Page 22 - OPTA Access Spring 2021

East Central District Report Jeff Hohl, PT, DPT – Chair
The East Central District is hopeful in 2021!
In January, The East Central District’s board
met in Youngstown to discuss planning the upcoming year of events. We have numerous member recruitment and social events planned, including Virtual Jeopardy, and our 4th Annual PAC Fundraiser at an Akron RubberDucks baseball game in July/August. Additionally, we are planning to offer two CEU events later this year to promote professional growth of our members! CEU dates
Central District Report Daniel Chelette, PT, DPT - Chair
Hello from the Central District!
and locations are tentative and subject to change, so please check the calendar online for more details as they become available.
August – Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program (@ Youngstown State University)
November – 3rd Annual Student & Clinician Research Symposium (@ Walsh University)
As our mentorship program continues to develop,
we are inviting students and young clinicians that exhibit leadership qualities to join us for our monthly conference calls and all district events.
For more information, contact Jeff at:
jmhohl@gmail.com
22 | March 2021 | OPTA
Happy 2021, everyone! 2020 was a year filled with unexpected challenges, to say the least. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us, as individuals and as a profession, to adapt how we have cared for patients and how we have operated as physical therapists on a daily basis. Some have experienced a change in employment and availability of work. Others have stood directly in front of the virus as they worked to care for patients
in our Central Ohio hospitals. At the Central District, we are grateful for all of our members. We are grateful for the courage, selflessness, and resiliency they have shown as the COVID-19 pandemic has progressed and evolved. We truly thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and your commitment to taking care of patients.
As a Central District board, we work to put forth programming and initiatives that are meaningful to our members, meaningful to the Central Ohio PT community, and meaningful to the Central Ohio community as a whole. In 2021, we plan to stay committed to that vision. Mandi Vonderhaar, Central District Vice-Chair, will continue to lead our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion action group. This group will continue to work on putting actionable items and lessons into the hands of Central Ohio physical therapists and physical therapy assistants to help advance the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession of physical therapy and within society as a whole. In this same vein of campaigning for positive change within the profession and the community, we plan to host an Advocacy Forum and Panel Discussion later this year. At this event, panelists and attendees will discuss practical ways to support local, state, and national advocacy efforts, and why this support is vital to the missions of the OPTA
and the APTA. Also, in the fall, we plan to host an Early Professional Development Forum and Panel discussion. This event will aim to connect early professionals within the Central District to experienced and accomplished members of our organization. The event will serve as
an opportunity for those who attend to ask questions of their peers and their more experienced colleagues while discussing the importance of intentionally engaging in professional development activities as an early professional.
As a Central District board, we are truly thankful for our members. We work to provide meaningful and useful information, initiatives, and programming to support their work as physical therapists and physical therapy assistants. We look forward to the opportunities and challenges that 2021 will bring to us, and we will address them together.
For more information, contact Daniel at:
jdc66912@gmail.com