April 28, 2009
Day two
Today was another busy day of session and planning for tomorrow’s hill visits. A few key items caught my attention.
First, I learned about some internet resources for keeping up with government spending and funding and legislative news:
http://www.recovery.gov/ is a website with information about how the US is spending stimulus money. It is updated daily to reflect the most accurate current spending. Each state has a similar website. I found Ohio's by visiting this link and clicking on the state of Ohio on the map: http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/state-recovery-page
http://www.grants.gov/ is a website with information about how to get the funds that are being provided by the stimulus packages.
Also, http://aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=164publishes online legislative news briefs every Monday. It sounds like a quick and simple way to stay up to date regarding new bills and appropriations.
Health care reform came up in many of the discussions today. I am enrolled in a health policy course this quarter as part of my DPT curriculum and we completed a group project in which we had to design a new health care system so I have a relatively new interest in this topic. Some of the most interesting points were mentioned during the question and answer sessions! One self-advocate spoke about the inaccessibility of medical equipment (exam tables, etc) and need for better education regarding care for persons with developmental disabilities for all physicians.
She mentioned that a physician told her she needed to get a cardiovascular workout in order to lose weight but she was unable to find an accessible fitness facility. That comment, of course, sent my brain spinning with possible projects for physical and occupational therapists and trainees!
A LEND trainee takes advantage of Q and A time during legislative briefs
One final noteworthy mention is the confusion and differences in opinion related to autism legislation. Some conference participants felt that the legislation needed to be specific to Autism. Others urged the panel of specialists to include “Autism and other developmental disabilities” in the legislation. The most interesting idiosyncrasy to me (and the trainees I was seated with) was a panelist’s response to the request to include all disabilities in the legislation. She responded that the legislation contains the wording “Autism spectrum disorders and other related disabilities.” Well, what constitutes a related disability? It sounds a bit like a loophole. Was this merely a poor paraphrasing of the legislation? I think its something we need to be aware of. After all, it was poor phrasing that caused the Medicare cap to include reimbursement for $1500 of speech or physical therapy services instead of $1500 for speech and $1500 for physical therapy.
Trainees from The Ohio State University relax after a busy day!
It was another very busy day and I’m starting to regret that I only packed one pair of black shoes because my feet could use a change! Looking forward to tomorrow.
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