
MiOTA Summer Newsletter
June 2020
In this Edition...
- A Note from your MiOTA Leadership
- Meet the new Communication Director
- 2020 Conference Updates
- Financial Report
- Membership Update
- Member Spotlight
- RA Assembly Report
- Advocacy Update
- Chapter Meeting Information
- Michigan Statewide Chapter Meeting
- SOTA Information
- Michigan OT Publishes Research in Distinguished Journal
- Research Participation Opportunity
- COVID-19 Related Information
- Help Wanted
- Professional Development Opportunities/Upcoming Events
- Questions & Answers
A Note From Your MiOTA Leadership
Dear MiOTA members,
First of all, thank you for your membership and your engagement in your state association and profession. Your membership dues facilitated our capacity to collaborate with AOTA and our MHSA lobbyist Bret Marr to obtain, clarify, and distribute information regarding the practice of occupational therapy during these unprecedented times. Everyone’s professional life has changed, we have all experienced occupational change and some even deprivation from day to day work. What a great time for occupational therapy to be recognized as essential to recovering and adjusting to social changes, overall wellness, and recovery from serious illness or injury.
Those members working in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and in-patient rehabilitation facilities have taken on consideration of a new primary condition or a co-morbidity known as COVID-19; a condition that presents with many client factors that OT is well suited to address. Occupational therapy is trained in vital sign assessment, energy conservation and breathing strategies, activity gradation, as well as the evaluation and treatment of psycho-social factors related to social isolation. Additionally, COVID-19 impacts the senses especially smell and taste as well as cognitive factors that can range from delirium to sustained cognitive impairment due to oxygen deprivation.
For those members that may have lost their day to day engagement in work life, we know outpatient clinics and schools will re-open however adjustments will need to be made as to how clients and students receive therapy and re-integrate into the community; what a better time for OT to insert our distinct value and support organizational decisions.
Community reintegration will be a big deal for individuals recovering from COVID-19 or any other disease process, injury or medical condition. As a profession, we may need to ask more questions about virtual technology, access to religious services, and adaptation of day to day tasks like banking or paying bills. Additionally, a new part of health management and maintenance will be ensuring our patients can adequately perform infection control practices for themselves, the people they may be caregiving to as well as their assistive devices such as walkers, reachers, and wheelchairs. Again, a distinct value that occupational therapy can assess and treat.
While we would never want to relive the past few months from a professional perspective, it is important to consider how the profession may grow and expand because of how individuals and leaders responded. Were you a warrior who defined the essentialness of OT? Were you a front-line worker providing occupational therapy services? Were you a healthcare professional who worked out of your direct scope of practice and supported other departments for your agency? Were you an educator who on a dime, adjusted educational practices to move on-line while still engaging students to support their education from K – Doctoral level education? We know many of you can answer “yes” to at least one of those questions; THANK YOU for all you did for your clients, patients, and organizations during these unprecedented times of a pandemic.
As we spotlight members, we want to hear about your OT Warrior Story during this past few months and how your practice is evolving as we re-open our communities. Please submit your story to rroche@emich.edu.
We know some members have possibly been touched by the disease either yourself personally, a loved one, or a co-worker; with that we all wish you safety and health.
Respectfully yours in OT,
Cathleen C. Johnson, Membership Director and Incoming Leader of Executive Committee
Kirsten Matthews, Outgoing Leader of the Executive Committee
Meet the New Communication Director!
Cheri Ramirez, MS, OTRL has been voted in by the Executive
Leadership Committee as the new Communication’s Director. Please see her statement of intent below and welcome Cheri to her new role.
STATEMENT of INTENT for the role of: COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Candidate: Cheri Ramirez, MS, OTRL
To Members of the MiOTA Executive Committee:
Thank you for considering me as a formal candidate to fulfill the role of
Communications Director. I have been practicing as an occupational therapist for
30 years, working with all age groups in both traditional and non-traditional roles.
In that time, I have witnessed a lot of growth and change in the field of OT, but
none quite like the challenge of working through the current pandemic. Covid-19
has brought to the forefront how important it is for members of our therapy
community in the state of Michigan to have a strong network of communication
to share support, ideas, and solutions to new challenges. Learning to
communicate through technology platforms, such as Zoom and GoToMeeting, has
been both a challenge and a blessing that has opened new avenues of networking
with the potential to increase membership and participation. I would love to lead
the effort of building membership, support, networking, and state-wide
communication amongst MiOTA members. Thank you again for your
consideration.
The conference planning committee has been actively evaluating the status of the pandemic on the future of our annual conference.
In early May there was an email sent out as well as a Facebook post which asked members to complete a survey regarding the upcoming conference. There were 139 responses to the 20 question survey. To summarize the findings of the survey. There were 63% respondents that prior to the pandemic were planning to attend the conference in the fall and 24% were undecided. Given the pandemic 34% were likely to attend the conference in person this fall and 24% were undecided.
The top 3 concerns for concerns relative to attending conference in the fall included social distancing (76%), personal protection (51%), and personal financial reasons (40%).
A majority of respondents (74%) were likely or highly likely to attend a virtual conference in the fall. Half of the respondents were undecided about rescheduling of the conference to 2021 while the decisive yes or no answer was equally split. A majority of respondents were comfortable using virtual platforms to view (85%) or present (40%).
Based upon the survey results the committee debated and decided to post pone the in-person conference to 2021 and instead offer a conference this fall virtually.
The virtual conference will run during the same time period as originally planned (September 24-26, 2020) provide synchronous (considered live / face-to-face). The synchronous sessions will be recorded for future access asynchronously for at least one month after conference.
The next in-person conference will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Kalamazoo from September 30 to October 2, 2021.
See you virtually at conference,
MiOTA Conference Planning Committee
Financial Report
As of May 31, 2020
Income:
Budget: $106,576.00 (Actual): $29,041.12
Expenses:
Budget: $99,030.00 (Actual): $25,943.63
Net Income:$3,097.49
MiOTA Checking: $54,149.11
MiOTA Savings: $2,507.90
MiOTA Scholarship CD: $23,060.70
Submitted by, Cindy Klinger, MIOTA
Membership Update
Dear MiOTA members,
Thank you for your membership! In April we grew significantly with a membership drive for new and renewing members. Our membership committee supported a number of virtual chapter meeting webinars/education during the past few months. We continued to recognize our members via email blasts, website postings, and facebook recognition via our “SPOTLIGHT” platform. We continue to seek speakers for our monthly educational offerings.
Spotlighting our MiOTA Members!
Each month, the Membership Committee seeks members to spotlight because of their engagement in the profession and commitment to MiOTA. The most recent spotlighted member was Colette Brzezinski, MS, OTRL. Colette recently lead a webinar for MiOTA regarding her experience as an occupational therapist working with individuals who had experienced a traumatic brain injury. See the MiOTA website for the full spotlighted moment! https://mi-ota.com/
Please consider yourself or a colleague to be acknowledged for their contribution to occupational therapy by sending Ray Roche an email at - renukaroche@gmail.com
Welcome to MiOTA UofM-Flint OTD Students!
COLETTE BRZEZINSKI, MS, OTRL
Colette Brzezinski, MS, OTRL graduated from Aquinas College in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minor in Exercise Science, and from Western Michigan University in 2018 with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. After completing her first Level II Fieldwork placement at Origami Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center in the summer of 2018, Colette had her sights set on returning to the team as an OTR/L. This dream was realized in April 2019 when she was hired as an OT specializing in vocational services. Colette works with both residential and outpatient clients with neurological diagnoses to achieve goals ranging from increasing independence with ADLs to successfully transitioning back to work. Colette is also trained to provide specialized vision services. When she is not working, Colette enjoys spending time with her husband, running and engaging in outdoor activities, and re-reading the Harry Potter series.
Colette was drawn to the profession of occupational therapy because it seemed to be the perfect mix of her two fields of undergraduate study: psychology and exercise science. She appreciated the wide range of specialties available to occupational therapists and the promise that no two days would be the same. Most importantly, Colette loved the blend of science and creativity that enables all people to lead meaningful, fulfilling lives.
A highlight of Colette’s career has been her involvement in a project emphasizing these unique qualities of occupational therapy and preparing her to contribute future research to the field. From the fall of 2016 through the spring of 2018, Colette resided in an assisted living facility to research the effects of intergenerational friendships on older adult loneliness and stereotypes between generations. This project was a collaboration between Western Michigan University (WMU) professors and three WMU graduate students. The students bonded with the assisted living facility residents through engagement in meals, facility activities, and one-on-one room visits. They found that these intergenerational relationships decreased feelings of loneliness in older adults. The project was featured in local news stories and radio shows, and Colette and her team presented the results at the 2017 MiOTA and 2018 AOTA Conferences. Colette plans to apply the lessons of collaboration between populations and innovative problem solving to vocational service program development at Origami in the coming year.
Colette’s involvement as an active member of MiOTA has also provided opportunities to present general professional and brain injury topics to current graduate students, both in the classroom and through a MiOTA-hosted webinar. She has enjoyed connecting with fellow therapists and engaging in discussion at chapter meetings. Colette is proud to be an active member of an organization that connects dedicated occupational therapists throughout the state and is grateful for the support of an organization committed to advocating for the value of its members.
If you would like to be highlighted or would like to nominate a MiOTA member, please email us at: website@miota.org
Highlights From AOTA Spring RA Assembly
Dear AOTA Members of Michigan,
I hope this message finds you well!
The Representative Assembly, the professional standards and policy setting body of AOTA, recently conducted business during a Spring meeting. Due to COVID-19 the RA held its Spring 2020 meeting virtually across three sessions on May 6, May 13, and May 20 from 8:30-10:30 pm ET.
The RA had 14 motions on the agenda to debate and vote on.For information on the
outcomes of that meeting, please read the meeting summary located on the AOTA website at
https://www.aota.org/~/media/Corporate/Files/Secure/Governance/RA/2020-spring-
meeting/Representative-Assembly-Spring-2020-Meeting-05202020.pdf
As your AOTA representative, I invite you to become engaged in the work of the assembly by
working with me to propose professional standards or policy motions within the purview of the
RA. It is my pleasure to serve as your AOTA representative and I am happy to assist you in
answering any questions you might have about the work of the RA and how we can work
together to support the profession.
Sincerely,
Sara Androyna COTAL
Advocacy Update
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 State of Emergency, MiOTA has processed and supported many of Governor Whitmer’s Executive Orders. One of the most important issues has been insurance coverage for telemedicine. As MiOTA began to coordinate a grassroots campaign for coverage (along with the Trialliance), Michigan’s Medicaid Policy was amended to include insurance coverage for allied health care professionals to bill for telemedicine practice. In addition, Governor Whitmer passed Executive Order 2020-86 expanding telehealth options for all Michigan citizens. This was a great victory for our clients and we have asked the governor to continue to support telehealth practice beyond the current pandemic.
Telehealth webinars were completed by Cathleen Johnson, Executive Director, and Jeannie Kunz, Advocacy Director on the following dates:
April 2, 2020 (Flint Chapter)
May 4, 2020 (Huron Valley Chapter)
Upcoming on June 8, 2020 (Southwest Chapter)
In addition to closely monitoring COVID-19 updates, we have commented on upcoming reviews to Auto No-Fault Rules, with specific concerns to the Department of Insurance and Financial Services for Administrative Rules for Utilization Review, Rule Set 2019-136 IF.
Jeannie Kunz, MOT, OTRL, BCP
Advocacy Director
Chapter Meetings
Our association has leadership throughout the state as evidenced by our great chapter meetings. During this pandemic we have seen the leadership take charge and facilitate virtual meetings. The Flint Chapter led by Nancy Milligan and supported by Donna Case this year led four virtual meetings during Occupational Therapy Month. The Flint Chapter virtual meetings provided many OT practitioners with PDUs and great content of information related to topics such as telehealth, efficacy of OT, and OT in the age of COVID-19 from a pediatric perspective. Huron Valley hosted a virtual chapter meeting and introduced the new chapter leader and co-leader while providing information on telehealth.
Chapters and Leaders:
Detroit Chapter - Andrea Washington
Flint Chapter – Nancy Milligan
Huron Valley Chapter – Adrienna Bartnicki
Lansing Chapter – Dilan Smith and Cheri Ramirez
Northwest Chapter – Shelly Roots
Southwest Chapter – Debra K. Lindstrom and Christin Vlietstra
Upper Peninsula Chapter – Kirsten Matthews
https://www.miota.org/volunteer_leadership.php
Active links to the contact information for these leaders are available via the MiOTA website and link above.
Seeking a Chapter Leader!
Seeking a Western Michigan Chapter leaders. The responsibilities of a chapter leader include facilitating the regional needs for networking, sharing of information, advocacy for the profession and continuing education. Chapter leaders designate support individuals to keep records of the meeting, plan events and notify members of upcoming events. If you are interested, please contact Cathleen Johnson @ cajohnson@hcr-manorcare.com . Thank you!
Upcoming chapter meetings:
- Southwest Chapter – Telehealth and Occupational Therapy in Michigan – June 8th @ 5 p.m. to register please contact swmichot@hotmail.com
- Huron Valley Chapter - Impact of COVID-19 on Practices 8/17/20 @7pm (see upcoming events section in this newsletter for more information)
Michigan Statewide Virtual Chapter Meeting
MICHIGAN STATEWIDE VIRTUAL CHAPTER MEETING!
Tuesday, June 16th, 2020 @ 8 PM
Come join us for our first VIRTUAL chapter meeting!
*Preregistration required to send log in codes*
Register by calling MiOTA office or
Emailing: kbaker@mhsa.com by 5 pm on June 15th
Subject line: MIOTA VIRTUAL MEETING
Have topics or concerns you would like to discuss?
Email to: kirstenmatthewsot@outlook.com
by 5 pm on Friday, June 12th.
Calling all Michigan Occupational Therapy Program Directors, SOTA Presidents, and faculty who support SOTA groups!
My name is Cydne Johnson and I am a student membership representative for the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association (MiOTA). MiOTA would like to present a webinar (or more) to the student members of your Occupational Therapy Department regarding student engagement in MiOTA.
Our goal is to have our Michigan OT students understand what MiOTA is and how they can take part in MiOTA-related events, as this exposure can allow them to build their resume and meet other OT professionals who work in different specialties! Along with this, we would like your students to learn about the myriad of resources that they can access through MiOTA. In doing so as young OT professionals, they can acquire a greater understanding of how to interact with those clients that they will aid as future occupational therapists.
Our goal is to host a webinar for the students of your university’s OT department, which we can do in many different ways – hosting a webinar for one classroom, or even hosting a webinar for those who attend a meeting for your student occupational therapy association. It is even possible that we could host a mass webinar for all of the OT departments in our Michigan universities, if that is preferred.
Whatever works the best for you and your students, and we will accommodate. If you are interested in setting up a webinar, please contact me at cydne.c.johnson@wmich.edu or (517) 231-4801. We hope to meet with you and your university’s OT students!
Thank you,
Cydne Johnson
MiOTA Student Membership Representative
Michigan OT Publishes Research in Distinguished Journal
FASEB is recognized as the policy voice of biological and biomedical researchers. FASEBJ's Associate Editor, Dr. Charles N. Serhan, Professor at Harvard Medical School and the Director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said of the paper, “we believe your hypothesis and potential role of the kinin system in COVID19 is worth promoting. Your hypothesis is very interesting and hopefully with publication in FJ interest will emerge for a clinical trial as you've indicated."
Ray believes that her experience as an acute care / ICU OT played a key role in this scholarly endeavor.
Read the article here: https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1096/fj.202000967
Supporting Research - ArizOTA Telehealth Tracking
The Association of State Presidents Association (ASAP) discussed the opportunity to track or log the use of telehealth in occupational therapy practice during this pandemic. The Arizona Occupational Therapy Association (ArizOTA) took the lead and developed a tracking format for each state to use to collect the data.
Due to the rapid onset of COVID and the resulting social distancing, occupational
therapy practitioners (OT)s across the country have been required to transition quickly
and without preparation from in-person therapy visits to telehealth as a delivery
platform. Over the past several years OTs have been gradually mobilizing their state
and national communities to facilitate the recognition of telehealth as a viable
treatment platform. They have also been working to ensure that OTs are reimbursed
for services provided via telehealth, as lack of reimbursement has been a barrier across
the healthcare system to the adoption of telehealth as a treatment platform. The
purpose of this study is to determine whether OTs who are currently using or who have
previously used telehealth feel this service delivery platform is effective and sustainable
for the delivery of OT services. The following survey seeks to answer this research
question:
RQ: How are OTs using telehealth and do they find it to be a satisfactory and effective
treatment platform?
If you have any experience providing OT services via telehealth, we invite you to
complete this anonymous survey. You can stop at any point if you change your mind.
The submission of this survey serves as your consent to participate in this study.
MOTEC: COVID-19 Statement: 2020 and 2021 Level II Fieldwork Reservations
COVID-19 & Michigan Occupational Therapy Board
MiOTA members – Your Executive Leader Committee at MiOTA works hard to seek guidance from LARA’s Michigan Occupational Therapy Board – see message sent and received recently.
MESSAGE:
Dear MiOTA Members,
I have been asked by many individuals regarding how this emergency is impacting one’s capacity to achieve PDU time to meet renewal requirements for May 31st. MiOTA has reached out to the LARA Michigan Occupational Therapy Board and obtained the information below.
Thank you for your membership and support of MiOTA,
Cathleen Johnson, Membership Director and Incoming Leader of the Executive Committee.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dear Ms. Johnson,
In an effort to ensure that patients can be treated appropriately, the Governor issued Executive Order 2020-61, which temporarily suspends any law or regulation that requires continuing education for a health care professional to gain licensure or renewal of their licensure while the emergency declaration is in effect.
Through May 12, 2020, LARA may recognize hours worked responding to the COVID-19 emergency as hours toward continuing education courses or programs required for licensure. So, if a regulated professional demonstrates proof of working in response to COVID-19, whether it is handling patient care or providing support in another way that is directly related to the pandemic, those hours may count toward continuing education requirements as long as they were earned before May 12, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.
If audited, licensees will be required to provide reasonably sufficient evidence to show that the hours they worked from the effective date of EO 2020-13 through May 12, 2020, were hours worked responding to the COVID-19 emergency. Examples of reasonably sufficient evidence include, but are not limited to, a written attestation by the licensee, a Human Resources Administrator, or a direct supervisor at work to the timeframe, amount, and nature of the hours worked.
If a licensee wishes to claim his/her hours worked responding to the COVID-19 emergency as CE but does not report to a hospital, please note that a self-attestation regarding those hours is sufficient. One hour worked responding to the COVID-19 emergency will amount to one hour of CE.
After May 12, 2020, licensees experiencing difficulty with completing continuing education courses that have been canceled due to emergent issues with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) should make every effort to schedule alternative courses in order to meet any necessary continuing education requirements. Many organizations offer continuing education online that qualify as in person and live. An online course may qualify as live, during this state of emergency period, if it allows you to interact in real time with the course presenter (it cannot be a recorded presentation).
Please note that R 338.1252(2) of the Occupational Therapist Administrative Rules requires “1/2 of the required continuing education contact hours shall be completed in person using live, synchronous contact. The remaining continuing education contact hours may be completed in any other format.” In addition, R 338.1252(1)(a) limits not more than “10 credit hours to be earned during one 24-hour period for on-line or electronic media, such as videos, internet web-based seminars, video conferences, online continuing education programs, and on-line journal articles.”
MCL 333.16205 of the Michigan Public Health Code affords licensees the ability to request a waiver of continuing education by the Board. Requests must be received before the expiration date of the license. However, approval of waivers are not guaranteed and the final determination rests with the board. If requesting a waiver, you may wish to provide documentation to support your written request.
Andria M. Ditschman, JD
Senior Policy Analyst
Boards and Committees Section
Bureau of Professional Licensing
Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
HELP WANTED!
Please contact Cathleen Johnson to express your interest.
Association Assembly
Advocacy Director – Jeanette Kunz
Public Policy Director - Lisa Johnson
Reimbursement Coordinator – Nancy Krolikowski
Ad Hoc Telehealth Lead - VACANT
Ad Hoc Mental Health/ Behavioral Health Lead - Andrea Weid
Liaisons to the OT Board of Michigan - VACANT
Communications Director – Cheri Ramirez
Networking Coordinator – VACANT
Newsletter Coordinator – Robin Pegg
Website Coordinator – Holly Grieves
Membership Director – Cathleen Johnson
Retention Coordinator – Sonny Grendel
Activation Coordinators- Ray Roche & Nancy Hock
Continuing Education Coordinator - Jennifer Schank
Finance Director – Cindy Klinger
Member-At-Large – Jayne Yatczak
Student Member Rep - Cydne Johnson
Associate Member Rep - VACANT
Liaisons
Blue Cross/Blue Shield – Kirsten Matthews
MASPOT – Donna Case
Medicaid – VACANT
Medicare/UGS – Kim Murphy
Volunteer Leaders
Listserv Coordinator – Keeli Baker
By-Laws Committee Chair- Ruth Lamphiear & Julie Smith
Contracts Attorney – Karen Agacinski
Bylaws Attorney – Leslie Kamil
Nominating Committee- Mary-Jo Vaughn
Fall Conference Coordinators
Denise Justice
Kirsten Matthews
Cindy Klinger
Friends of MiOTA PAC
Claudette Stork-Reid
Board Members: Tamara Gerber and Jacquelin Eckert
American Occupational Therapy Association
AOTA Liaison - Chuck Wilmarth
AOTA Representative - Sara Androyna
Special Interest Sections (SIS)
Administration and Management - Kim Murphy
Education - Joanne Crain
Hands - Rasa Poorman
Pediatrics and SI - Kirsten Matthews
Regional Chapter Leaders
Detroit – VACANT
Flint - Nancy Miligan
Huron Valley – Adrienna Bartnicki
Lansing - Dilan Smith and Cheri Ramirez
Northwest - Shelly Roots
Southwest – Debra K. Lindstrom and Christine Vlietstra
Upper Peninsula – Britta Pennell and Kirsten Matthews
Western – VACANT
Muchmore Harrington Smalley and Associates
Office - Keeli Baker
Lobbyist - Bret Marr
Last Updated: 6/1/20
Southwest Chapter: Telehealth Discussion
Monday, Jun 8, 2020, 05:00 PM
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Huron Valley Chapter Event - Impact of COVID-19 on Practice
Please join us for the next MiOTA Huron Valley Chapter meeting! We will be hosting a networking opportunity to discuss how the recent pandemic has influenced occupational therapy practice services and delivery. Please join us for snacks and a free PDU!
RSVP to Adrienna Bartnicki at adriennajulien@gmail.com.
Feel free to send specific discussion topics or questions to Juliane Chreston at juliane.chreston@cuaa.edu. We look forward to meeting you there!
Monday, Aug 17, 2020, 07:00 PM
812 Monroe St, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
One of the tasks the volunteer leadership of MiOTA does on a regular basis is field questions from our membership regarding practice, legislation, rules and regulations as well as issues related to ethical practices. Here are a few of the Q and A’s that occurred during this past quarter.
Question: Are practitioners required to complete a pain education course every two years for re-licensure?
Answer: Yes, every two year cycle all healthcare professionals including occupational therapists are required to participate in at least one hour of education related to pain.
Question: Can practitioners use the excess educational hours they completed during this two-year cycle for re-licensure towards the next two-year renewal period?
Answer: No, our recommendation would be to ensure that the education completed in a renewal period occurs during the time frame from renewal to renewal to ensure timely, up to date information.
Question: Why OT was not included in the language to support respiratory services? (Physical therapy as a profession was identified in Executive Order No. 2020-30)
Answer: Our understanding is that the profession of physical therapy has historically included content, training and experiences w/ respiratory interventions including suctioning, sit and spit, and pulmonary toileting.