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Welcome to the Start of a New and Exciting Decade!
With the end of the previous decade it is good to reflect on the past accomplishments
and future goals of both ArizOTA and our own professions. ArizOTA will continue
to serve you by providing networking opportunities and professional support.
On this website you will find important information about upcoming events and
ways to get involved. Items such as Special Interest Section (SIS) meetings,
Continuing Education Opportunities, Fall Conference, Mentor Connection, Job
Postings, and Board Meetings are updated frequently.
I encourage you to get
involved with ArizOTA. If you have never attended an ArizOTA Board Meeting,
been a member of committee, or participated in a SIS group, there is no time
like 2010 to join! A special thanks to all who give your time, energy and dedication
to ArizOTA. If you have ever considered becoming an ArizOTA board member, now
is your opportunity. The position of Vice-President is currently open and we
are currently accepting nominations for the following positions which will begin
July 1, 2010: President Elect, Treasurer Elect, Vice President, Secretary, 3
Year Board Member, 1 Year Board Member, and COTA Liaison.
Remember there is
no time like 2010 let this be your year for leadership and involvement!
SAVE THE DATE!
The 2010 Arizona Occupational Therapy Association Fall Conference will be
held at the Black Canyon Conference Center in Phoenix on Friday, September 10th
and Saturday, September 11th, 2010. The 2010 Call for Papers is open and can
be accessed under the Conference tab at the top of this website.
Once again, thank you for your wonderful support. Have a great 2010!
Kendra Bauman
ArizOTA President
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The following letter was written by AOTA President, Penny Moyers Cleveland,
which promotes the value and importance of membership in both AOTA and ArizOTA.
"Change" has been the key word for our profession, and our society,
in 2009. It has produced powerful grassroots advocacy from AOTA and the state associations. Change is
not over. Much lies ahead in 2010 and we will stay on the front lines for you. The advocacy
of our professional associations is crucial. It has a direct impact on your
daily life, your daily practice, and your ability to make a good living as an
occupational therapy practitioner. It is about your job, your ethics, the best
use of your knowledge and living occupational therapy to its fullest.
Without AOTA:
- Occupational therapy would not be recognized by public and private insurance
programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, IDEA, workers' compensation, and TRICARE.
- 500 occupational therapists, assistants, and students would not have brought
the message of occupational therapy as part of the solution to health care
to Capitol Hill this past fall.
- Proposals to expand occupational therapy's role in home health would not
have been brought forward.
- Patient protections and training programs would not include occupational
therapy.
- Key occupational therapy areas of practice, like orthotics, could have been
decimated.
Without state associations:
- The occupational therapy profession would not be regulated in all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Most states have licensure laws.
- Other professions could restrict occupational therapy's scope of practice.
Licensure laws assert and protect our scope of practice.
- New autism insurance coverage laws might not include occupational therapy
services.
- Cuts to Medicaid funding for school-based services and other community services
would go unchallenged.
- State health care programs might not include occupational therapy.
It is important for you to be a part of both AOTA and ArizOTA.
Being a member of both associations provides you with career protection, provides
you with a voice, and protects what you value most - the identity and authenticity
of occupational therapy and its ability to meet society's needs. Not joining
leaves the work undone, the challenges unmet, and the profession disadvantaged.
In this time when state budgets are being prepared with significant cuts to
services, when the federal government may be implementing an entire new approach
to health care reform, when many other professions are willing to say they do
what occupational therapy does, none of us can afford to be bystanders. Make
sure your voice is heard. Make sure your profession is preserved for the future.
Make sure your livelihood continues to support you and your family. If you are
not a member of both AOTA and ArizOTA, it is never too late to join. Don't stay
on the sidelines. The challenges and struggles will continue. Occupational therapy's
success depends on your participation.
Say yes. Be involved. Make a difference. Thank you
for your support.
Your National and State Leaders,
Penelope Moyers Cleveland, EdD, OTR/L, BCMH, FAOTA, AOTA President
Florence Clark, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, AOTA President-Elect
Kendra Bauman, OTR/L ArizOTA President
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With the hope of enhancing global connections amongst Occupational Therapist's I have recently created a new OT forum, available now at:
www.occupationaltherapyforum.com
The forum is aimed at improving connections and continuity of practice of OT's across the globe, providing a location where OT's can share and request information.
--Janelle in Australia |
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Brown Mackie College would like to announce our new Occupational Therapy Assistant Program!
We are located at 13430 N. Black Canyon Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85029
The college is looking for OT's and COTA's to accept students for Field Work Sites beginning November, 2010. We would also welcome people who would like to sit on our Advisory Board, which meets 2 times a year. The first meeting is February 10th, 6:30 p.m. at the College.
Please contact :
Dawn Klodzinski COTA/L, B.S.
OTA Site Coordinator
Brown Mackie College
dklodzinski@brownmackiecollege.edu
480-375-2364 |
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Florence Clark, PhD, OTR/L, AOTA President-Elect opened up the ArizOTA 2009 Fall Conference on Friday, September 11, 2009 with her presentation: “Evidence or Confidence-Based Practice.” With her humor and energy, Dr. Clark challenged our practitioners to be “leaders of change.” We were blessed to have many excellent speakers, the weather was wonderful and the food was great! Thanks again for the support of the conference committee members, attendees, speakers, and board members. |
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ARIZONA OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION
Legislative Report
9/10/09
The 2009 Arizona Legislature adjourned its regular session on July 1, and sent its budget package to Governor Brewer. She promptly vetoed most of the budget bills, and applied line-item vetoes to a significant part of the general appropriations bill. She then called the Legislature into special session beginning July 6.
The special session ran for almost two months, with the Legislature sending Governor Brewer another budget package (very close to identical to the first one) in late August, and then adjourning at the end of August. Governor Brewer was allowed until September 5 to act on the budget package, and she signed some of it and vetoed some. The overall effect of all of this activity is that the state budget is still about $1 billion in the red, and the Governor could not get the Legislature to refer to the ballot her request for a temporary increase in the state sales tax.
For occupational therapy practitioners, the current situation, although untenable for the long term, is at least better than it could have been. The Governor’s vetoes have protected much of the budgets for K-12 education, DES and DHS for the time being. The industrial injury system should continue to function without significant change. And federal stimulus funds are being used to shore up gaps in AHCCCS, education and health care. The one negative impact is that on October 1 AHCCCS will implement an across-the-board 5% reduction.
For bills enacted in the regular session, the effective date is generally September 30, 2009. The Legislature enacted far fewer bills than normal, and there were only a couple of bills with significance for health care. The emergency room burden of proof bill (clear and convincing evidence) was finally passed and signed after several years of effort. Two bills were enacted allowing individuals and small businesses to purchase health insurance policies that are exempt from the standard mandatory coverage requirements. And the Legislature referred to the 2010 ballot a constitutional measure that protects health care choice, although with different language than the initiative that failed in 2008.
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