My deepest appreciation and thanks to all of you for making our 2009 Annual Conference a success. We received very positive feedback from our attendees and exhibitors. I am so happy to know that you enjoyed Conference. Stand-up and be counted next year - not only for the census - but also at the 2010 MOTA Conference. The theme will be "Power-Up for the New Decade." Many survey respondents asked that there be more topics on mental health and physical disabilities. We would love that; however, we're depending on you to come forward and present. Power-up now, and begin drafting your ideas. The call for papers and presentations will be coming soon. For a full report on this year's conference, see page 3.

        For those of you who did not have the opportunity to hear Penny Moyers Cleveland, let me share a few notes. AOTA has been very involved on Capitol Hill with the proposed Health Care Reform Bill. I was enjoying her presentation until she announced that it was a fight to get the word "Rehabilitation" written into the House of Representative's version of the bill.  With that, my forehead broke out in a cold sweat.

        Apparently there is very little understanding among our Federal legislators that rehabilitation, let alone habilitation, is health care. And here's some more sobering news: as a group, we are small fish to Congress compared to many other groups. We consist of only 141,000 occupational therapy practitioners nationally, less than a third of which belong to our national organization.

        For once, I'm worried. All these years, I have never thought twice about being unemployed because there has always been a demand for occupational therapy workers. But after seeing how just a stroke on a computer keyboard eliminated $100,000 from the budget of the Maryland Board of Occupational Therapy Practice...and that it almost required the act of an omnipresent being to get it back...well, you can understand my jitters. What's to prevent Congress from setting up conditions that might very well mean a sharp rise in unemployment among our ranks? A bell has gone off. For whom does this bell toll?

        I compared our numbers to fish. Did you know the reason why small fish travel in schools? It's a biological strategy of defense. Your individual chance to survive increases because you are in a congregation of large numbers. Good people, we need high numbers of support not only here in MOTA but also in AOTA. Please pay close attention to the Health Care Reform issue and get your colleagues involved. Contribute. You can stand up for your profession whether you send an email, make a phone call, write a check, or travel down to Washington, DC.

        Be proactive and come join us for MOTA State Lobby Night scheduled for Monday, Feb. 22nd in Annapolis (see the notice in this newsletter for full details). You will have a wonderful opportunity to meet, talk, and influence your own legislators. Get some practice advocating on the home playing field, and let's show them - we're not such little fish after all.
                                        
- Marjorie Vogeley, MOTA President

AOTA UPDATE:

A message from Maryland's Representatives to the AOTA Representative Assembly

        In the past AOTA Representative assembly (RA) session, we had 3 Motions for online meeting: Revisions to Enforcement Procedures for OT Code of Ethics & Ethics Standards, Revisions to RACC levels & Process for review of official RA documents and Adopt the Position Paper on Natural Environment & Least Restrictive Environments created by the Commission on Practice. These motions passed. If you haven't followed the proceedings and would like to, you can find minutes by following the links at www.aota.org.

        The main area of focus for the Spring Representative Assembly will be practice issues related to Psychosocial Aspects of Occupational Therapy and Specialized Knowledge and Skills in Mental Health Occupational Therapy Practice. These concerns are not about the unique practice setting of MH but about how all Occupational Therapy Practitioners integrate the core elements of MH into day to day practice. Your feedback is vital for an accurate representation and to that end, we have prepared an online town hall for you. This online event is currently open and will remain open from now until the RA meets in the spring. We invite you to attend the free town hall meeting, read the issues presented and respond to the online surveys posted. We will continue to update this site as we move toward the spring assembly so bookmark this page and visit often: www.kn.attn.com/wired/fit/pages/listmotatowro.html. We will link to critical concerns at AOTA and provide user friendly instruction on how you can submit a motion if you'd like. We hope to develop a way to award continuing education credit for Town Hall participation so do participate and send us your comments.

- René Bookoff, MD Delegate to the RA
RBookoff@Comcast.net
- Rondalyn Whitney, Alternative MD Delegate to the RA
whitney@kennedykrieger.org

2009 MOTA CONFERENCE WRAP-UP:

        This year's MOTA Conference was held on November 6 and 7 at the Crowne Plaza in Timonium, MD. The theme of the conference was "Make OT Shine in 2009: Living Life To Its Fullest." The conference was a huge success!!! 160 attendees traveled from all over the state and surrounding states for this year's conference. Twenty-two exhibitors were in attendance to help OT shine.
  
        This year MOTA was privileged to have Penny Moyers Cleveland, the president of AOTA, provide the keynote speech on Friday. The topic of her keynote speech was "Horton Knows Who: Liberating Your Passion For the Centennial Vision." The keynote address was very motivating. If you enjoyed the keynote speech, please send Penny a thank you note:
  
        Dr. Penny Moyers Cleveland
        UAB School of Health Professions - OT
        RMSB 353
        1530 3rd Ave. S.
        Birmingham, AL 35294-1212
 
Some comments from Conference attendees:
  
        Rachelle Savannah said, "The 2009 MOTA Conference was one of the best conferences I have ever attended. It was well organized, very inexpensive for two days of continuing education and had so many interesting sessions offered I had a hard time choosing which ones to go to. The two day conference this year was very rejuvenating and made me proud to be an OT and even more, a member of MOTA!!"
 
        Najwa Kareem commented, "In reflecting on the past two days at Conference while driving in my car on my way home, I thought how fortunate I am to be affiliated with such a warm, caring, dedicated, intelligent, sincere, hardworking, and helpful group of professionals. I have often thought how blessed I am to have been led to such a great profession that has shaped my life in so many ways and having shared smiles, laughs, had discussions, and exchanged ideas with many of you at Conference, I am convinced that having the precious opportunity to be an OT is truly a gift. I was excited and happy to see so many familiar faces and to connect with you once again. I was just as thrilled to have met many new people and hope to see you again in the future."
  
        Candy Diamond, a first time vendor at Conference said that it was a wonderful experience and wondered why she had not participated in the past.
  
        MOTA was pleased to have several sponsors for this year's conference. Genesis Rehab Services was a gold sponsor, and University of Maryland Medical Center was a silver sponsor, and provided the wonderful bags for all the attendees. MOTA raffled off several $25 gift cards for groceries as a vendor incentive.
  
        The 2009 Conference offered a variety of educational experiences tailored to meet the needs of the attendees. This was the first time that MOTA has offered round table discussions on various topics. The feedback from the round table sessions was very positive and attendees asked that we continue the round tables with more topic offerings. The speakers did an excellent job providing educational information on their respective topics. If you did not see a topic that you were interested in, encourage those around you to present at next year's conference. There are some amazing things happening at facilities all around Maryland. Share your experiences with others and present at the 2010 conference.
  
        We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their wonderful donations to the silent auction. This year items at the auction items ranged from a Wii to a beach condo to various OT courses. Thank you for all the items that were donated and for everyone that bid on the items. There were 86 items up for auction and $3780 was raised on the auction alone. All the proceeds from the silent auction and the t-shirt sales will go to MOTA's Henrietta Price Scholarship Fund.
  
        I would like to thank everyone for coming out to support MOTA and the Annual Conference. Thank you for all the wonderful feedback. We will take your suggestions into account when planning next year's conference. If you would like to help out at the 2010 Conference, please send an email to conference@mdota.org.
  
        I would also like to take this time to thank and acknowledge the Conference Committee - without their help and dedication things would not have run as smoothly as they did. The wonderful hard working committee consisted of: Rebecca Bowling, Michelle Jones, Joanna Bevan, Dana Burns, Emily Hawthorne, Tiffany Watts, Katie Cooper, Rondalyn Whitney, André Johnson and Maggie Reitz. I would also like to thank the many students from Towson University, Allegany Community College and Cantonsville Community College Baltimore Campus that volunteered to help with Conference. Katie Cooper will be a co-chair for next year's conference. Congratulations, and thank you Katie!
  
        Mark your calendars: the 2010 Conference will again be held at the Crowne Plaza in Timonium, MD, on November 5 and 6. The theme for Conference will be "Power Up for the New Decade." Stay tuned to the next MOTA newsletter for more details and information on presenting at Conference.
  
        Thank you to all attended, organized and volunteered at the 2009 Conference. We hope to see you again in 2010!

- Machele Walker, 2009 MOTA Conference Chairperson

2009 MOTA AWARDS:

        The recipients of this year's Maryland Occupational Therapy Association Awards were announced at Conference on Saturday. MOTA would like to thank all of the members who nominated qualified individuals to be recipients of the. We have so many dedicated professionals to the field of occupational therapy, it is imperative that we acknowledge those that go above and beyond the call of duty and/or have outstanding accomplishments. It is with great pleasure that we extend congratulations to the following 2008 MOTA Awards recipients:

• The Ruth Brunyate Wiemer Award was presented to Janie Scott in recognition of her notable contribution to the professional community in Maryland and at a national level, as well as, consumers of occupational therapy services. Janie has served in a number of roles and leadership positions where she was able to effectively advocate for occupational therapists and consumers. She has served as a mentor/adviser for many therapists throughout her career and is currently a trustee for the MOTA.
   
• The Recognition of Excellence Award was presented to S. Maggie Reitz in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the profession of occupational therapy, her health promotion and ethics advocacy and research efforts and publications, and her mentorship of new occupational therapists through their academic preparation.
   
• The Exemplary Department Award was presented the Prince George's County Occupational Therapy Department in recognition of this cohesive department which took an active role in integrating and disseminating the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework across all schools in Prince George's County. As a department, they have also presented locally and nationally on how the framework has been successfully implemented in the school system.

MEMBERSHIP CORNER:
 
MOTA would like to welcome our newest and renewing members (as of December 1):

Alexander, Celeste
Bard, Jennifer
Barnes, Pat
Bartz, Rosemary
Bell, Lisa
Bender, Karen
Berge, Kathryn
Bloedorn, Charlene
Boisvert, Colleen
Brown, Kristen
Bryant, Andrea
Callender-Sagner, Allison
Canizares, Estella
Cerullo, Deborah
Clarke-Martin,  Jacqueline
Connelly, Laura
Conway, Shaun
Copeland, Michelle
Davis, Lisa
DeCoster, Lena
Deitsch, Gail
Denn, Bobbie
Digiacorrio, Andrea
Disney, Linda
Dubay, Amanda
Eichenthal, Linda
Farrell, Rebecca
Fisher, Karen
Foard Miller, Carol
Ganis, Suzanne
Garrison, Sara
Gault, Crystal
Gavin, Jennifer
Greene, Debby
Greseth, Christine
Groppe, Denise
Hallenen, Theresa
Hartwell, Jill
Hawthorne, Emiley
Hunter, Diane
Jaskulski, Janice
Johnson, Andre
Jollenbeck, Barbara
Jones, Elizabeth
Kassim, Katie
Klein, Robin
Leatherman, Amy
Levy, Chrystal
MacDonald, Kaitlin
Mayes, Vastina
McCarthy, Erin
McCormdet, Meghan
McCreary, Frank
McKinney, Antoinette
McNamara, Marie
Melo, Sthefane
Middleton, Kat
Miller, Leslie
Modderman, Mary Joan
Montana, Corinne
Morgan, Christina
Morrison, Beth
Moser, Tammy
Murphy, Kathryn
Patria, Lori
Pitts, Jolena
Price, Anggie
Raver, Neal
Reymann McGarvey, Angela
Roberts, Toyia
Robertson, Kelly
Robinson, Michele
Roche, Jacqueline
Rosenbaum, Eileen
Schaefer, Peggy
Schaffer, Susan
Schiaffino, Susan
Slavotinek, Amber
Smith, Karen
Smith, Rae Ann
Somers, Nancy
Stiltner, Gladys
Storch, Danielle
Tasoulis, Sophia
Tynes, DeVaughn
Vogel, Pam
Walsh, Cindy
Warder, Jonene
Warren, Lana
Williams, Jodie
Wilson, Sue
Wright, Andrew
 
        Thanks to all of you who chose to join or renew at Conference, we are up to 415 members, and growing!! We of course appreciate all of our members! If you do not have a MOTA membership card and would like one, please send a self addressed and stamped envelope to:
  
                        Crystal Ciccarelli
                        6630 Granville Ct.
                        Frederick , MD 21703

MINDFUL HOLIDAYS: MAXIMIZING YOUR JOY DURING THE HOLIDAYS THROUGH GREATER ENERGY EFFICIENCY

by Rondalyn Whitney & Felicia Farad
(originally written for parents at Kennedy Krieger Institute)

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."
(Carl Sandburg)

        'Tis the season to celebrate, and over-extend! All families are prone to the hustle and bustle of big dinners, traditional foods, holiday traditions that must be followed! But when we are raising children who have sensory processing issues, language delays, and disorders of attention and behavior, the added stress of the holiday events can rob the season of all the joy. One universal truth of human beings: We each have a range of energy, each day, that we have to spend on our day to day life practices. Perhaps you haven't thought about how many muscle contractions or cognitive shifts it takes to get dressed in the morning, or to prepare a simple sandwich, much less a four course dinner for 10! Each of these 'expenses' to the neuromuscular system add up to our daily allotments. And, we need to pay attention to both the possibilities and the limits of our minds and our bodies throughout each day, being wise stewards of our resources.
  
        Energy conservation and work simplification are two therapeutic processes that provide a systematic method of evaluating your daily tasks for energy output and apply strategies that help you be more mindful of those expenses. That way, you are spending, saving and restoring your energies so that you can live your life to the fullest.  Energy conservation and work simplification are both best when considered in context of a mind-body connection, the dynamic interplay between thinking and moving in your world. Then, you can attend to the most important details of your daily life and create a formula for maximum function.  A quick time and motion study allows you to mindfully consider your daily needs for energy and work to assure you do not overextend yourself to the point of exhaustion. Your therapists at KKI thought it might be helpful to take a take a moment and outline some principles of energy conservation and work simplification that you can use to make your holidays more peaceful and fulfilling. Much like your financial budget, your energy needs a budget, a savings plan, expenditures that align with your values and ways to replenish or make regular deposits into the account.

Managing your account:
  
        Energy conservation relies on the principle that by saving time you save energy, stockpile the energy so you can spend it in ways that bring you the greatest satisfaction. Taking an audit of our day to day expenditures of time allows us to be more aware of where we spend our time and reminds us to spend it wisely. Here are four common traps we set for ourselves and how you might avoid them these season:
  
Resist perfectionism - What would be good enough this season? How many toys does a child need? How many cookies do you need to bake? How clean do you really need your house to be before company arrives? How important is it that your children are wearing 'festive' clothes? Would the holidays be more satisfying if your child has on their favorite soft shirt but happily getting in the car for the trip to grandmas?
  
Spend your energy wisely - When we are mindful about what is important to us, we are more satisfied with how we spend our time. Take the opportunity to sit down as a family and set some priorities this season, spend your time on what you value and save your energy. Work simplification is a way to spend wisely. It's not the same as multitasking. Instead, you eliminate steps of a task so it takes you less time and energy. And think about asking others for help or delegating when you can. People want to be helpful, but they don't know how to help unless you ask.
  
        Here's one of our favorite games you can play with your family AND get your house tidied. Make 10 - 15 cards of items that are almost always left out in your common areas; taking photographs is an easy way to do that. This typically includes shoes, socks, a backpack, several pieces of paper, books, magazines, etc. Then, have a scavenger hunt - each child gets 2-3 cards. You say 'go' and everyone has to find the items on their card. The first to arrive back at the starting point, wins a point. Round two - each person gets a turn to return items to their proper place (shoes in the closet, etc). Whoever gets their items put away first gets another point. The points you assign don't matter. Once your family 'earns' 5 points, you get to have a family prize such as extra time before bedtime, an extra story, or special time with Mom or Dad.
  
Reduce steps - Finding ways to reduce steps can save enough energy so that at 9pm, you have 15 minutes of energy left to read a book or a magazine or talk with your partner or a friend. Think about shopping in off-peak times or on the web. See if you can share child care with another family. Eliminate tasks by asking yourself, "Will this give or take energy from me?" Prioritize events by asking if the time spent away from your day to day activities 'Will it give or take energy from me?" And as hard as it is to do, ask for help; maybe you have a neighbor who could come over for 30 minutes while you rest , maybe you can cook a double batch of dinner one night and share it with a neighbor and she does the same for you; that's a night off from meal prep AND clean up!

Replenish yourself - Most cultures think of this season as a time of giving, but this wonderful tradition began as a way to give freely, and from the heart, not at the expense of our own personal wellbeing. With that in mind, ask yourself, "Who's this for?" before you go WAY out of your way to give of yourself. If you reflect on your most memorable holiday moments, it is likely you don't recall the item you received but, instead, the energy of the moment.

We thought we'd leave you with some of our favorite gifts of the season. We hope you have a full, restorative season.
  
Ideas:
  
Cookie baking - Bake with a friend and have dad or family member take the kids out for an adventure.   
  
Make a gratitude wall - Each family member says what they're thankful for and you post it on the "wall" until the wall is full of gratitudes.
  
Start a new tradition - Maybe one person sings a song each night before dinner or maybe each family member gets a turn to be special and when its your day, everyone in the family sneaks around and does special things for you (like putting away your laundry or making your special snack.). Each person gets a turn and you can repeat it as many times as you'd like during the season!
  
Encourage your children to make gifts - use the time together to create memories and teach your children the spirit of giving of oneself.

MOTA ANNOUNCEMENTS:
        
Southern Maryland Social:
  
        Networking with fellow therapists is an enjoyable and often important element to professional growth. On November 11th, several therapists from the Southern Maryland region (e.g., Charles, St. Mary's and Calvert counties) gathered in La Plata for a meet and greet. President Marjorie Vogeley joined the group and provided important information regarding recent healthcare legislation and current events happening in the OT world. The discussions ranged from interesting OT stories, to personal concerns regarding practice, to conversations about family. Most of the attendees indicated an interest in having an additional regional event. Based on these comments, to celebrate OT month, another Southern Maryland OT social is in the works for April 2010.

MOTA Member Appointments:
  
        I have recently been accepted as a member of the Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) Roster of Accreditation Evaluators, for the July 2010 - July 2013 term. I am a graduate of Penn State Mont Alto's OTA program, and am a school based OT assistant working at the Frederick County Developmental Center for the past ten years. In addition, I also work PRN for Adventist Health Care at Glade Valley Nursing and Rehab Center. I am married and have two grown children. My areas of interest include gardening, baking and serving at church. I have led and been on several mission trips to impoverished areas with our church youth to assist in rebuilding physical structures and lives.
  
        It is an honor to have been chosen, and I look forward to serving on the accreditation team of reviewers for ACOTE.
  
- Tammy Moser, COTA/L
TMoser@FrederickCountyMD.Gov
  
        Congratulations to Lisa A. Crabtree, PhD, OTR/L, professor at Towson University, and MOTA member, for her appointment to the Maryland Commission on Autism. On May 7th 2009, Maryland's Governor Martin O'Malley signed into law House Bill 503, sponsored by Delegate Nicholaus Kipke (R) from District 31 in Anne Arundel County, which established this state-run commission. Maryland is the third state in the nation to enact such a commission behind California and Minnesota. To see the complete list of appointees, please go to: www.dhmh.maryland.gov/autism/members.html.

MOTA Legislative Committee Request: Send Descriptions of OT Reimbursement Issues from Third Party Payers
  
        OTs, are you having reimbursement problems with insurance and government healthcare systems when OT services are denied? Please email the following information to Shoshana Shamberg at shoshamberg@yahoo.com, so that MOTA can help to remedy and address these issues with our lobbyist's help:
  
• Your name
• Location of work
• Legislative district of residence
• Complete description of the services you provided, including time frames and billing data (exclude any identifying information about your client please)
• Reason for denial
• If resubmitted, what happened?
• Did you ever get paid?
• If so, how long  after your original submission
• How many times were you denied
  
Thanks!
- Shoshana Shamberg, Liason to the MOTA Legislative Committee on this issue

NOTICES & NEWS:
        
(To submit material for this part of MOTA News, please email to motanews@mdota.org, or leave a message on our voice mail system at 1-800-290-2662)

Berdina "Dineke" Harris - December 15, 1932 - June 29, 2009
  
        Dineke was born in Utrecht, Holland. During the Nazi occupation in World War II, she was sent to a children's farm in the country. Her family was engaged in the Dutch Resistance. After the war, she returned home and, at age 18, went to live in Paris. She arrived in America in 1963 and got a job at the Sheppard Pratt Hospital and lived in the nurses' quarters on the campus. She remained a valuable emplyee there for 35 years, retiring in 1998. She worked primarily as a secretary in the Activity Therapy Department (later Rehabilitation Services) with numerous OT students and OTs, including Diane Gibson, Mary Kay Bailey, Donna Lucke (former MOTA President), and Gail Richert. In 1993, she received the MOTA Presidential Commendation for significant contributions to OT. Later, she was promoted to Administrative Assistant in Clinical Services.
  
         Dineke will be remembered by friends and colleagues alike for her competence, capabilities, robust sense of humor, and respectful attitude toward patients and staff alike, as well as her love for cats. She is greatly missed.
  
- Submitted by Gail Z. Richert, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA
MOTA Trustee

Online Education Opportunities:
  
        This upcoming year is all about empowering the profession of OT! AOTA has moved the OT Practice online, has begun to offer multiple online educational opportunities and stepped forward with bold actions to advance the profession within the political playing field.
  
        MOTA is active as well. After the conference, we looked forward to next year's MOTA conference and got fired up as we assessed all the successes of 2009 and areas for improvement for 2010. One area identified was to empower more of you MD therapist to share what you're doing in your daily practice and to be bold, take a risk and share your knowledge with others. We can no longer hide our OT lights under shady bushes! To get you started, I want to call your attention to an online continuing education article you can read and hopefully use to gather your thoughts (and light your fire) as you plan to participate as a speaker in next year's MOTA conference. You can go to www.todayinot.com/ce/OT183-60/A-Quick-Guide-to-Preparing-Professional-Presentations and read through the course, take the test for free and hopefully, get your batteries charged up for submitting your ideas for conference! The course is free (the $10 is underwritten for OTs, $10 for other professionals) and since Gannett Health Group is a Preferred Provider for AOTA, you get continuing education credit! You'll also see some familiar names for other courses, some of the writers expanded on their articles and presented at 2009 MOTA conference!
  
        So, as AOTA President and keynote speaker at this year's MOTA Conference, Penny Moyers Cleveland, inspired us to do this year in MD: Get your light on, fire yourself up and put your empowered self up to great things (and share with others!)
  
- Submitted by Rondalyn Whitney
AOTA Alternate RA Rep.

OT/PT Reference in Organization's State Licensure Handbook:
  
        As you know from one of MOTA's email blasts, the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) has been advocating from its national platform for state licensure for their profession. Licensure for these professionals has been established in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. Chuck Willmarth, AOTA State Affairs Director, found an interesting provision in the O&P organization's handbook which provides guidelines for its state associations. On page five, it reads, "3. Occupational and Physical Therapist (sic) who provide orthoses may demand exclusion/inclusion; otherwise they might kill the bill. Again, make peace and be prepared to compromise." For a copy of this manual, see www.abcop.org/resources.

AOTA Student Conclave:
  
        AOTA held its Annual Student Conclave at the Baltimore Hilton on Nov. 20-21, 2009. Over 600 students from 39 states attended this event. MOTA members Becky Austill-Clausen, Rebecca Bowling, André Johnson, Deborah Lieberman, Frank Gainer, Cheryl Morris, Kimberly Obst, Sandra Schefkind, Janie Scott, Karen Smith, and Marjorie Vogeley volunteered their time and met with students to critique resumes and give job interviewing tips.

Electronic Documentation System Developed for OTs:
  
        Here's another excellent reason to be an AOTA member! AOTA announced that it has established a licensing agreement with Cedaron Medical, Inc. to develop an electronic patient record and documentation system for the occupational therapy profession. The system will be based on the profession's research and literature including AOTA's official document, Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process. Using Cedaron's platform, OT practitioners will be able to customize the software to their individual workflow, document all components of patient care, schedule patients, and communicate directly with billing systems without repeating any steps. The system will be specifically designed to capture outcomes data using the Boston University Activity Measure for Post Acute Care (AM-PAC™) and other measures. For more information, please visit AOTA's website at www.aota.org.

MRSPA Scholarships Available:
  
        Are you an OT professional enrolled in a program leading to teacher certification? Then you may be eligible for a Maryland Retired School Personnel Association (MRSPA) Scholarship. Eligible applicants include not only teachers but "other State of Maryland public school system employees." You must intend to teach in Maryland. The deadline for applications is February 15, 2010. For details, please call 1-877-625-6782 or log onto www.mrspa.org and click, "Scholarship."

New Dog Therapy Program for Children with Autism:

        Karma Dogs (www.karmadogs.org) is a non-profit therapy dog organization based on Baltimore, MD that focuses on working with children with a variety of disabilities through a variety of animal based interventions. Karma Dogs and the Jewish Community Center of Baltimore have recently partnered to provide a very special program for children with autism.
  
        The program takes place one evening per week at the Park Heights Jewish Community Center. During this cycle of the program, the children are working on improving their social skills through interactions with therapy dogs. Children are paired into groups based on their functioning abilities and complete activities involving dogs that focus on motor skills, cognitive skills, processing skills and socials skills. The programs are developed and supervised in partnership with Karma Dogs, Occupational Therapists, Special Education Specialists, Therapy Dog Teams, and other volunteers. Programs are ongoing and they are seeking professional volunteers to participate in the programs. If you are interested in enriching their team, contact Kelly Gould at goodkarma@karmadogs.org.

Proposed Change in OTA Tuition Rate Discounts:
  
        The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) is proposing to remove the state's OTA degree programs from the list that allows out-of-county enrolled students to pay the college's in-county tuition rates. MOTA has been working with the program directors to thwart this action. Compiling information on the current employment vacancies has been especially critical to our case. From the data collected as of November 22, 2009, 31 Maryland employers stated that they presently employ 50 full-time and 30 part-time OTAs. These businesses have 16 OTA position vacancies, and the average length of time to fill a position has been 5 months. Complicating the recruitment picture is the fact that there is no OTA degree program in the State of New Jersey, so businesses must recruit from Maryland and other neighboring states for OTAs.
  
        If your facility did not have the opportunity to complete a survey, but would still like to provide information on your current OT/OTA vacancies, please send a note to email.mota@gmail.com.

DO YOU NEED REFERRALS?
    
Please let us know if you want us to refer clients to you.

Just forward the information to MOTA President Marjorie Vogeley by e-mail at email.mota@gmail.com, or conventional mail:

MOTA, P.O. Box 2742, Columbia, MD 21045
  
We need:  
• your name, practice area(s)
• practice region(s)
• phone number(s) and e-mail

DONATE TO AOTPAC!

Donation Form w/Fact Sheet - Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format

AOTPAC Facts:
 
What is a PAC?
A political action committee (PAC) is the legally sanctioned vehicle through which organizations, such as The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA), can engage in otherwise prohibited political action and work to influence the outcome of Federal elections. A PAC is the only legal and ethical way a profession can unite behind the candidates of its choice.
  
Many professions, including physicians, dentists, nurses, medical laboratory technologists, optometrists, and physical therapists have made the concept of a PAC part of their government affairs efforts, all working within the system to better their advantage.
    
Why does AOTA need a PAC?
Decisions of Congress can and do have a direct, long-range effect on the occupational therapy profession. When individuals with mutual interests unite and support candidates who share those interests, steps toward favorable action can be encouraged.  The candidates who support the profession need our professional support.
    
What is AOTPAC?
The American Occupational Therapy Political Action Committee (AOTPAC) is a voluntary, non-profit, unincorporated committee of members of AOTA. The purpose of AOTPAC is to further the legislative aims of the Association by influencing or attempting to influence the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of any individual to any Federal public office, and of any occupational therapist, occupational therapy assistant, or occupational therapy student member of AOTA seeking election to public office at any level. The committee is not affiliated with any political party.
    
Who controls AOTPAC'S money?
A five member Board of Directors makes decisions regarding which candidates will receive AOTPAC support. The AOTA Board of Directors appoints the AOTPAC Board members for a three-year term and each one represents a specific region of the United States. The funds that are raised by AOTPAC are used to their fullest potential as campaign contributions. This money, known as "hard" dollars, must be placed in a separate segregated fund. These "hard" dollars are provided by individual contributions.
    
Is AOTPAC ethical?
Yes. A campaign contribution through AOTPAC is not a means of buying votes. It is a "no strings attached" way of ensuring that responsible and dedicated legislators who understand and support the occupational therapy profession remain in or are elected to office. To ensure the money is well protected and properly spent, many detailed reports are required by the Federal Election Commission from both AOTPAC and the candidates it supports. Both must account for the sources of their funds and the purposes for which these funds are spent.
    
What criteria determine which candidates are supported?
AOTPAC makes financial contributions to candidates for Federal office regardless of party affiliation.
Among the factors relied upon by the AOTPAC Board on reaching decisions regarding which candidates will receive AOTPAC support are the recommendations of Association members and officers, the leadership of state associations, and the advice of the Federal Affairs staff of AOTA. Federal Affairs staff analyzes and interprets Congressional voting records and are able to pinpoint who is who in the area of health legislation and who supports the profession of occupational therapy.
    
What is AOTPAC's record?
For the year 2006 federal elections, contributions were used to support 109 candidates across the country with a success rate of 94%.
    
How does AOTPAC raise money?
The majority of money raised by AOTPAC is through direct AOTA member contributions.
    
Additional Resources:
AOTA Web site – www.aota.org/aotpac
Federal Affairs staff of AOTA

Donation Form w/Fact Sheet - Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format