Page 5 - OPTA Access September 2017 Volume 45, Issue 2

A Note from the Executive Director
Victoria Gresh, CAE
Just Imagine More
As I re ect on the very hectic past six months, the most common discussion point in association management comes to mind: the non-member Though also referred to as “potential members,” for the sake of this editorial, they are non- members who, by all accounts, never think of or thought about joining OPTA.
OPTA members. We had to ght this off not only late last year, but three times this spring when the Governor’s version was re-considered in both the House and Senate This victory was only possible because OPTA members, through Calls-to-Action, mobilized and blitzed the legislative chambers with opposition emails and phone calls Now just imagine for a moment if
we had twice as many members as we have now, and 7,200 members mobilized in the early stages We have heard from legislators that OPTA members were in the “top 3” most vocal organizations during the budget process What if we were number one? It’s possible—but only if physical therapists who sit on the sidelines take that step to join their professional organization and embrace their responsibility to advocate
for the profession as a whole
OPTA has the ability to get these results because of
membership dues Our dues-paying members enable us
to advocate for and, in some cases, protect the profession Imagine for a moment if we hadn’t been there—someone outside the physical therapy profession would be making decisions that directly impact your licensure and your ability to make a living in the state of Ohio.
So next time you hear a PT ask, “Why should I be a member?” you can remind them that it’s not only about conferences, cool websites, webinars and CEs—it’s about advancing and protecting the profession Our fabulous dues- paying members are at the core of everything we do for the profession When we bring our “potential members” into the fold, we can continue our effort to provide the driving force for advancing physical therapy practice
Check out our latest podcast on Calls-to-Action at OhioPT org > Advocacy > Call to Action
For more information, contact Victoria at:
vgresh@ohiopt org
And why should they? Non- members bene t from anything and everything the OPTA
achieves on a local, state or national level because we advocate for the profession as a whole—not only OPTA members This has been a source of debate and angst among my colleagues my entire career in association management What I say to the many physical therapists who are not currently members of OPTA is this: just imagine how much more we could accomplish if you, and others who think like you, joined our organization. Just imagine how much more
we could advance the physical therapy profession through our advocacy efforts if you were with us And just imagine how much more brand awareness we could bring to savvy consumers in an increasingly-competitive healthcare market if we had a larger market share to communicate our message.
For the past eight months, OPTA has been waging a battle at the statehouse to oppose licensure board consolidation
You may recall that the Governor’s proposal, HB 49, merged the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainer’s (OTPTAT) Board with the Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics (OOP) Board into a new Physical Health Service Board and guaranteed physical therapists only one seat on their own regulatory board Non-member PTs may or may not have known about this proposal, but it was OPTA members, lobbyists and staff who combined to stop an incredibly harmful proposal that would have affected ALL PTs in Ohio, not just
#ChoosePT: Evidence for Physical Therapy Pain Management Without Opioids
October 20, 2017 | Columbus, Ohio
OPTA | September 2017 | 5
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