Page 39 - OPTA Access Spring 2020

Federal Affairs Liaison Report Preston Stoller, PT, DPT, OCS - Chair
My name is Preston Stoller and I’d like to introduce myself as the new Federal Affairs Liaison for the Ohio Chapter . Prior to this, I spent the past year as part of the State Affairs Committee while also actively supporting advancements in our professional scope of practice, including telehealth and the PT Compact .
In my experience in advocacy, I have quickly realized its importance in the growth of our profession and its potential to increase the visibility of PTs/PTAs in the health care and political landscape . Being based in outpatient orthopedics during my eight-year career, I have been exposed to a wide range of patients,
from pediatric to geriatric . This experience has confirmed the PT’s ability to be an evidence-based, cost-effective treatment across a wide-ranging population group, which continues to be a topic of
importance as Congress seeks to decrease health care spending . I look forward to sharing this information in Washington, DC .
As physical therapy continues to evolve, I firmly believe we can play a significant role in the future
of our country’s health care delivery system, elevating the well-being of the public and also the visibility
of our profession . I am privileged to serve you and hope you’ll join me in advocacy for the betterment
of our field.
For more information, contact Preston at:
preston.stoller@osumc.edu
Early Professional SIG Report Drew Snyder, PT, DPT - Chair
The OPTA’s newest Special Interest Group just finished its first full year. The Early Professional SIG (or “EPSIG” for short) had an exciting year. Most recently, we launched the brand new OPTA CONNECT program. OPTA CONNECT was designed to join our early professional members with some of OPTA’s more “seasoned” veterans as a means of providing additional professional mentorship to our members . While the program launched in October, we still have space for EPSIG members to join OPTA CONNECT! For more information, please visit https://www .ohiopt .org/page/OPTACONNECT .
The EPSIG is also looking forward to launching the *OPTA Early Professional Enrichment
Series . The Enrichment Series will provide programming for OPTA early professionals on a series of topics covering Financial Wellness and Lifestyle Strategies such as marketing, retirement and financial planning webinars, finding the proper work-life balance, etc . We believe this programming will provide an invaluable resource for our members .
If you’re already a member, or looking for additional ways to get involved, we have two openings on the EPSIG leadership team . We need volunteers for the Central District and
the East Central District to serve as “District Representatives” for their respective district. District Representatives serve as communication links between the OPTA districts and the EPSIG and assure that the EPSIG has representation across the state . If you have any questions,
or if you’re interested in serving as a District Representative, please contact me .
Upcoming in 2020, the EPSIG plans on having quarterly meetings via Zoom (the videoconferencing resource used by OPTA) . Those meetings will take place at 8 PM on the following dates:
• Monday, May 4 • Monday, Aug . 3 • Monday, Nov . 2
We look forward to increasing membership participation on these quarterly calls so that we may solicit recommendations on how we can provide even greater value within the Association .
If you are an Early Professional (0-5 years post-graduation) and interested in joining the EPSIG you can go to OhioPT .org > About Us > Special Interest Groups . You can also find us on social media, on Facebook as the OPTA Early Professional SIG or Twitter as @OPTAEPSIG .
For more information, contact Drew at:
drewsnyder9@gmail.com
*Editor’s Note: The response to the concept of the OPTA Early Professional Enrichment Series has been so outstanding that OPTA is currently reviewing the initial format for revision and expansion into a programming and services arm of OPTA addressing the “non-traditional practice models of physical therapy.” Stay tuned!
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