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We are only three weeks away from our 58
th
State Convention. I am looking forward to seeing all of you who signed up for continuing education and the opportunity to renew old acquaintances and make new ones. Meredith Jerome and Sheri Rohrbach both have put in a great deal of time and energy to make sure that our conference is a successful one. Janene Sun, our
1st
Vice President and Communications Chair, has also done a great job getting the Constant Contact updates out to everyone. I would like to take this time to thank all three of these women for their hard work and dedication to our Chapter.
As your are aware, the elections for new officers started on March 13, 2017, to elect a Director (formerly known as
1st
Vice President), Financial Advisor (formerly known as Treasurer), and two Delegates, all for two year terms. Also, three positions are open for alternate delegates, for one year terms. I sincerely hope that you as a member have taken the time to vote on these positions. The voting will end tonight on March 23, 2017. We will know the results by the time we attend the conference.
As mentioned in my last letter, AMTA National is working to streamline many concerns involving Chapters. This work will enable Chapters to work more efficiently and focus more on members concerns instead of operational ones. Since our members work hard in their own businesses, it leaves little time for volunteer opportunities. By making tasks as officers less cumbersome, this will enable members to volunteer and enjoy the experience of volunteering.
Our National office recently made more changes that will impact how we operate. Already we have made the change to a five member board. The office of President, Secretary, Financial Advisor, and two Directors will be the future composition of the board state wide. Each state will have only one Chapter. (Some states have had units which have been confusing for many. Currently only three states still have units.)
Our Chapter was one of a few who had National prepare our budget for us. In the future, they plan on doing this for every chapter. Many hours are spent on each committee determining how much is needed to operate on a yearly basis. The National office used our Chapter history of finances and created the budget for us to review. It cut the time of budget meetings in half and was less stressful on the board.
Finally the issue of updating our By-Laws and Standing Rules will be handled by the National office. All states will have the same By-Laws and Standing Rules which will make it easier for us to adopt and accept future changes without all the hassle of re-writing them. All of these changes are being made in the hopes of making volunteering a more enjoyable experience and taking the stress of tasks away from the process.
Janene has provided a link to read the proposed changes for the House of Delegates as well as the Chapters. If you have any questions, or concerns please feel free to contact me either by email or phone. Our purpose as board members is to answer questions and provide support and feedback to our members. This is your Chapter. You are the ones who make it successful.
As always, I want to thank all of you for allowing me to serve you and if ever there is anything I can do to help feel free to contact me.
Respectfully:
Kimberly White
President, AMTA
Missouri Chapter
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| amta MO Chapter Officer List |
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President
Kim White
163 Apache Dr.
Pacific,MO 63069
636 346-4882
First Vice President
Communications Chair
Delegate
Janene Sun
6211 S. Ridgewood Rd.
Columbia, MO 65203
573 999-0451
Second Vice President
Sheri Rohrbach
405 North Oak Street
California, MO 65018
573-375-3639
Third Vice President
Delegate
Membership Chair
Dee Featherstone
636-352-5187
Treasurer
Donna Abney
302 W. El Cortez
Columbia, MO 65203
(573) 819-7702
[email protected]
Secretary
Member at Large
Delegate
Amy Lane
1035 Lakeshore Dr.
Desoto MO 63020
[email protected]
Education Chair
Meredith K. Jerome
7601 Mitchell Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63117
314 409-4867
Law and Legislation Chair
Esteban Ruvalcaba
2718 Forum Blvd Ste 4B
Columbia, MO 65203
573-442-6628
[email protected]
Immediate Past President
Leslie Kiernan
7537 Santa Fe Dr
Overland Park, KS 66204
816-678-4965
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April 7-8, 2017
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Our AMTA MO chapter's 58
th
annual Spring convention is less than 3 weeks away! It will be held in Springfield, Missouri at the Doubletree Hotel.
We have the privilege of offering two classes to choose from.
Jason Erickson
will be teaching about Pain Science.
Give Them Hope: Working with People in Pain
(12 CE hrs)
This course discusses important concepts from pain science to help massage therapists understand the neurology of pain and how to use that knowledge in practice. Discussion and applications include client education, positioning, massage, and movement methods. This class looks at the nervous system and how it interrelates with the rest of the body, providing a framework of understanding that may enhance all forms of massage, bodywork, and therapeutic movement. Participants gain an enhanced understanding of how to use what they already know, plus some new skills, to help people in pain. Class time alternates between lecture and hands-on/movement practice.
Mitch Hauschildt
with Rock Tape will be teaching two different courses for a total of 12 CE hrs.
Fascial Movement Techniques Basic Certification
(8 CE hrs)
This course introduces the concept of movement therapy and enhancement via functional taping methods. It includes a review of the current literature supporting the theory of kinesiology taping for the purposes of rehabilitation, edema/swelling management, neuropathic pain, scar mobility and postural management. FMT Basic is an evidence-informed kinesiology taping course that redefines our understanding of the effects of elastic therapeutic taping on pain mitigation, circulation and proprioception. FMT Basic lays the groundwork for a practical framework of 'taping movement, not muscles' to replace an outdated model focused on directional taping to activate or inhibit muscle
IASTM Redefined: Basic, gentle soft tissue techniques for your patient care
(4 hrs)
The concept of movement therapy an performance enhancement via Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) will be introduced. The tools may be hard- edged, but the techniques don't need to be aggressive to deliver superior patient out- comes. A review of dysfunctional movement screening patterns and the utilization of soft tissue t
ools to improve patient
Our conventions are more then just a place to get your CE's. We offer networking, vendors and a way to stay connected to the massage profession.
I have heard from many massage therapists that have attended our conventions over the years how much they loved the entire weekend and it helped them get inspired. Our chapter board members are committed to bringing our members great education and a time to remember. So there's still time to register! We do this for you and hope you will take advantage of this special weekend.
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Price
$150 (AMTA Members)
or $210 (non members)
314-409-4967.
I look forward to seeing you in April.
Meredith Jerome
Education Chair
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Schedule for the Weekend
Thursday April 6, 2017
BOD meeting
5pm at Houlihans (part of DoubleTree)
Friday April 7,2017
10:00am-12:00pm Registration and vendors
12:00pm-6:00pm class
3:00pm break- with some appetizers
Saturday April 8, 2017
7:00am-8:30am Breakfast and vendors (Included with registration)
8:30am-11:30am Class
11:45-2:00 Annual Chapter meeting and Lunch. With vendors (Included with registration)
2:30-5:30 Class
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Vendors!
These are the vendors you will see at our convention in 3 weeks!
*Spring Vally T-Shirts
*Jordan's Essentials
*Mother Earth
*Signature Home
*Party Lite
*Doterra Oils
And 2-3 jewelry artist
***Check it out!
One lucky attendee is going home with this brand new NRG Massage Chair. What's the catch?
You have to be present to win.
Don't forget to bring business cards. This is a good networking opportunity. Bring cards and make notes on the back of those cards as you collect them so you remember who gave it to you. I get phone calls every week asking if I know a massage therapist in every corner of our state. It is my pleasure to share your contact information with them.
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Janene Sun
1st VP,
Communications Chair, Delegate
There are no position statements to be discussed at the House of Delegates this year. However, there are 3 Bylaw recommendations for the HOD to look at. If passed, these recommendations will be directed to the National Board of Directors for their consideration.
If you would like to peruse these recommendations, please follow this link to the national AMTA's website:
Bylaw Recommendations Information
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Donna Abney
Treasurer
Here is a link to our proposed budget for 2017-18.
We will be discussing this at our Annual Business meeting on Saturday, April 8 at noon in the DoubleTree.
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Esteban Ruvalcaba
Law and Legislation Chair
There is a new bill in the legislature that we are watching. It is Senate Bill 372 (SB372). If passed and signed, SB372 would revise current law and place several health care professions, including massage therapy and acupuncture, under the control of the state Chiropractic Board. By simply redefining the meaning of "Board", the bill would eliminate the current
board, "The Missouri State Board of Therapeutic Massage."
I see no provision for an advisory committee for therapeutic massage. This means that massage therapists would no longer be involved in the regulation of their profession. This is obviously a problem. When we first proposed the current law, the Chiropractic Board tried to have massage therapy incorporated under that Board. Part of the reasoning was to limit LMTs' ability to work independently. We would only be able to work on individuals (patients) with prescriptions from chiropractors, much as physical therapists can only work on patients with prescriptions from MDs.
The question is, "How likely is SB372 to pass and be signed into law?" To answer this question requires a little bit of history. For the last several years, conservative members of the Missouri House and Senate have been trying to eliminate or reduce the number of licensing boards and professions in Missouri. Two such bills emerged two years ago.
One bill would have allowed unlicensed individuals to practice eleven different licensed professions (including massage therapy, esthetics, and embalming), as long as they didn't claim to be licensed. The same year a different bill would have eventually eliminated all licensing boards by making it virtually impossible for them to pass new regulations (including changing their fee structure). The latter bill was sponsored by the powerful chairman of the House Committee on Professional Licensure. The first bill got nowhere.
The second bill made it out of committee, but then died in the fiscal committee.
Last year a senator introduced a bill that would have required insurance to pay for massage therapy for any patient diagnosed with fibromyalgia. That bill was assigned to a committee, but never received a hearing. Most bills never make it out of their first committee and only a very small number of bills are ever passed and signed into law.
SB372 has not been scheduled for a hearing, and may never receive a hearing. If it does, I will present testimony.
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In other L&L news:
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| Our lobbyist Jerry Ford |
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Lobbyists are negatively stereotyped in most people's minds. It is easy to lose any sense of their individuality or humanity. The Missouri Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTAMO) retains a lobbyist to represent the association's and the profession's interests in the legislature.
Our lobbyist, Jerry Ford, has been an effective voice for us for more than ten years. Twice we have lobbied successfully to improve the law. Lately we have been fighting to stop mischief that would undermine the law. (For example, two years ago and three years ago bills were introduced that would have allowed unlicensed individuals to practice massage as long as they did not advertise themselves as being licensed.)
In addition to representing our interests, Jerry is an accomplished artist. Seven years ago Jerry published a collection of stories set in the Missouri "Bootheel,"
The Gordonville Grove: Stories of Tombstones, Tambourines & Tammany Hall. (An autographed copy of this book will be awarded as a door prize at the state convention in Springfield.)
On February 8
th, in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda in Jefferson City, Jerry was honored by the Missouri Arts Council (MAC). The MAC celebrates individuals and organizations that make "profound and lasting contributions to the cultural and artistic climate of the state." Jerry was honored as this year's "Individual Artist." It recognizes his work as a jazz trumpeter and band leader. He is the first "Bootheel" resident so honored.
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