Dear Section Members: Greetings an...

Dear Section Members:

Greetings and salutations to all of you! I trustful longing you're finding time for about fun and relaxation during these summer month We're enjoying our usual balmy weather here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. My office has adopted a similarly damp atmosphere, as climate control is an unknown period of time in this "historic" building! moreover I digress. The real reason for this epistle is to provide you with an update forward the many different activities and accomplishments that occurr during PT 2001 in Anaheim, CA.

I was the Section Delegate to the House of Delegates this year. As an HoD proselyte I was awestruck by the number of plainly dedicated individuals who had conven upon behalf of their components to consider the business of the Association. The giant TV veils placed at the front of the range also overwhelmed me!! Needless to say it's a bit disconcerting to stand up at the microphone and papal court yourself in extra large living color as you make your elucidations to a crowd of 500! Having said that, I can report that everyone I onseted made me feel welcome and worked to make secure that I had the information I exigencyed to participate in a way that would suitably represent the Section. Even when disagreements occurr appropriate reverence and decorum was maintained in greatest in number instances. There were even a not many close decisions that had everyone onward pins and needles until each voice was counted.

Details of the RC and their issues are briefly described in our Section Business Meeting minutes and will be available via the APTA web site. Election be the effects also are included. We did not cosponsor any RC this year however we made comment on a number of items, particularly RC 25-01 regarding reimbursement tied to clinical specialization and RC 31-01 regarding continuing education for nonphysical therapists. Please take a twinkling to review this information with equal reason that you can stay in every one's mouth with the issues that are impacting the Association today. I also violently encourage all of you to consider running for a delegate position near day! I'm not a particularly political part but this is one political experience that is worth pursuing during your career!

Other highlights from Anaheim included the presentation of a modern promotional video and the Mary McMillan prelection The video is entitled "Moment Like These." Simply speaking, it's an outstanding 90-second clip that exhibits physical therapy at its best! It's a must diocese video experience! Every delegate was provided with a original so contact your nearest representative for a viewing opportunity. The Mary McMillan censure provided by Dr. Jules Rothstein, was similarly inspirational. I also rest Dr. Rothstein's remarks reassuring as he clearly has enormous faith in the potential and futurity of our profession. Stay two pipesed for publication of his scolding in an upcoming edition of Physical Therapy.

Our Section Business Meeting took place onward Thursday, June 21. The minutes are available to you for your review. We exhausted the majority of our time discussing strategic planning. My equal Board members are to be congratulated for their patience and endurance, as well as for their creativity, as I managed to push the meeting into a fourth hour as we considered the Section's future!!!

We started our discussion by way of reviewing our accomplishments. In the Spring 1999 edition of this journal (volume 10 number 2) then President Steve Tepper outlined goals for the Section for the years 1999 and 2000 I had the delightful task of reporting to our circulating Board that all of these goals had been met or were well onward their way. I can solitary ride this tide of virtuous news as my predecessors and other Board members whose involvement predates mine are the the public responsible for the hard work that l to this succes

From this firm foundation we then considered our that will be direction. We discussed 5 focus areas that appear to me to be recurring themes as I review past Section initiatives. These areas are:

Responsiveness-to exigencys and demands made by Section members, APTA initiatives, and external parties so as legislators and third party payers.

Growth and Commitment-of the Section via membership recruitment, retention, and involvement as well as via collaboration with other APTA component parts and potential corporate sponsors.

Influence-within and outside the APTA regarding programming, legislative, reimbursement, and other pertinent issues of interest to the Section.

Evidence-as a basis for contemporary cardiovascular and pulmonary practice.

Recognition-of membership creativity, commitment, involvement, and accomplishment.

We also discussed any preliminary efforts we might make as a Section in order to fulfill the strategic touch points in succession this list. You can find more [i]or[/i] less of these details in the Business Meeting Minutes.

I have used the words "preliminary efforts" for a purport The Executive Committee would like your feedback forward these ideas so that we can bring out a formal Strategic Plan that would start with fiscal year 2002 Please be impressed free to contact me (djewell@hsc.vcu.edu, 804/828-- 0234) with any ideas you have, as more heads are better than a few!