According to a news release from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) a bill was introduced by Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) called the Veterans Physical Therapy Services Improvement Act of 2009 (HR 1036). The news release states that the bill will improve the recruitment and retention of physical therapist (PT) in the Veterans Health Administration. (VHA)
Well it is about time! Some attention is given to our veterans. The people who risk their lives for the safety of this country, they deserve all the best that the country has to offer when they return from wars. The APTA applauds the introduction of this act and welcomes it with open hands. I join the APTA in applauding this introduction; it is a good step in the right way for helping the veterans of this country.
The news release states that the legislation will open a Director of Physical Therapy Service position that will report to the Under Secretary of Health, ensuring that as the profession advances the VHA keeps current with issues related to the physical therapy profession's education, qualifications, clinical privileges, and scope of practice. The release also states that the legislation will create a new fellowship program for physical therapists in the areas of geriatrics, amputee rehabilitation, polytrauma, and rehabilitation research. This will hopefully improve the quality of the service offered by PTs and increase the interacting between these professionals to advance the profession in the right way to help the veterans and other patients. All for the people who deserve it the most, the people who risk their lives to keep us all safe; the veterans.
I am happy to see that a representative is thinking about the veterans and their well being, I hope that this bill is passed that there are a lot more like this to come that will help out the people who risks their lives and sometimes suffers a lot physically and mentally just to keep the great country of The United States of America safe. Thank you!
For more information about the bill visit the website at http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News_Archive&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=55295
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Being a former physical therapy student, I am interested in this article and what the world of physical therapy is up to.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article I would really like to know what else Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has done. If she is willing to help out the veterans of our country I can only imagine that she has made other influential decisions that are only just as good for our country.
A good way of expanding a profession is to include the profession with a multitude of groups of people. Veterans do not receive much attention, so including physical therapists with the veterans was a great idea on Herseth Sandlin's part.
To make this process even better, you mentioned a fellowship for the physical therapists to join. This way, they can learn all they can about topics that they will definitely deal with when healing veterans.
Great article!
Bridget Hastings
4/3/09
Reading your blog made me very happy. I agree that it is about time we pay some attention to Americas veterans. My friend is being deployed in about a week to Afghanistan. He and many others are risking their lives to protect the United States, so it is great to hear that people are pushing to get them better medical treatment once they are back in the United States. Increasing the standards needed for Physical Therapist working with veterans will most be great for veterans and I really hope this bill is passed. This was a very interesting article.
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