Page 32 - OPTA Access Spring 2017

Ethics Committee Report
Lisa Kohler, PT – Chair
In August of this year, the Board approved to two additional OPTA members to serve on the Ethics Committee with me I am pleased to announce that the two individuals are: Jill Dubbs and Truly Moore We met for the rst time in October during the Leadership Development Conference with two other visitors to the meeting
During that meeting, we developed our goals for 2017: 1. Increase awareness of the Ethics committee by
presenting a CEU at the OPTA annual conference 2. Involvement at the national level by contacting the
APTA
3. Investigate feasibility of a quarterly web ash on an
ethical dilemma
We all meet earlier this month for three hours to prepare for the CEU Truly has presented on Ethics multiple times and had a good base from which to build We each have a different story to tell about what interested us in Ethics I am so excited about the CEU titled “Professional Integrity to Ensure High Standards of Care” that we will be presenting on March 25 at the OPTA conference There will be times of lecture, but the great part of the CEU will be the amount of group participation based on real life ethical dilemmas! We hope to see you there to enhance the experience!
For more information, contact Lisa at: lkohler@cinci rr com Federal Affairs Liaison Report
David Wessells, PT – Liaison
In I am very excited about my new role as Federal Affairs Liaison for the state of Ohio I have served on the State Affairs Committee for the last two years after relocating to Ohio I spent the previous 10 years working throughout the country as a traveling therapist
and eventually settling in Tucson,
Arizona before returning to Columbus
in 2013 I’ve been fortunate to work
in diverse settings from acute care to rehab, home care, and outpatient with patients ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics A common theme that I have witnessed is the profound impact physical therapists can have on returning patients to their highest functional level PT is a cost-effective treatment with proven results with a growing body of evidence supporting
its ef cacy. As governments at the state and federal level focus on the costs of healthcare and problems like the opioid epidemic, we as physical therapists must have a place at the table advocating for the unique skill set that we bring, which can improve lives while reducing health care costs I have
spent time with my state and federal legislators discussing policy issues that affect their constituents, educating them
on what we do as physical therapists, and inviting them to site visits to witness the impact PTs can have I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as Federal Affairs liaison and am committed to ongoing advocacy for our profession because
I believe it is one of a shrinking number of bipartisan issues that can gain traction in a polarized electoral climate PTs are positioned to thrive in the changing healthcare environment due to our ability to deliver improved health and quality of
life while decreasing health care costs Please join me in becoming active in advocacy for our profession I am here to support you in any way I can
For more information, contact David at:
davidwessells@hotmail com
Membership Committee Report
Christine Saltsman, PT – Chair
The OPTA Membership Committee wishes to thank all our leaders, members, OPTA staff and all those involved in making 2016 a great year! We were very busy To mention a
few accomplishments, the committee
was successful in increasing
participation of new graduates by
engaging therapists through social
medial platforms, through the new
OPTA membership rack cards, membership videos and by effectively communicating the advantages of our Career Starter Dues program The committee also launched the ‘About to Renew’ membership call campaign, giving members better opportunity to make personal contact with our members on a district level In doing this, we are able to gain more feedback from our members on the key drivers of engagement in the OPTA and offer a simpli ed message of the bene ts of OPTA membership The Membership Committee also focused on connections with the therapy schools to help support students as they transitioned into the professional roles And of course, the committee was integral in supporting the OPTA leadership events throughout the year
We are very excited for another busy and successful 2017 We are making plans to expand our recruitment efforts to increase membership by at least 10 percent and increase our communications with our new and renewing members We have set goals to further strengthen our relationships with Physical Therapy and Physical Therapy Assistant programs and are challenged to nd unique ways to educate therapists on the tangible and intangible bene ts of an OPTA membership Additionally, we are exploring the development of mentorship models and focused on SIG growth The membership committee looks forward to an eventful year
of growth and opportunities Feel free to contact us to get involved or provide feedback
For more information, contact Christine Saltsman at:
csaltsman@mccarthyrehab com
32 | March 2017 | OPTA
Committee and SIG Reports