Page 14 - OPTA Access Fall 2022

DEI Committee Report Joe Combs, PT, DPT – Chair
DO YOU HAVE A RESOURCE YOU’VE FOUND HELPFUL?
At OPTA’s OPTA Spring Conference conference earlier this year, the DEI Committee led a panelist presentation titled, Examining Past Successes
to Highlight a Path Forward. During this presentation, our panelists recanted the story of their journeys through the therapy field despite the obstacles they faced along the way. Both enlightening and motivating, the goal of the DEI Committee is to continue highlighting stories such as these to learn what barriers must come down to provide truly equitable access to the physical therapy field for all PTs and PTAs. If you have a story that we could learn from please submit it on the DEI committee page at ohiopt.org!
In addition to the completed projects, the committee has several ongoing projects!
There are currently two podcasts from the DEI Committee available on SoundCloud or Spotify and can be found at ohiopt.org. One podcast covers the Ohio State University’s program that introduces local high schoolers to healthcare fields, including physical therapy. Another podcast
covers how the University of Cincinnati DPT program evaluated and modified its admission criteria to optimize equitability for its incoming classes. In both podcasts, you will hear passionate people taking steps to better our field. Give those a listen and be on the lookout for future podcasts! You can find both podcasts here.
The DEI Committee has several subcommittees hard at work on new projects. Ally training sponsored by the committee will be available before the end of the year for clinicians that want to show their clinic or university has dedicated themselves to supporting those who consider themselves LGBQT+. Implicit bias training is in development to allow PTs and PTAs to identify harmful bias that occurs unintentionally. We also have committees developing resources for DPT programs, DPT admission processes, equitable hiring, and more! Keep up with us on our webpage so you can follow all the action.
For more information, contact Joseph at:
golffitcincy@gmail.com
Sports SIG Report Kristin Walls, PT, DPT – Chair
The DEI Committee has been hard at work this year! We heard your requests for resources and responded by creating the DEI Committee webpage on the OPTA website. If you scroll to the bottom of that page, you will find resources that committee members have assessed and found to be valuable in our mission of advancing the physical therapy profession through DEI initiatives. Resources for working competently with LGBQT+ patients, are available in the form of the PT/PTA handbook. That’s just the surface, and the list of resources is growing quickly. Do you have a resource you’ve found helpful? Email us at opt@ohiopt. org with the subject line “OPTA DEI Committee” and let us know!
EXCITING CHANGES ARE ON THE HORIZON!
As OPTA ACCESS comes to a close, the Sports Special Interest Group wants to provide a recap of this
past year. We have been in the process of revamping the Sports SIG while welcoming new members and ideas! Our Ohio Physical Therapy Association: Sports SIG Facebook page has remained active, and we are enthusiastically recruiting members to join us and help the SIG grow. Hopefully, you have received our latest OPTA email asking you to provide feedback via member survey around items such as barriers to joining,
how to best engage with membership, and what you are looking to gain from the SIG. We are ready to listen and cannot wait to see what the survey will reveal! As we increase our visibility moving forward, and our membership continues to grow, our hope is to create additional positions within the Sports SIG. Be sure to join the Sports SIG as exciting changes are on the horizon!
For more information, contact Kristin at:
KWalls@orthopedicone.com
14 | August 2022 | OPTA