Play for Health Across the Lifespan

Sarah Fabrizi, PhD, OTR/L

As you may know, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) issued a press release last week containing guidelines related to the Treatment of Gender Dysphoria for Children and Adolescents. 

 

As stated, the press release is guidance and does not create a requirement for health care practitioners.

 

According to our practice framework, and regardless of condition or diagnosis, occupational therapy practitioners support clients by offering evidence-based treatments which affirm the lived experience, encourage exploration of identity, provide a safe and supportive environment, maximize strengths and resources, reflect on consequences of treatment approaches, facilitate participation in preferred roles, and prevent loss of engagement in meaningful occupations. 

 

Clinicians with specific questions regarding the guidance should contact the DOH directly. 

 

Clinicians should also feel free to reach out to [email protected] with comments, concerns or to speak with practitioners familiar with these topics. 

 

FOTA will continue to share information as it becomes available.

 

Sincerely,

 

Your Government Affairs Team"

OT Scope of Practice Legislation Stalls in Senate [Government Affairs]

The 2020-2021 Legislative Session was the first of its kind for the State of Florida. In response to the global pandemic, the State Capitol closed its doors to the public around March 2020 and only reopened to the public in May of 2021. During this time legislators and relevant stakeholders met virtually for committee meetings, to provide testimonies, and execute the legislative process that, by Florida law, usually requires physical presence. Despite these challenges, the Florida Occupational Therapy Association (FOTA) was still able to continue service throughout to its constituents by advocating for an updated OT Scope of Practice (Scope).

The Occupational Therapy Practice Act had not been updated in over two decades. For the past two years, FOTA has been working with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy, and our sister professions to thoughtfully modernize language that reflects current & future practices. Prior to the start of the 2021 legislative session, FOTA enlisted the sponsorship of Representative Traci Koster and Senator Jennifer Bradley. These Bill sponsors were chosen because of their known track record for service to Florida’s citizens and involvement in committees that administer bills of this nature. The Governmental Affairs committee for FOTA and legislative representatives, Johnston & Stewart, vetted language with House and Senate staff while reviewing the language with key personnel from the Department of Health and Board of Occupational Therapy. FOTA’s Scope Bill was filed early to allow ample time for movement through committees. The House Bill 543 passed its two committees of reference and the entire House chamber unanimously. The Senate Bill 990 passed 2 of its 3 committees unanimously. When it was time for the final Senate Appropriations Committee vote, the Bill was surprisingly left off the agenda. Communication with the Appropriations Chair and the President’s office revealed no concerns other than they simply ran out of room on the agenda. It was sometime later FOTA learned the primary limiting factor was technical language included within the Bill referencing the Gardiner Scholarship Program (GSP). Because the GSP was repealed and merged into a different program during the same session, certain language in the OT Scope was rendered obsolete which ultimately prevented inclusion into law this session.

The Florida Occupational Therapy Association (FOTA) is proud to continue its service to members and consumers of OT during the 2021 Florida Legislative Session.  Thus far we have spoken to at least eight different legislators directly involved in the examination and vetting of our proposed updates to the Occupational Therapy Scope of Practice (Scope). Your FOTA representatives have also met with other relevant stakeholders such as The Florida Board of OT and the Florida Department of Health to solicit feedback and support of these essential updates to our Scope.

Now it’s your turn!

TREATING ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN THROUGH 36 YEARS OF PRACTICE: EMBRACING CHALLENGES, ENHANCING LIVES 2020

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

These are unprecedented times that we are living in, as we continue to face a pandemic and social injustices that are pervasive throughout society. As an association, FOTA is here to support our profession by reaching out to occupational therapy practitioners and the community to meet their needs. There have been various meetings, sessions, resources, and initiatives orchestrated by the team of volunteers and our lobbyists to keep everyone abreast of changes and equip you with the tools to navigate these times.

FOTA has been leveraging technology, relationships, and other partnerships to keep everyone connected and equipped with support and information. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we have provided resources, activities, and opportunities for practitioners to come together while staying safe and informed. During the month of April in celebration of our profession, FOTA Connect was launched to provide a way for practitioners to communicate, network, and be informed on practice issues. We held 5 consecutive weeks of livestream sessions, with members receiving free continuing education, on the following topics: Telehealth, Entrepreneurship, Advocacy, Leadership, and Financial Planning. Additionally, in light of recent awareness brought to social injustices and racism, FOTA hosted a Listen, Learn, and Lead: Be the Change session, which was an intimate conversation attended by students and practitioners. We will continue to provide such opportunities as a member benefit and seek your assistance to volunteer, join in, and support such initiatives.

Florida Medicaid Health Care Alert

April 27, 2020

 April 1, 2020 

COVID-19 Update and Resources 
Resource link

Amidst the continuing changes as a result of COVID-19 (coronavirus), I wanted to reach out and update everyone on the most current resources, supports, and activities. As it stands, Governor DeSantis has issued a stay-at-home order for the next 30 days. With April being Occupational Therapy month, FOTA wants to continue and support occupational therapy practitioners and establish a sense of community. 

From AOTA

The Role of Occupational Therapy: Providing Care in a Pandemic

 COVID-19 Update and Resources

March 22, 2020 

FOTA recognizes the impact of Covid-19 (coronavirus) on individuals, families, the nation, and our world as we all adapt to these uncertain times. OT Practitioners across the state of Florida have all been challenged to remain healthy and ensure safe practices to prevent further community spread. As many of you have worked in various sectors or continue to be on the front lines, the influx of executive orders at the local, state, and national level can cause confusion as to what steps to take next. Of the utmost importance is to ensure your safety and that of your family, while following orders to reduce and prevent community spread.

I was recently inspired by Stephen Covey’s internationally acclaimed book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey, 2004). In it he states, “Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground and there’s no greater investment” (Covey, 2004, p. 70). This reminded me of the term reflective practitioner (Adam, Peters, & Chipchase, 2013; Bannigan, & Moores, 2009; Knightbridge, 2019; O’Reilly, & Milner, 2015; Parham, 1984), and the process of self-discovery that educators hope will occur during their OT and OTA students’ level II fieldwork journeys. Self-awareness, self-discovery, and the process of self-reflection are key tenants in identity creation, which in this context, is a level II fieldwork student’s ability to establish a clinical identity as an entry-level prepared practitioner. Quality fieldwork educators are key in this identity transformation from student to occupational therapy practitioner. The maturation process that culminates in successfully passing fieldwork, thus allowing graduation, is only the beginning of the self-growth journey that has just begun for these new practitioners. As fieldwork educators, awareness of our own self-growth equips us to mentor these future colleagues and model compassionate and effective service delivery. Our ability to reflect on our clinical competencies and the identity transformations that continually occur throughout our careers and lived experiences empower our distinct value as occupational therapists. It elevates and inspires human potential within us, our clients, our colleagues, and our students. Allow me to reflect on a recent self-growth journey of my own.

This year I chose to say yes to a professional opportunity that required significant self-awareness, self-reflection, and proactivity towards my career as an occupational therapy practitioner; a valued role that I take great pride in, and one that significantly contributes to my self-efficacy and sense of purpose. I said yes to academia after more than 17 years in adult inpatient rehabilitation – an area of clinical practice that will forever remain my first love. This one “big” decision, of saying yes to a new job as an Academic Fieldwork Coordinator (AFWC), was much more than a singular decision made in a one-dimensional context. It required countless smaller, yet just as “big” decisions, whose consequences affected multiple individuals, systems, processes, and relationships across a myriad of environments, both personal and professional. My decision could not be made without an awareness of the occupational disruptions that my self-perceived “big” decision would surely cause in my colleagues’ lived work experiences, as well as in their perceptions of me as their boss. It was a decision that required months of continual assessment, reassessment, reflection, and consideration of my valued roles, habits, routines, goals, co-occupations, relationships, and performance abilities. Ultimately it was a decision that challenged my occupational therapy identity (Laliberte-Rudman, 2002; Laliberte-Rudman & Dennhardt, 2008).

Overview

Every Legislative Session, representatives and students from the Florida Occupational Therapy Association travel to Tallahassee to advocate on behalf of the occupational therapy profession. Our firm strategically selects members of the Legislature for FOTA to meet with, based upon the organization’s legislative priorities at the time. In October, during interim committee weeks, FOTA conducted a mini-Hill day focused on increasing Medicaid reimbursement. There is significant work to be done on this issue but starting the conversation in advance helps to build champions for the future.

The 2020 Legislative Session is early this year due to the elections, with the 60-day Session commencing on January 14^th and ending on March 13^th. Due to scheduling, the regular FOTA Hill Day was conducted during the Legislative Session, providing an opportunity for FOTA members to discuss legislation already moving through legislative process.