Marybeth Wilson

The Montana delegation to the APTA House of Delegates (HOD) enjoyed a busy and productive 2019 session this June in Chicago, Illinois. We were fortunate to enjoy good weather and plentiful deep dish pizza. Collectively the HOD heard 40 motions and completed elections for national office. Here is a summary of this year’s session:

Elections:

Kip Schick was elected secretary.

Kyle Covington was elected vice speaker of the House of Delegates.

Deirdre “Dee” Daley, Heather Jennings, and Carmen Cooper-Oguz were elected directors.

Carole “Carrie” Cunningham, and V. Kai Kennedy were elected to the Nominating Committee.

Summary of motions heard before the HOD:

RC 9-19 Amend: Opposition to Physician Ownership of Physical Therapy Services: passed. This amendment updated an existing APTA position statement that speaks to the Association’s opposition to physician owned physical therapy services. The amendment cited the latest evidence that demonstrates the negative consequences of physician owned physical therapist practices.

RC’s 21-27 all passed. Collectively, these motions strengthened the Association’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the profession and across society

RC 29-19 Amend: Guiding Principles to Achieve the Vision: passed. This amendment provides a formal definition to the movement system. That definition is as follows, “The movement system is the integration of body systems that generate and maintain movement at all levels of bodily function. Human movement is a complex behavior within a specific context, and is influenced by social, environmental, and personal factors.”

RC 32-19 Amend: Core Values for the Physical Therapist: passed. Previous to this motion, there were separate core values defined for the PT and the PTA. This motion combined those core values and ensured they were appropriately aligned. The core values are: accountability, altruism, collaboration, compassion and caring, duty, excellence, integrity, and social responsibility.

RC 56-19: Adopt: Position on Public health Crisis of Firearms-Related Injuries and Deaths in the United States: passed. A position statement that the APTA supports public health policies and studies that advance a public health approach to reduce and prevent firearms-related injuries and deaths.

RC 58-19: Charge: To Optimize Accessibility of Consumer-Based Communications Provided by the APTA: passed. This charge asks, “that the APTA develop and implement a plan to ensue consumer focused communications disseminated by the APTA are congruent with current health literacy standards.”

RC 62-19: Adopt: Naloxone Availability Where Physical Therapist Services are Provided: passed. A position statement that states the APTA supports Naloxone availability and its use by therapists to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

RC 65-19: Charge: Eligibility to Participate in Medicare’s “Annual Wellness Visits” and “Initial Preventative Physical Examination”: passed. This motion asks the APTA to report back to the 2020 HOD regarding the possible impact and implications of seeking eligibility for PT’s to participate in Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visits and Initial Preventative Physical Examination.

RC 69-19 Adopt: Wound Management Physical Therapy as an Area of Specialization: passed. Adds Wound Management as a clinical specialization area similar to those that already exist for orthopedics, women’s health, pediatrics, etc.

Representing Montana during the 2019 HOD would not have been possible without my co-delegates, Adena Carter and Joseph Parker, and Lori Graybill our PTA caucus representative. This fall sees the end of my term as chief delegate and it has been my pleasure to serve the MAPTA membership. As always, please contact us with any questions you may have.

Marybeth Wilson marywilsonbeth@gmail.com

Adena Carter kukikiwi@yahoo.com

Joseph Parker josepheparker56@gmail.com

Lori Graybill lorigraybill@gmail.com