Page 27 - OPTA_ACCESS_Fall2019

Sparking the Advocacy Flame
Taylor Augustine, SPT
Federal Advocacy Forum Scholarship Recipient
March 31 was not like any other Sunday, and that’s not just because it was the last day to prepare for those epic April Fool’s Day pranks . On this particular Sunday, Washington, D .C . was blooming with tourists for the illustrious cherry blossom festival and physical therapy professionals from across the country were filing into the nation’s capital for APTA’s Federal Advocacy Forum.
The forum began with a welcome reception where familiar advocates were re-united and fresh, new faces drifted towards one another for introductions . The room was buzzing with
eager energy for the upcoming agenda . It was inspiring to be
in the company of the profession’s most passionate members, including PTs, PTAs, administrators and a healthy representation of students. An opening briefing with APTA staff quickly previewed some of the hot topics on the table and I quickly realized I was going to need to do some research on the tornado of acronyms thrown around . Thankfully the APTA staff included a glossary of abbreviations, which became my cheat sheet for the week .
Monday's breakfast included an informational side-dish of political analytics, shared by the charming and comical Nathan L . Gonzales, CNN analyst and editor + publisher of “Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.” Mr. Gonzales painted a bi-partisan landscape of the current events on Capitol Hill, providing a useful canvas of Washington’s current political climate and the energy we’d all be encountering the next day during our visit to the House of Representatives and the Senate . In the breakout sessions to follow, I learned from Brad Fitch how to turn a 15-minute meeting with a congressmember into a long-term relationship .
He highlighted some truly shocking statistics that showcased the insurmountable power of constituent interactions in “moving the needle.” Then, all the students of the forum congregated to discuss methods of facilitating engagement in local chapters with events like Federal Advocacy dinners . At lunch, we were joined by Sarah Kliff, Senior Policy Correspondent for Vox .com, who shared her opinions on the future of health policy in America . The remainder of the day was spent preparing for the visit to Capitol Hill . In groups divided by state, of which Ohio was eight members strong, we reviewed the most important topics of APTA’s public policy priorities . With the government shut down occurring earlier this year, the legislative process was a bit behind, so there was no current legislation on the table for us to address . However, Senate Bill 970 was introduced the following morning—just in time for us to speak directly with our state representatives and ask for their support on including physical therapy in the National Student Health Corp .
As anyone who’s anyone knows, it’s not officially an APTA event unless there is a PT-PAC party . So, naturally, Monday evening
was the networking party of the year! Clinking glasses, friendly introductions, and hearty laughter filled the room of SPIN, a ping- pong bar with incredible service and an even more remarkable number of flying table-tennis balls.
On Tuesday morning, we had the pleasure of sharing breakfast with Congressman Tony Cardenas of California, who fulfilled every great archetype I had of a US Representative in his freshly primed suit and remarkable public speaking skills . He shared the role physical therapy has had in his life, successfully arming the crowd of therapists with a boost of confidence. From there, the masses divided, ready to conquer their mission on Capitol Hill . The Ohioans ventured together through the stunning marble architecture of the Senate Building to the offices of Senator Brown and Senator Portman, representing
a powerful and united front to discuss topics like the opioid crisis, administrative burden, and the National Student Health Corp . We were also able to thank our representatives for their support in abolishing the Medicare Therapy Cap . To tackle the House of Representatives, we decided to divide and conquer, but only after some ceremonial O-H-I-O and O-P- T-A photography in front of the Capitol . I was able to meet with a staff member from my district representative’s office and tagged along to support other members in their district meetings .
I returned to Cleveland Tuesday evening utterly exhausted
but sparked with an advocacy flame that will never tire. The Federal Advocacy Forum was an experience like none other . Policy became accessible and political influence was tangible. It’s an event I plan on attending year after year, and I encourage anyone with even the slightest bit of interest to join!
OPTA | September 2019 | 27