HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PROFESSION DURING THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS This Presentation was created by Daniel Park and Emilia Dewi from USC for fieldwork students to present at their placement sites about the importance of AOTA membership.  You may change, edit, or excerpt parts for your use.

PRESENTATION OUTLINE How is AOTA relevant to our OT practice? How will AOTA play a role in the changing health care world of the 21st century? How can I contribute to the flourishing future of occupational therapy practice? The presentation gives some examples of important accomplishments and future priorities and why AOTA is so important to every practicing OT and OTA.

AOTA’S CENTENNIAL VISION STATEMENT By the year 2017… We envision that occupational therapy is a powerful, widely recognized, science-driven, and evidence-based profession with a globally connected and diverse workforce meeting society’s occupational needs. Occupational Therapy has only one organization that works on a national level on behalf of all OT pracitioners. AOTA’s vision statemtent puts in a concise format, the priorities for the organization. All of which are in direct support of Occupational Therapy.

HOW IS AOTA RELEVANT TO OUR OT PRACTICE? Advocacy Pushed back proposed Medicare reimbursement limits on outpatient OT care Successfully amended The College Opportunity and Affordability Act to include occupational therapy in the student loan repayment program Supported passage of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equity Act of 2008, to ensure equitable insurance coverage for mental health care

HOW IS AOTA RELEVANT TO OUR OT PRACTICE? Advocacy (continued) Successfully supported the Safety of Seniors Act, also known as the Keeping Seniors Safe from Falls Act of 2007 Successful opposition to eliminating the Medicaid Rehabilitation Services Option for community mental health centers AOTA is a partner of the RtI (Response to Intervention) Action Network, a program of the National Center for Learning Disabilities

HOW IS AOTA RELEVANT TO OUR OT PRACTICE? Public Awareness Occupational therapy has been historically disempowered due to ambiguity of the public’s understanding of our services and our value Therefore, we need to be widely recognized with a clear, compelling public image to promote widespread understanding of our value to society’s health & wellness. AOTA unveiled its new brand for occupational therapy:

Living Life to Its Fullest

HOW IS AOTA RELEVANT TO OUR OT PRACTICE? Public Awareness (continued) AOTA committed to promoting OT through media outlets: The New York Times: OT and TBI Time magazine: OT and Sensory Processing Disorders USA Today: OT and the use of the Nintendo Wii U.S. News and World Report: OT on Best Careers list for 2007 & 2008

HOW IS AOTA RELEVANT TO OUR OT PRACTICE? AOTA Practice Guidelines: Adults with Stroke: External review completed Children with Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders: External review in process In process: Clinical Conditions related to Worker’s Compensation Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury AOTA published Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 2nd edition to create a common language for OT’s to use and for policy makers and consumers to understand.

HOW IS AOTA RELEVANT TO OUR OT PRACTICE? Partnerships with other organizations to secure our place in meeting society’s needs AOTA’s Car-Fit project with AAA and AARP AARP’s Home Fit Guide- AOTA included occupational therapy’ s role in environmental modification National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded AOTA $150,000 to distribute mini-grants encouraging driving rehabilitation program development

HOW WILL AOTA PLAY A ROLE IN THE CHANGING HEALTH CARE WORLD OF THE 21ST CENTURY? The current economic crisis impacts: State & federal budgets Higher education Hospitals Long Term Care Facilities School systems Insurance Companies Any other organizations where OT’s work We need to invest in AOTA now as the strong voice of our profession to assure our future!

HOW WILL AOTA PLAY A ROLE IN THE CHANGING HEALTH CARE WORLD OF THE 21ST CENTURY? The economic crisis is likely to impact AOTA by: Reducing conference registrations Reducing advertising revenue Reducing conference exhibitor revenue Reducing AOTA stock portfolio revenue Now more than ever, we need to support AOTA to continue critical lobbying, public awareness, and evidence-based practice initiatives to support and defend the profession.

HOW WILL AOTA PLAY A ROLE IN THE CHANGING HEALTH CARE WORLD OF THE 21ST CENTURY? As a new President and Congress come into power & health care reform takes center stage, it is vital that we support AOTA to… Increase our lobbying efforts for continued consumer access to OT Continue our public awareness campaign to help consumers and policy makers appreciate our value

HOW CAN I CONTRIBUTE TO THE FLOURISHING FUTURE OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE? The best way to support AOTA’s efforts in protecting and expanding OT is: Membership!

Membership is the key ANTIDOTE to the threats of the financial crisis. HOW CAN I CONTRIBUTE TO THE FLOURISHING FUTURE OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE? Membership is the key ANTIDOTE to the threats of the financial crisis. Right now, there are 40,000 AOTA members out of 140,000 OT practitioners. Most OT practitioners don’t know how AOTA supports and enables their practice. Image taken from http://www.lumaxart.com

What can YOU do now to bolster AOTA, as well as your own future? HOW CAN I CONTRIBUTE TO THE FLOURISHING FUTURE OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE? What can YOU do now to bolster AOTA, as well as your own future? Be a member Spread the word & encourage others to join.

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems.” Mohandas Gandhi

THANK YOU!!