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Colorado Athletic Trainers' Association |
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CATA Newsletter Summer 2004
IN THIS ISSUE….
CATA to Begin Legislative Action CATA Committee and State Representative Openings 2004 CATA Scholarship recipients Excellence in High School Athletic Training AWARD 2004 Outstanding Promotion of Athletic Training Award 2004 Corporate Sponsorship Committee Secondary Schools Athletic Training Committee Professional Liaison Committee RMATA Public Relations COMMITTEE Appointment CSU – Pueblo Receives CAAHEP Accreditation
Dear Members,
I hope you are all having a great spring season. The beautiful Colorado summer is only a few short weeks away!!!
During one of the most beautiful weekends of this year, so far, many of us were “stuck” inside at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers Association (District 7) Annual Symposium. But, believe me, it was well worth it; you can ask anyone who attended the conference (123 Colorado members). The symposium was very impressive, with interesting and knowledgeable speakers.
I especially would like to thank the CATA members who helped with the registration booth and other duties. Their efforts really made the meeting a fantastic success. The RMATA Board of Directors was very impressed with our organization, and they asked me to extend a hearty thank you.
On Saturday evening of the RMATA convention, the CATA held our annual business meeting. We conducted a great amount of new and old business, and still managed to keep it under 1 ˝ hours. Each committee chair gave a report of their actions throughout the year, and those reports are detailed in this newsletter. We also accepted nominations for board member positions that will be voted on in 2005.
Openings of various committee and state representative positions were announced at the meeting. A full listing and application instructions are detailed later in this newsletter. The board of directors also reported on the success of our strategic planning goals for this past year. I would like to thank each CATA member who found the time to attend the meeting. It is very important that each certified athletic trainer in the state of Colorado take part in our business meetings. Our association is only as strong as the members are willing to make it!
Please review this newsletter thoroughly. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact me, or any board member.
Sincerely,
Chris Mathewson Colorado Athletic Trainers Association President
CATA to Begin Legislative Action Chris Mathewson
At the RMATA convention in Broomfield last month, the Colorado Athletic Trainers Association Board of Directors (BOD) unanimously passed a resolution to seek legislation for licensure of athletic trainers in the state of Colorado. This decision is the culmination of years of research, membership education, and a sincere belief that the move is the best one for our profession.
This issue had been simmering on the back burner for a while until Richard Rogers, NATA Governmental Affairs Manger, contacted me in early November and conveyed the NATA’s desire for all 50 states to implement some form of athletic training (AT) legislation in the near future. Mr. Rogers said that Colorado is a priority because it is one of the larger remaining states without AT legislation.
Currently 39 states have either AT licensure or registration statutes; four states have some form of exemption; and seven states have no type of legislation regarding athletic trainers. The NATA is now strongly encouraging the eleven states without AT legislation to begin the legislative process.
I spoke very frankly with Mr. Rogers and said that Colorado as a whole is a very luke-warm state when it comes to AT legislation. For every member who is gung-ho for regulation, there is another member who is dead-set against it. And, the vast majority, despite requests for input, have expressed no opinion whatsoever.
I also told him of the efforts of less than three years ago when the BOD worked for a full year to present the pros and cons of AT regulation to the Colorado membership. We researched the process extensively, published four major newsletters on the topic, hired an attorney to analyze the legal standing of athletic trainers in Colorado, and arranged for him to come to present his findings and answer questions regarding the legislative process at our annual business meeting and clinical symposium.
After all was said and done, the membership response was resounding apathy, so we did not pursue legislation at that time.
So what has changed in the last three years to resurrect this issue? We now have NATA’s full attention and support, and this time their support includes significant financial backing. The BOD agreed unanimously that we should not let this opportunity slip through our fingers. Once the decision was made, the BOD got to work behind the scenes, setting procedures in place to turn this vision into reality.
Up to this point, the BOD has completed the following activities:
To accomplish our task we will need a very organized, methodical, approach for action. We are in no position to “force” legislation through, nor do we want to. We are also in no position to hire a team of attorneys and lobbyists. The BOD is committed to the quest for athletic trainer legislation and intent on seeing it through to completion. However, it is a daunting task that will probably take at least two years. We need your help. If you are interested in assisting on the Legislative Action Committee, please contact any board member.
If you carry the credential of a certified athletic trainer, regardless of work setting, athletic training legislation will affect you! But the BOD would ask that you view this topic from a larger angle than, “how does this affect me personally?” We hope you will approach if from the standpoint of, “how is this going to help my profession, both locally and nationally?” Your Board of Directors had to do just that, and when we did, we felt it is the best thing to do for certified athletic trainers in our state.
Let’s work together and carry this through to completion this time.
Why should Colorado seek state regulation of athletic training? The reasons are myriad, but let's focus on just a few. First, and foremost, is the protection of the public. While the BOC is the national standard for determination of whether a person may practice as an athletic trainer, i.e. whether they meet minimum standards of practice and competency, they have no real teeth to prevent someone from working as an athletic trainer. It is only in working in concert with a state regulatory body that the BOC gains real power to protect the public. Without effective state regulation, anyone can call themselves an athletic trainer and not have the necessary training, thus putting the public in jeopardy.
Second, job opportunity increases. The fastest growing segment of NATA membership is in the clinical setting. Currently, roughly 33% of NATA members are employed in the clinical setting in some manner. With state regulation, opportunity in this setting increases as the marketability of the ATC grows. ATCs then become more than someone who works as an aid to another health care professional or in the high school outreach capacity. They become an employee capable of producing an additional revenue stream for their employer. While this is not automatic upon the passage of strong regulatory language, it does become, with a bit of hard work, a possibility.
Third, the respect for the profession increases. While this aspect is often the least measurable, it does exist. Physicians will be more willing to take on an athletic trainer when they understand that the state licenses the profession. Insurance carriers are willing to entertain the possibility of reimbursing for AT services once they understand what an athletic trainer is and they see the state regulation of athletic training as a health care profession.
Finally, the regulation of the profession in all 50 states meshes with NATA's goals. As NATA seeks Congressional approval of athletic trainers as qualified health care professionals to provide services to the expanding Medicare population, regulation in as many states as possible will only help to make this process easier. I encourage all of you to get involved with Colorado's efforts to seek state regulation of athletic training. You have great leadership that is working diligently to make sure this process goes smoothly and produces the best possible language that allows ATCs to perform ALL of the functions you are educated and trained to perform.
NATA will be there however we can to assist along the way.
Rich Rogers NATA Governmental Affairs Manager
CATA Committee and State Representative Openings Chris Mathewson
At the CATA annual business meeting, in Broomfield, three members offered their resignations from their positions within the CATA: Mary Anne Erickson, Student Athletic Trainer Committee Chair; Wendy Mathewson, Scholarship and Awards Committee Chair; and Mike Keating, Committee on Revenue State Representative. The CATA Board of Directors accepted each resignation. We would like to thank each member for their dedicated service. Their efforts have made our organization stronger.
The RMATA Board of Directors has requested that the CATA appoint members to serve as state representatives for the following national/district committees: Clinical, Industrial, Corporate Committee; College and University Committee; Governmental Affairs Committee.
With the legislative effort undertaking, the CATA is also in need of a committee chair and 20-25 members to serve on the Legislative Action Committee. Our legal advisor has recommended that we have members from every practice setting and geographic area of the state serve on the LAC.
As a result of the resignations, request for appointments and formation of the Legislative Action Committee, the CATA has the following positions open:
The CATA is a very successful association due entirely to the volunteer efforts of our board and committee members. If you are interested serving OUR organization please submit a letter of interest and resume to me. Applications are due by June 30, 2004.
Please consider serving.
2004 CATA Scholarship recipients
Jim Conboy Memorial Scholarship Award Winner – Elizabeth McMurtry
Elizabeth is a senior at UNC with a GPA of 3.42 who anticipates graduating in May 2005. Her peers and athletic training supervisors rank her in the top 10% of students that have graduated from the program at UNC. Along with the curriculum program at UNC, Elizabeth also attended the RMATA spring conference in 2004, the CATA conference in 2003, and has been appointed the UNC athletic training society president for the last 2 years. Congratulations, Elizabeth!
Dan Libera Memorial Scholarship Award Winner – Holly Biewenga
Holly is a senior at Elizabeth High School with a 3.9 GPA who will be attending UNC in the fall. In her freshman year in high school, Holly attended the CATA student conference at Regis, where she decided that athletic training was what she wanted to do. She also attended the UNC student athletic training camp during the summer of 2003. She started as a student athletic trainer her junior year when her school was able to hire an ATC. She is described by her AD as a individual who ”steps to the plate with enthusiasm, high energy and competency”. Congratulations Holly!
Both Elizabeth and Holly will be receiving a $500 check as award recipients. The Jim Conboy Memorial and Dan Liberia Memorial Scholarships are available each year. The application deadlines and requirements can be downloaded off the CATA web site.
Excellence in High School Athletic Training AWARD 2004
The first year for the award is complete and I would like to take a moment to update, explain and, hopefully, inform everyone about the award. My idea with this award was to develop a vehicle for acknowledging certified athletic trainers at the high school setting in the state of Colorado. I have worked as a high school athletic trainer for several years in two states, and I know that we have athletic trainers in the state of Colorado who are among the best in the country. High School athletic trainers are the real heart of our profession. We were able to present two programs with $1000 each for their respective programs. We officially awarded them at the Utah Jazz, Denver Nugget game in March during Athletic Training Month.
The 2003-2004 winners were Todd McKercher and Jennifer Meyer from Grandview High School and Jim Campbell from Overland High School. Both schools have excellent programs with outstanding student athletic trainer education and development programs. Both schools have numerous student trainers committed to colleges to pursue their careers in athletic training or other sports medicine related fields. We had nine wonderful programs nominated. I visited three schools, and the choices were very difficult. I am not surprised, but very impressed, with the quality of athletic training in Colorado high schools.
I am continually working to improve and grow the program. Bill Hanzlik, a former Nugget player and head coach who currently runs the Gold Crown Foundation, found out about our award and has taken a genuine interest in helping me secure a sponsor for the award. I will be meeting with Bill and a possible sponsor early in May. Bill thinks it is a no brainer, and that we should be able to secure an organization to help us out further. We will continue to offer the two $1000 awards for sure, but my hope is to gain more financial backing to increase the award in the following manners. One, I would like to increase the awards to the two high schools to at least $2000 each. Two, I hope to be able to provide tuition for a number of high school student athletic trainers to attend one of the athletic training workshops that are offered by a number of our universities around the state. I had toyed with the idea of running a student athletic trainer workshop in the summer, but I do not want to take away from potential source of income for out state universities. By offering this tuition support, we are giving back to the universities. Thirdly, I have considered the possibility of having an annual award for one of the many small college athletic training programs throughout the state. Another change that will start next season will be that you will only need to apply for the award and not need to be nominated. It was brought to my attention that many athletic trainers felt uncomfortable with trying to find someone to nominate them for the award.
I feel we have a good start with the award, but I would really appreciate any feedback that you may have. Keep up the hard work, and I will keep you updated.
Jim Gillen, ATC Head Athletic Trainer Denver Nuggets
Outstanding Promotion of Athletic Training Award 2004
Recipient: Jim Gillen of the Denver Nuggets
Jim Gillen was responsible for organizing, planning, and fundraising to establish an “Excellence In Colorado High School Athletic Training” Award. This award gave two Colorado high schools a $1,000 check and a plaque for their program. The award was given just before the Nuggets game on March 15th. More than 18,000 people witnessed the event at the Pepsi Center. Each school was also given tickets for the game, including their student athletic trainers. In addition to the work related to the award, Jim also arranged for the CATA Public Relations committee to have a table in the concourse to educate the public and to give away pens, lanyards, and water bottles to celebrate National Athletic Training month. The night was a great success, and Jim did a excellent job of not only giving recognition to deserving Colorado high schools, but he was also able to educate the public on what a Certified Athletic Trainer is. Great job, Jim!
Corporate Sponsorship Committee
The Corporate Sponsorship Committee is currently finalizing the letter that will be sent to the potential sponsors. We are working on collecting names and information of potential sponsors. Currently, we have approximately fifty names. We are trying to finalize the details of this project in an effort to have this program up and running by the end of May.
Jason McWilliams – Committee Chair
Secondary Schools Athletic Training Committee
I am
still working on collecting the following information from all high schools in
CO:
Lisa Lear – Committee Chair
Professional Liaison Committee
The Professional Liaison Committee has recently been formed in an effort to build relationships within the medical community. Our goals are to increase awareness in the medical community regarding the field of athletic training, as well as to identify and educate as to our role in the medical community. The committee currently consists of: Gwyneth Short (committee head), Steve Wade, Frani Jenkins, and Harmony Rech. The committee is currently developing a model that will most effectively promote the field of athletic training within the medical community.
Gwyneth Short – Committee Chair
The following members were nominated for and the 2005 election:
Vice President Carrie Haugen Scott Thomas
At- Large Member Roger Clark Lisa Lear Chris Nagelhout Lisa Porter Gwyneth Short
Secretary Gregg Harper Jason McWilliams
Biographical information and ballots will be sent to all voting members in April 2005 and the results will be announced prior to the May 2005 Symposium.
Robert Ryan – Committee Chair
This has been an eventful spring for the public relations committee. National Athletic Training month was a big success due to a lot of effort from many athletic trainers throughout the state.
Award Recipients receive their awards center court of the Denver Nuggets game, March 7, 2004.
RMATA Public Relations Appointment
Bob Tim has accepted the appointment to become the CATA representative to the RMATA Public Relations Committee. Thank you, Bob, for giving your time to serve in this capacity.
A quick reminder goes to our members who have not returned their information and dues to the NATA. Please take the time to get that in to the NATA.
In an effort to save the CATA $500 a year, and to better align the website with the other states in our district, the CATA website will be moving to a new internet address.
This change will take place this summer.
The new website address will be: www.rmata.org/cata
Please make the correction on your browser. Be sure to bookmark the site and visit often for the latest news and updates in the CATA.
CSU – Pueblo Receives CAAHEP Accreditation The athletic training education program at Colorado State University – Pueblo recently received CAAHEP accreditation. This makes it the fourth accredited athletic training education program in the state of Colorado, along with Northern Colorado University, Mesa State University and Fort Lewis University. The program completed a three-year candidacy period with the JR-AT. Dr. Roger Clark was hired as program director at the beginning of the third year of candidacy. The self-study report was completed and submitted to the JRC-AT, June 2003, under the leadership of Dr. Clark. The program received an on-site visit by representatives of the JRC-AT during the fall 2003 semester. The Colorado State University-Pueblo Athletic Training Education Program was awarded CAAHEP accreditation during their April 2004 meeting. Accreditation couldn’t have been a reality without the hard work and support from James Paul-Head Athletic Trainer, Dr. Carol Foust-Chair of EXHPR, Joe Folda-Athletic Director, Misty Murphy-Assistant Athletic Director, Colleen Conroy-Clinical Instructor, Laura Clark-Clinical Instructor, and Darrin Smith-Assistant Athletic Trainer/Clinical Instructor. CSU-Pueblo has a rather unique, but successful approach to the operation of the athletic training education program and provision of athletic training services to CSU-Pueblo Athletics. This is achieved through a team approach referred to as the Athletic Training Team (AT Team). For information about the program, contact Dr. Roger Clark at (719) 549-2530 or roger.clark@colostate-pueblo.edu |
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