Fall Conference Will Be Here Soon – Here are Some Exciting Details. . .
Our annual fall conference will be here before you know it. It is scheduled for September 11th through 13th at the new Phoenix West in Orange Beach, Alabama. Follow the link for some incredible pictures of the facility! Wow!

We are still working out the details, but the line up of speakers is shaping up to be fantastic. We hope to have a preliminary brochure out within the next couple of weeks, so make sure you check back, and help spread the word. In the meantime, here are some teasers to keep you intrigued . . .

We still need to work out some of the logistics on this one, but it looks quite probable that we are going to be able to offer a pre-conference institute this year. Chris Eidson from UAB and Genia Herbst from Shepherd Center in Atlanta were chosen as 1 of 15 teams nationally to be the first to provide training for AOTA’s Fieldwork Educator Certificate. We can say with almost complete certainty that this training will be an offering provided in conjunction with ALOTA at some point in the future, but we are trying to work out the details to have this training as part of our fall conference!

We are also working on securing multiple speakers of national repute. This takes a great deal of resources and planning to do, and as our education events continue to be well attended, we are going to continue to work hard to make each one better than the last! We have taken your feedback from previous conferences and district meetings and are trying to secure the speakers you want, to speak on the topics you most want to hear about.

And let’s not forget awards and recognitions! This is one of the most important things we do to give back to our profession, and will be a more prominent part of the fall conference than has been in the past. Take the time to nominate someone you know who does good work. Applications must be received by August 21st. You can download the form by clicking here, or you can send an email to our Recognitions Chair, Tracy O’Connor by clicking here.

The ALOTA Student Scholarship is also awarded at fall conference. If you are an OT or OTA student in Alabama, you absolutely should apply. You can’t win if you don’t try. Download the form by clicking here. Applicaions are due on August 21st for this as well.

Legislative Update - the Final Word for 2009 Session
The Alabama Legislature adjourned the 2009 Regular Session on Friday, May 15, 2009. The AT bill never made it out of committee in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. The House Health Committee never brought the bill up for a public hearing and the Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee never voted on the bill following up on the public hearing. You did an incredible job of making calls and in the end that was a critical factor in helping the committee chairmen and members understand that this was a very contentious issue, and one that has potential to harm healthcare consumers in Alabama. While this was certainly the most high profile thing ALOTA worked on this legislative session, it was not the only thing.

In addition to lobbying efforts and speaking at the Senate Committee against SB 486 (the AT Bill), ALOTA also actively lobbied and attended a committee meeting in support of the HB74, a bill creating the Alabama Interagency Autism Coordinating Council, and HB 615, a bill creating regional autism centers throughout the state. Both of these bills were enacted into law.

All in all, this was a good session for ALOTA, and that is thanks in large part to you and your phone calls and emails. Jay Murrill, our lobbyist from the Perkins Group, will be at the fall conference for his annual debriefing and to comment on the upcoming legislative session. Hope to see you there too.

AOTA Representative Assembly Summary from Beth Barstow
Click here to read the summary from your Alabama RA member, Beth Barstow

Calling All Occupational Therapy Practitioners!
BlueCross BlueShield is currently not reimbursing for many services provided by occupational therapy practitioners. Our reimbursement chair, Stephanie Wadsworth, is working hard to get this changed. If you have provided services or had the opportunity to provide services to a client, but the services were not reimbursed, please click here to submit your story. Make sure you include what the service/treatment was, why it is occupational therapy specific, and why another healthcare professional could not provide the same quality or type of service/treatment.

ALOTA Is On Facebook!
There is now an ALOTA group on Facebook. Search ALOTA or click here and request to join! This is a great way to keep in touch with your colleagues and share information. AOTA has also recently rolled out a social networking site called OT Connections. Check it out by clicking here.

New Initiative with Restore Therapy Services
We are thrilled to announce a new membership initiative with Restore Therapy Services. Restore is now offering annual memberships in ALOTA to all of their occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants as a free employment benefit. This groundbreaking agreement was negotiated by ALOTA President Valley McCurry and Restore’s Executive Officers, and is a win-win arrangement for both organizations! Arrangements such as these have the potential to significantly boost our membership numbers, which will allow us to continue to expand our lobbying and advocacy efforts, and our low-cost continuing education offerings. Modeled after a recent initiative of AOTA, we are seeking new relationships with corporations as part of our strategic plan. Interested in seeing something like this happen at your place of employment? Click here to send us an email, and we will follow up from there.

Interested in Getting Involved with ALOTA?
All it takes is a willingness to get involved. We will show you the rest. We have opportunities that would likely be a good fit for you regardless of your area of interest. Click here to drop us a note.