A favor on Friday!

Hello Friends & Colleagues!

Its Friday and I am sure you are very focused on this evening or weekends game.  I hope you’ve heard about the good news from the recent PATS Eblast - Our Licensure bill was granted first consideration in senate committee!

I am asking you to dedicate just 5-10 minutes of your Monday schedule to call a PA state senator and urge them to support SB 957 & 967 you will not believe how easy it is and how much it means to our profession. If you would appreciate greater respect as an athletic training healthcare professional, I would hope you can recruit at least three other Athletic Trainer’s to do the same.

Thank you in advance for your time,

Sincerely,

Scott Dietrich
"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Elmer Letterman

 

How to call your Senators

Step 1 - Find your PA Senators (find) and ask them to support  Senate Bill #957- Osteopathic Board & Senate Bill #967 MD's (TOMLINSON)

Step 2 - Call the PA Senator for your district
once you are connected; use the script below to express your support
Please select only 1or 2 bullet points – you do not need to read them all!!

-----

Hello my name is [NAME] with [EMPLOYER’S NAME] and I am a constituent of Senator [NAME].

I am calling to express my support for Athletic Training Licensure legislation in the senate, which recently received first consideration approval in the senate appropriations committee.  The senate bills - SB 957 & SB 967 introduced by Senator Tomlinson establish licensure for Athletic Trainers (ATs).

Ø  Licensure is regarded as the highest form of regulation and would benefit and protect the general public of Pennsylvania.

Ø  Athletic Training is recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care profession.  ATs are already recognized in the Pennsylvania Medical Practice Act (of 1985) which is the law that relates to practicing medicine in PA in Section 51.1 which means the state does NOT need to create a new regulating body to oversee our profession. 

Ø  Athletic Training remains the only health care provider group who is “certified” and not “licensed” under the Pennsylvania State Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine.

Ø  Athletic Trainers working in the Commonwealth care for and enhance the health and welfare of our clients through prevention, recognition, management, and rehabilitation of injuries. There are approximately 3000 Certified Athletic Trainers practicing in Pennsylvania which is currently the largest number of ATs of any state in the nation.

Ø  Currently there are 39 states that regulate athletic trainers through licensure in the nation. In fact, Pennsylvania is 1 of only 5 states to be regulated through certification.

Again, I ask that you vote in support of SB 957 & SB 967 for this legislation will help preserve the health and safety of physically active youth and adults throughout our state.

Thank you!

** You might need to indicate that you want a response from the senator!

Step 3 - Complete the survey below, and tell us what they said.

PATS Legislative Response Google Survey -Link

Vote for NATA President BEFORE Sept 28th 2011!!

For the first time ever, we have an exceptional opportunity to put a PATS member into the position of NATA President!!

The NATA Presidential Election started, Thursday, September 1^st and ends September 29th 2011 with long time PATS member and past District II Director, Jim Thornton, of Clarion University of Pennsylvania a final candidate. If elected, Jim would be the first PATS member or District II member to hold the position of NATA President.

You should receive an email today from the NATA with a unique registration code and instructions for casting your vote for your choice between Terry Noonan, MS, ATC, ART, or Jim Thornton, MS, ATC, PES. If you do not receive an email, please contact Holly McCauley at hollym@nata.org. For more information about each of the candidates go to: http://www.nata.org/2011-Presidential-Election

PLEASE - Share this with your Senators! - Bill referred to committee 5/3/11.

Greetings Senator                      ,

I am writing you today to ask for your support of Senate Bill 957 & 967 which was referred to your CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE committee on May 3, 2011.  This is an important piece of legislation is necessary to protect and enhance the health and welfare of our clients (physically active youth & adults) in the PA Commonwealth.  

Athletic Training remains the only health care provider group who is "certified" and not "licensed" under the Pennsylvania State Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine. Currently there are 39 other states that regulate athletic trainers through licensure in the nationwide. Pennsylvania is 1 of only 4 to be regulated through certification.

The primary goal of Licensure for Athletic Trainers in Pennsylvania is to define the relationship between the athletic trainer and physician more clearly.

Benefits to Pennsylvania citizens include:

•        Consumer protection, reduce the ability of unlicensed individuals who attempt to provide athletic training services to the public.

•        Increased access to the care of an athletic trainer due to the clarification of the population eligible for referral from a physician.

•        Decrease credentialing confusion that currently exists since athletic trainers will be licensees alongside all of other health care professionals under the Pennsylvania State Boards of Medicine(SB 967) and Osteopathic Medicine(SB957), such as Physician Assistants, Respiratory Therapist, Acupuncturists, Perfusionist, and Nurse-Midwives.

•        Greater access to athletic trainers for preventative medical services, potentially decreasing their overall medical costs.

Benefits to Physicians:

•        Firmly places the role of the athletic trainer under the direction of the physician.

•        Provides physicians with increased access options for using an athletic trainer thus reducing the number of injuries and dropping the costs of health care.

•        Many physicians currently refer physically active patients to athletic trainers for athletic training services. Due to the unclear definition of physically active, some physicians do not refer patients who may benefit from these services to athletic trainers or may refer patients inappropriately due to confusion.

Recent Education and Training Changes that support Licensure for Athletic Trainers

The current Athletic Training Practice Act dates back to December 2001. Since that time there have been several meaningful changes to the educational preparation and instruction of athletic trainers. Some of these include:

•        Defined educational standards consistent with other allied health professions and validated via national accreditation standards (2004).

•        Elimination of the internship route to certification in 2004.

•        Well delineated national educational and skill competency requirements validating the proposed scope of athletic training practice included in the proposed legislation.

•        Since 2001, athletic trainers have been able to apply their athletic training skills to populations beyond sports teams through expanded practice settings, including physician's offices, hospitals, and industrial settings.

- Licensure for athletic trainers is needed in Pennsylvania in order to best protect the public.

*** This will greatly improve the ability of many athletic training students from your district to establish careers here in PA as opposed to looking for jobs in other states.

Thank you in advance for your consideration and I urge you and the rest of the committee to bring this to the members of the senate.

Your Name, ATC
employer
Your County Resident

New Concussion Screening legislation introduced in PA!

Concussion Screening legislation introduced in PA!

http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2011/04/former_football_player_rep_bra.html

April 2011 - NEPA Athletic Training Update!

Hello Northeast PA Athletic Trainers'

PATS - Hike To Harrisburg
April 12th 2011

We have a lot of outstanding things going on right now... 

1) PATS Elections are Open - Link

2) CALL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES- Ask for their support.
      a) House HB930 & HB 932 -Link to pdf
      b) Senator SB 957- Link link to pdf

     ** Find your state reps here -Link

Themes for discussion:  
     - One of  only 5 states left without licensure - Link
     - Greater protections, beyond the use of the name/credential
          Link (click last question)
     - Higher quality of care - without creating a new board to regulate ATCs
     - Ensures qualification to provide "medically supervised return to play" following concussion.
     - No added expense to the patients

Note: We've garnered more support for these bills than ever before! Possibly because of the increased attention to concussions! I've been at the capitol over the past 4 years and representatives from both sides of the aisle appear ready to help us make this happen! -- Your voice really matters to your representatives -- PLEASE call, email or visit them.


3) New Marketing Campaign Set to Launch -stay tuned!

4) JOIN US IN LANCASTER! - Link

     PATS, Inc. - Annual Meeting
     Lancaster, PA
     Thursday, June 9th - Saturday, June 11th

5) PATS mTBI Forum INVITE YOUR PHYSICIAN! - Link

PLEASE CONSIDER INVITING YOUR TEAM PHYSICIAN TO THIS SESSION

* Friday, June 10, 2011

* Lancaster Convention Center In Lancaster!

     - Its included in PATS Conference Costs

     - A Forum ONLY Rate is available

     - CEU's and CME's will be offered!

Please help spread the word.

6) Special Thanks to NATE ROBERTS, MS ATC  (Muhlenberg) for organizing Athletic Training Appreciation Night at Detzi's Tavern.
    * Thanks to all who attended
    * We had a great time and raised money to help support our profession!
    * New sites and volunteer event organizers, always welcome!

Athletic Training Scholarship Run!!

We hope that you and your student-athletes are interested in helping us raise money for a great cause. A regional athletic training scholarship! This flat grass/gravel path is sure to be a fun run, and if 3.2 mi (5K) is too far join us for the 1mi fun walk/run!  - Register Now!

Lots of fun gifts and prizes - Fastest foursome, and best dressed!  There is also a ...
Thank Your Athletic Trainer Banner Contest -see contest rules! Best Banner will win a $125 cash prize!

SAVE-THE-DATE Athletic Trainer Appriciation Night!!

I am happy to invite you and your family out to Detzi's Tavern on Thursday, March 31st 2011 for Athletic Trainer Appreciation Night. Please print the attached flier and I hope to see you there!  

Google Maps - Link

Facebook doesn’t lie! -- LET THE CARPENTER STORY DIE.

Greetings NEPA ATCs -- here’ s my take on this bozo!

Facebook doesn’t lie!  = LET THE CARPENTER ARTICLE DIE!

Hey, gang it appears this Paul Carpenter cockroach isn’t going to go away anytime soon.  I expect him to magically reappear if we pursue any other legislative issues, too.  With newspapers dying off at record pace they are constantly looking for ways to bridge the gap and morph into a paid – print/online bundle version of its old self.-Link  What old Paulie has learned is that ATCs are generally more wired and easily agitated, compared to his typical reader (the 100 or so remaining daily readers like our grandparents).  Simply put AT Bashing = more ratings/views of his on-line material. This gets him perks for visibility somewhere, and IT REALLY IS A GAME FOR HIM; with this  he probably feels he hit the jackpot. – LET IT DIE – DON’T FACEBOOK SHARE THIS STORY - EITHER! 

Therefore, Facebook share the Athletic Trainer provision in state bill is defended-Link and NOT anything written directly by Carpenter!

Lets compare 2011 Carpenter articles and the number of facebook share’s pre and post ATC bashing?

     Feb 15th = 78 Shares – 1.5 stars (likes) AT- related

     Feb 12th = 21 Shares – 3.5 stars

     Feb 10th = 22 Shares – 1.5 stars

     Feb 5th = 0 Shares – 4.5 stars

     Feb 3rd = 0 Shares – 0 stars

     Feb 1st = 1,112 Shares – 1 star = AT- Bashing

     Jan 29nd = 0 Shares – 0 Stars - Gun screenings legal

     Jan 27th = 0 Shares – 3 stars

     Jan 22nd = 0 Shares – 0 Stars

     Jan 20nd = 0 Shares – 0 Stars

I think you get the point! This only matters b/c of the economics of negativity and a dying newsprint media.

Regards,
-SD

_________________________________________________

Express-Times exec: Newspapers - We're not dying

Like other Valley publishing companies that include The Morning Call and Rodale, The Express-Times has been working to establish its presence in the digital media marketplace while maintaining its print product in the face of declining circulation and a tough advertising market. Average weekday circulation for The Express-Times dropped 3 percent to 40,965 and its Sunday circulation dropped 1.3 percent to 42,610 in the six-month period ending Sept. 30, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The newspaper performed better than the overall industry. Nationally, newspapers lost 5 percent of their daily circulation and 4.5 percent of their Sunday circulation. Sunday is the most profitable day for newspapers. Part of the slide, Till said, has been strategic decisions by newspapers to eliminate far-flung communities from their circulation base and focus on core communities. Till predicted the local newspaper industry will move away from giving away free content online.

"The free model is the dumbest model ever invented … and it will go away," he said, predicting consumers will purchase information digitally in a manner similar to buying music downloads.

Asked if the Northampton County newspaper would try to expand its presence in Lehigh County, Till said it is limited by print capacity. The company has to do a better job of "branding out," he said. The company's website is called LehighValleyLive.com because it wants its brand associated with the overall Valley.

—Spencer Super

______________________________________________

Allentown Morning Call Info

Allentown Morning Call is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA covering local news, sports, business, jobs, and community events. The newspaper is published seven days a week. The Morning Call covers Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley region, the third most populous metropolitan region in the state. With daily circulation of 94,859, Allentown Morning Call is Ranked 80th the largest circulation newspapers in the USA. Learn more at Mondo Newspapers, the worldwide newspaper directory. This newspaper is owned by Tribune Publishing.

Tues, Feb 8th 2011 -- Athletic trainer provision in state bill is defended - mCall News!!

Athletic trainer provision in state bill is defended - mcall.com

Feb 2011 - PATS Northeast Representive - Blog

This blog was created to keep you informed about what is going on with the PATS Board.Without ovewhelming your email inbox!! Please bookmark this webpage and check back for updates!

Greetings NEPA PATS Members!

The BoD continues to work very hard to promote the Athletic Training Profession across the state.  Checkout some of the Highlights BELOW...

PA HOUSE BILL 200 - CONCUSSION LEGISLATION
As you may know Concussion legislation has been making its way through the PA House and Senate and it was recently re-introduced by Representative Briggs. While it is not perfect, for the first time PATS has been able to work closely with the legislators who are crafting the bill.  It is important to remember that we are not the primary sponsors of the bill but thanks to the efforts of our governmental affairs committee and our lobbyist the Winter Group - Athletic Trainers are appropriately positioned within this legislation.
1) Associated Press Article - Link 
2) Briggs House Bill 200 - Link

COUNTY DELEGATES NEEDED!
PATS recognized a need to encourage more AT professional to stay engaged with us and improve our reach when getting the word out to our members and local legislators regarding issues that affect athletic training profession.  Therefore we are seeking interested members to serve as COUNTY DELEGATES.  The basic duties are to help share information among other ATCs that work in that county and when needed serve as a liaison to legislators from your particular area. I believe this is a great - non-labor/travel intensive way to stay involved with PATS.  Terms are run in conjunction with the regional reps so that a close working relationship can eb maintained, they can also be extended to help ease the transition of new Regional Reps. ***PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP IF YOUR ARE INTERESTED AND WHAT COUNTY YOU WOULD LIKE TO SERVE!!!
1) County Delegate Job Description - Link

ELECTION SEASON - NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN FOR PATS NE REP
Its that time of year that PATS seeks nominations for the Board of Directors.  While its flown by my first term serving you is up.  I am considering running again, but with a two-year old toddler and a full time ATC mom & wife. Time is precious in the Dietrich Household.  If you've ever thought about how you'd like to see our profession grow in PA over the next decade -- now is the time.  Share your ideas, the board is full of great ATCs from all backgrounds and settings and we rely on new thoughts an opinions.  It is a great and humbling experience that I believe every ATC should experience. If you are in the Secondary school setting how could you pass up an opportunity to share your concerns and the concerns of the ATCs in your region.  PLEASE CONSIDER RUNNING for PATS Become a Nominee for PATS NE Representative. - Email Michael Ludwikowski, ATC

REGIONAL ATHLETIC TRAINING APPRECIATION NIGHTS
We are looking for 2-3 locations and event organizers to host a meet-n-greet or Athletic Trainer Appreciation Nights; These gatherings serve two purposes 1) social night where family, friends, athletes and coaches can gather and enjoy good food/spirits in a setting outside of the Athletic Training room and 2) raise money to support PATS-PAC legislative efforts in Harrisburg. The PATS-PAC is still in the process of setting up but that shouldn't stop us from getting together and having a good time.  IF YOU KNOW A GREAT RESTAURANT or are willing to organize and host an event like this please email/call me and we will get it up and running. - Email

NEW SHORT TERM ATC POSITIONS - UNDER PATS MEMBERS ONLY WEB
You've asked for it, we made it happen. Do you have camps or shot-term/per diem opportunities for ATCs. If you are a PATS member you can post job opportunities and look for events in your area the need coverage.  Click Here to learn more.

PATS SLOGAN CONTEST
In the next few weeks we will be asking our members to choose PATS new slogan. The PR committee has done an excellent job at coming up with possible slogans and we are in the process of narrowing that list to 3-5 options. From there we will be asking you to vote on the one you think is best. More information will be out shortly!!   >>>> VOTE NOW <<<<<  online voting ends Friday, February 18th 2011

PA License Plate Fundraiser!  

Check it out.   The PATS Public Relations Committee has developed a fundraiser to spread the word about certified athletic trainers across the commonwealth. The custom PATS branded license plate (sample pictured above), would replace your existing plate and display across the Keystone State that you are a certified athletic trainer.  Would you be interested in purchasing a License Plate to help promote PATS.  Projected costs are about $35 for the Plate and $35 for transfer fees. We need to sell 300 so please let me know if you/parents family or friends are interested!!

PHYSICIAN & ATC CONCUSSION SUMMIT @ ANNUAL MEETING
Our convention committee is in the process of organizing an annual concussion summit, designed to offer CMEs for physicians and CEUs for ATCs the hope is that both would be interested in attending the session.  Please ask your team physician if they are interested in participating -- It will be held in conjunction with our PATS Annual Meeting in Lancaster! - Link

NEPA SCHOLARSHIP RUN - SUN, APRIL 10th 2011
The annual northeast PA scholarship Run will be held in East Stroudsburg this year and we are looking for gifts, sponsors and runners. If you are interested in volunteering, donating raffle merchandise or just participating in the run please email me and be on the lookout on the upcoming PATS facebook events page. -Save $5.00; Register Online! - Link

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