate someone email Valley Osborne-McCurry, President at valley.mccurry@alota.org.
ALOTA Wants YOU!
The Alabama Occupational Therapy Association is currently looking for committee members for the following committees:
- Government Affairs
- Conference Planning
- Awareness
- Membership
- Reimbursement
Announcing New Partnership With Smart Solutions
ALOTA has partnered with Smart Solutions, an Adaptive Technology provider, to offer no-cost in-home evaluations for patients of ALOTA members. This is a great opportunity for any member whether they specialize in outpatient therapy, inpatient care, or home health.
ALOTA members will now be able to utilize Smart Solutions services as a resource providing your patients with an assessment of environmental controls options that may be applicable. Smart Solutions specializes in environmental controls and can provide patients solutions to control their home systems such as lighting, climate, security, cameras, and media systems.
For more information on Smart Solutions or to request a consultation, please contact Kevin Braswell with Smart Solutions at (205) 868-9311 or e-mail him at kbraswell@smarthomesolutions.com. Additional information is also available on the Smart Solutions website @ www.smarthomesolutions.com.
We have also added a link to the Smart Solutions website in the community resources section of our "links" page for future reference.
New Initiative with Restore Therapy Services
We are thrilled to announce a new membership initiative with Restore Therapy Services. Restore is now offering annual memberships in ALOTA to all of their occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants as a free employment benefit. This groundbreaking agreement was negotiated by ALOTA President Valley McCurry and Restore’s Executive Officers, and is a win-win arrangement for both organizations! Arrangements such as these have the potential to significantly boost our membership numbers, which will allow us to continue to expand our lobbying and advocacy efforts, and our low-cost continuing education offerings. Modeled after a recent initiative of AOTA, we are seeking new relationships with corporations as part of our strategic plan. Interested in seeing something like this happen at your place of employment? Click here to send us an email, and we will follow up from there.
Interested in Getting Involved with ALOTA?
All it takes is a willingness to get involved. We will show you the rest. We have opportunities that would likely be a good fit for you regardless of your area of interest. Click here to drop us a note.