REPORT TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE



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annual report

|BOARD POSITION/COMMITTEE POSITION: Federal Affairs Liaison |

|NAME: Blair Frye, PT |DATE: 10.11.19 |

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|List the status of all current GOALS/STRATEGIES relating to your position: |

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|GOAL & STRATEGY # |ACTION TAKEN |

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INCLUDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOT RELATED TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN HERE

1. As FAL this year, it was a privilege to share in the PT Day at the Statehouse. I believe my years of learning to network with legislators at the federal level allowed me greater communication skills when talking with a number of state legislators regarding the need to update our practice act and clarify what therapists can actually do for the people of Indiana.

2. I attended monthly FAL conference calls with APTA's new coordinator, Laura Keivel.

3. This year has seen a particular focus on the coming changes from CMS for 2020 and targeting legislators who sit on various committees to attend clinic site meetings, town halls, and one-on-one meetings.

4. Rep. Hollingsworth actually reached out to APTA to see if he could visit a clinic when back in the state, and at the end of August, several therapists (Nate Nevin, Belinda Hays, Ron Cram and several others) were able to meet with him and share some of the workings and needs of therapists and our patients.

5. This year, during the Federal Advocacy Forum (FAF), Indiana was able to sponsor 5 students to attend and give them the experience of walking the halls of Congress and meeting with legislators and their staff as we advocated on improving access to PT for rural patients, adding PTs to the National Health Service Corps, Telehealth, and more! It is always exciting to see our students who may feel apprehensive about taking part, open up and by the end of the day be more assertive and outspoken when it comes to our profession. It allows me to see the future leaders of our state association in early action.

6. In addition to the above, I was personally able to meet with Rep. Susan Brooks (5th district) several times throughout the year and continue our ongoing relationship with her healthcare committee and needs for rehab information. Unfortunately, she has announced she will retire from Congress at the end of 2020, so this is a prime time to start looking at those who are running for her seat and start those communication opportunities now to lay the ground work for support from the new representative from District 5.

7. Thank you for your continued support of the student program and I hope you all feel encouraged when you see how the chance to attend FAF affects these students. Enjoy their reflections below.

FAF was one of the highlights of my PTA education. I had no idea what to expect going into it, and came away learning more than I could have imagined. The two days leading up to the actual “advocating” showed me why my APTA membership is so vital. I had no idea the work it took to protect and push forward our profession. The day of visiting our legislatures was very out of my comfort zone but not nearly as scary as I had imagined and helped show me two things; 1. I need to be a more active participate in my local elections and 2. These people WANT to hear from us and it’s important to be talking to them often. 

This trip was an invaluable part of my education, has motivated me to be an active advocate for the PT profession, and is something that I wish was possible for ALL students to experience. I appreciated the opportunity and have found a new passion within the world of physical therapy. Thank you IN-APTA! ----- Danielle Owens (Uindy)

I attended the APTA Federal Advocacy Forum in Washington D.C. during March 31st through April 2nd. This was a fantastic opportunity that was given to me and four other students through the Indiana chapter of the APTA. They selected the students based on essays that were submitted. I was very honored to be able to attend this event and witness how our profession advocates for themselves and the patients they serve. I gained valuable knowledge that I will take with me far into my profession.

The events of the weekend included presentations and speakers, such as a CNN political Analyst, the senior policy correspondent for , and various members of the APTA staff. The CNN analyst provided us with political information and insight as to what might occur during the next upcoming elections; the correspondent gave a presentation on the cost of healthcare and how the United States might make changes in the future as to how healthcare system is managed in regard to insurance coverage. The APTA staff gave us information about what we will be doing in Capital Hill when we head out to advocate, but they also gave us information as to what the pressing issues are for the physical therapy profession. On Monday we were given choices on break out session that we could attend. There was one specifically for all the students that were attendance. The presenters were students and a recent graduate that gave a presentation on how to stay active in advocacy for the profession and how to start now as students. The other break out session I attended was about how to turn a 15-minute meeting with a Congressmember into a long-term relationship. This was an eye-opening presentation due to the statistics they gave about how the public views members of congress and then how the members of congress feel about knowing what their constituents want and need. This was very helpful when we went to Capitol Hill to meet with members.

When we got to Capitol Hill, we were able to meet with Senator Todd Young and his staff during a coffee with the Senator event at the Senate building. His healthcare liaison spoke with us more in depth about what we were advocating for, and she just recently had to have PT for her Achilles. She thanked us for the services that we provided. We also had meeting scheduled with staff members of Representatives Hollingsworth, Brooks, Carson, and Baird. I was surprised at how receptive everyone was to us and what we were presenting about physical therapy. The other representatives that we were not able to obtain appointments with still dropped of a folder of information and asked for the information for the individual that was over the healthcare board for that representative so that our Federal Affairs Liaison, Blair Frye, could follow up with them. The topics that the APTA was advocating for this year was to get physical therapy as one of the prime non-pharmacologic alternatives to help fight the opioid crisis; including physical therapy in the National Health Services Corporation, so that we would have an opportunity to get tuition reimbursement for agreeing to serve in rural and urban areas that don’t have direct access to healthcare, which would in turn help the opioid crisis; and also getting physical therapy into community centers of under serves areas so they would have access to our services, which again would also help with the opioid crisis since those areas tend to be hit the hardest with the drug use. There were no direct bills that we were referencing, but there were/are some in the works in regard to these topics.

This is an experience that I will not forget. As a student it is easy to just focus on the skills that we need to learn to treat our patients, and not think about other issues that could hinder our ability to treat these patients. Being in attendance of the Federal Advocacy Forum has provided me insight about the APTA does for the profession and how important our memberships are to help them be able to continue to advocate for us and our patients long after the Forum is over. I highly recommend that other students try to attend this if they are presented with the opportunity again, and even when we are out working in the field. If our patient population has issues that need addressed, we need to advocate for them and ourselves to be able to serve them the best way possible. There are no better people to advocate for physical therapy then the ones that work in the field and see first had the obstacles that are placed in front of us. – Alicia Hood

The Federal Advocacy Forum was an amazing experience for me for several reasons. First, it was great to see so many physical therapy clinicians and students in one room, all focused on the same cause - advocating for the needs of our patients. It was a great reminder of why I chose this profession; PT's have a unique skill set that when utilized properly, can help millions of people live better lives. And that is why we have to engage in the political arena, so that the people with the power see the value in what we do. Second, it was eye-opening for me to realize the accessibility of our federal representatives. This fact was especially made clear to me during Brad Fitch's breakout session entitled "How to Turn a 15-Minute Meeting with a Congress member Into a Long-Term Relationship​". Mr. Fitch claimed - and supported with evidence - that it can take as few as 10 communications (i.e. social media posts, emails, etc...) to a representative to get him or her to pay attention to an issue. This claim poked sizable holes in my previous theory that our representatives were unreachable and did not want to hear from "average people" like me. Simply put, they want to hear from us because they work for us. Finally, I left Washington, D.C. feeling empowered and hopeful. I am normally the type of person who avoids watching the news because I do not want to see the negative and depressing stories they feature; it is hard in today's climate not to feel cynical and fearful about the future. Witnessing the passion put forth by so many people for the benefit of society as a whole was inspiring. I learned that I can make a great impact on my community; I just have to put in the work. And now I feel ready to do that.  --- Allie Kemp (IU)

The Federal Advocacy Forum has been one of my favorite experiences in PT school and one that will shape the rest of my career. I am very grateful to the INAPTA for the opportunity to attend as a student. I learned so much in the sessions about speaking to Congress, representing our profession to elected officials and the general public, and advocating for our patients. I learned that Congress wants to hear from us, not just because we are constituents, but because we have unique expertise that is vital to the United States’ healthcare system. I had the opportunity to meet members of Congress and start relationships that I will develop throughout my career. I learned how to maintain these relationships, serve as a key contact in my state, utilize the APTA Action App, and the importance of the PAC.

The most impactful lesson I learned is that if I do not actively engage in federal advocacy as a student and future clinician, who else will advocate for my profession and patients? It takes all of us speaking to members of Congress to create the greatest impact on the healthcare system and US in general. Congress has to make very important decisions about healthcare for the public and if we do not educate them about Physical Therapy, our patients may miss out on potential benefits. I look forward to sharing this information with my classmates and encouraging other students to take advantage of this opportunity to attend the FAF through the INAPTA. Thank you so much! – Claire Albert (IU)

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