New President Takes Reins in July
Childress Tops Faculty for New Special Skills CourseThe Academy will debut a new education offering in September when the first program in the Advance Training Series will be on Overview of Gait Analysis for Prosthetists and Orthotists. The program will be presented in partnership with Northwestern University Prosthetic Orthotic Center September 27-29 in Chicago. Future "short courses" will cover other pertinent O&P skills over two, three, or even four days depending on the subject and be limited to about 30 practitioners. Frank Bostock, CO, FAAOP, John Michael, CPO, FAAOP, FISPO, and Dudley Childress, PhD developed the concept of the Advanced Training Courses. Bostock described the course as one where "practitioners can expect to leave with a skill they can use when they complete the intensive training." Other notable members of the faculty besides Childress include Steven Gard, PhD, Stefania Fatone, PhD (Australia), Margrit-Regula Meier, PhD, CPO (Switzerland), Rebecca Stine, MS, Mark Edwards, MS, CP, and Bryan Malas, CO. Registration (by August 28) is $995 for Academy members, $1095 nonmembers and includes a Gait Analysis text by Dr. Perry plus breakfast and lunch each day. More information about the Advanced Training Series can be found on the Academy website at www.oandp.org.
RSA Grants in Trouble
Scully Named as Head of HCFATom Scully, former association executive and lobbyist has been named to head the Health Care Financing Administration. Scully expects to restructure HCFA to make it more accessible to consumers who receive Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Changes are likely to include a new name for the organization. Tommy Thompson, Secretary, Health and Human Services, also made reference to a possible new name when he addressed O&P practitioners at the Policy Forum in Washington. Scully was the former CEO of the Federation of American Health Systems (now called Federation of American Hospitals) and a partner with Patton Boggs, a Washington law firm. He was also in the Bush (Sr.) White House and director of the Office of Management and Budget where he previously had oversight of Medicare and Medicaid budgets. Chapters Offer Strong Support of Negotiated RulemakingPresident-Elect Gary Lamb will begin his term as President on July 1, but he wasted no time before tackling the priorities facing the Academy. In a letter to chapter presidents Lamb acknowledged the unusual confluence of events that have taken a toll on the organization's finances and asked for their help in special funding of the Negotiated Rulemaking Process. The year-long process is likely to cost between $100,000-$200,000. The Academy will ask its chapters and members to help fund its seat at the Negotiated Rulemaking table. "Several chapters have responded with contributions or have placed the issue before their respective boards," said Lamb. "New York State responded immediately with $5000 and we really appreciate the commitments for contributions from Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania, especially at this point in time when we have so many new activities that are outside our normal operating budget," he added. Letters will be sent to all ABC-certified practitioners alerting them to the impact of the issues being considered in Negotiated Rulemaking will have on their practice and profession. Contributions may be made directly to the Academy by mail or by phone or website using a credit card.
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Gary A. Lamb, CO, FAAOP will begin his one-year term as the next Academy President on July 1 succeeding Thomas V. DiBello, CO, FAAOP who will assume the role of immediate past president. The move completes the change of the governance year from the previous December to November year to the current July to June cycle. The bylaw change was voted by the membership last summer and adapts the timeframe such that the sitting president is able to discuss activities at the Annual Business Meeting that have already occurred rather than his plans for the year. The shift was recommended by the Board to increase accountability.
Each year about a half million dollars are given by the Department of Education to three O&P schools for the benefit of their students and programs. That won't be happening in 2002 according to a notice in the Federal Register. The baccalaureate grants will "not be competed" (not offered) which is likely to have a detrimental effect on O&P programs. "This is serious," said a stunned Scott Hornbeak, CPO, director of the program at California State University - Dominguez Hills. "We really rely on that money." Doug McCormack, an attorney with Arent Fox in Washington, DC and the Academy's advocate for Project Quantum Leap, which is going after government funding for O&P schools, was equally concerned. He has begun talks with the Department of Education to determine if other alternative funds may exist.
The Academy moved its offices at the beginning of May to less expensive office space about a mile from the previous address. Nothing was lost, broken, or even chipped during the move reported Executive Director Tom Gorski at the Board's recent meeting in Washington. "The money we save in rent will go directly to member programs," said President Thomas V. DiBello, CO, FAAOP. The 10-year lease for the O&P National Office expired in May forcing the Academy and its sister organizations to look for appropriate space elsewhere. The move also coincided with a change of association management systems.
