Empowering Change: Panel on OT Advocacy at the State Level

Course Description

State-level advocacy is crucial for expanding our scope of practice, securing Medicaid coverage, and ensuring licensure. Join us to hear from experienced advocates and leaders, bring your questions, and learn how you can get involved to make a meaningful impact in your community. Your voice matters—discover how to use it to drive change and advance our profession.

Objective 1

Participants will gain insights into how state-level advocacy impacts the scope of practice, Medicaid coverage, licensure, and other critical areas affecting occupational therapy professionals.

Objective 2

Participants will learn practical steps and strategies for getting involved in state-level advocacy, including how to effectively communicate with policymakers and influence legislation to benefit the OT community and their patients.

Speakers

Clarice Grote, MS, OTR/L

Clarice Grote, MS, OTR/L, is an innovative advocate, Medicare specialist, host of the Amplify OT Podcast, and Founder and CEO of Amplify OT. Amplify OT is dedicated to promoting the profession of occupational therapy and its practitioners through education on health policy, billing, and advocacy. Practitioners, universities, and students use her resources to learn how to navigate the US healthcare system and see the opportunities for OT.

Melissa Kimmerling, EdD, MOT, OTR/L

Melissa Kimmerling is an occupational therapist in Nebraska. She has served in a variety of professional roles including Nebraska Representative to the Representative Assembly of AOTA (2016-2019), Vice President of Policy and Advocacy for the Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association (2019-2023), and the Nebraska Representative to the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (2022-present). She is now serving as the task force lead for the Nebraska OT Association’s scope of practice project.

Mary O’Donnell, OT, OTD, MS

Mary O’Donnell, OTD, OT, MS is an occupational therapist living and working in Massachusetts. She is an Assistant Professor in the OT Department at the MGH Institute of Health Professions and a pediatric occupational therapist with experience in a number of practice settings. She currently serves as the Co-Government Relations Representative for the Massachusetts Association for Occupational Therapy (MAOT). Dr. O’Donnell is passionate about advocacy in OT practice. She co-founded the MAOT Advocacy Special Interest Group and currently does research exploring advocacy participation among OT practitioners.

Haley Matuszek, OTD, OTR/L

Haley Matuszek, OTD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator for the BS/MS, MS, and Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at the University of New Hampshire. Her clinical experience is in Inpatient Rehabilitation and Inpatient Acute Care, with a passion for working with individuals with limb loss, orthopedic injuries, and burns. She is the Co-Chair for Advocacy in the OT Practice Special Interest Group within the Massachusetts Association for Occupational Therapy (MAOT). She currently resides in the North Shore of Massachusetts

Candice Mullendore, MS, OTR/L

References