2019 Legislative Summary Report

• The 2019 Colorado General Assembly adjourned on May 3, with the governor having thirty days to act on all passed legislation. There were 598 bills introduced (compared to 721 in 2018), with 170 bills related to the topic of health care. The highest profile, and most controversial, bill related to health care was HB 1312, concerning immunization of children, which died in the Senate on the last day of session.
• The OTAC legislative committee met monthly since December and tracked a final total of 18 bills. HB 1117, limiting the regulation of professional licenses under DORA, was defeated in the first committee and HB 1312, concerning the immunizations of children, died in the Senate. Four bill have already been signed by the Governor. As of May 3, 12 bills passed and are awaiting action from the Governor.
• OTAC had a successful session from grassroots and policy perspectives. There was a successful legislative lobby hill day on March 20, with the lieutenant governor, Dianne Primavera, starting the event. After her speech, we had a series of Democrat and Republican legislators speaking on a wide range of topics from opioid addiction treatment to the 2020 reauthorization of the occupational therapy practice act. After the speakers concluded, participants lobbied freshman legislators, educating them about the profession of occupational therapy.
• The most significant health issue debated during the 2019 session was reinsurance for health care. As introduced, the legislation would have reduced the fees that hospitals pay for occupational services. We worked with a coalition of health interest groups to eliminate this provision. This legislation was heavily debated with the final legislation providing for the funding to come from hospitals, the Federal government and the vendor fee.
• Treatment for Opioid addiction and recovery continued to be addressed at the legislature. The legislative committee endorsed two (SB 008 and SB 228) of the three bills related to this topic.
• Another important bill to occupational therapy was HB 1211, concerning the process of reauthorization of medical services. Although the bill was amended, the final version still brings some transparency to a controversial process that often limits the visits an injured person can use for occupational therapy services.
• There is going to be three interim committees addressing health care issues. These issues range from the costs of insurance, to studying health care concerns affecting all Colorado residents, and competition in health care markets.

A complete legislative report of the 2019 Colorado legislature, including bill number, sponsor, and final action, can be found here.

Creighton Regis Occupational Therapy Students’ Pop Up Bakery Featured Tasty Treats and Increased Awareness of Mental Illness

Eckhart Tolle once said, “Awareness is the greatest agent for change.” Increase the community’s awareness of mental illness is exactly what two Creighton Regis pathway Occupational Therapy students set out to do as a component of their final rotation in their doctorate program.

The first Depressed Cake Shop Pop Up in Denver was held at Brewability Lab on Saturday April 27th, 2019. Dr. Andrea Thinnes, Occupational Therapy faculty at Creighton University and two Occupational Therapy students, Sylver Agomoh and Alexa Trujillo hosted the Depressed Cake Shop as a component of the students' Doctoral Experiential Component of the doctoral program. “One in four people will experience, or be touched by a mental health issue at some point in their lives” (DCS, 2019).

The Depressed Cake Shop is a unique (and delicious) platform designed to raise awareness of mental illness. “We provide a safe place for conversation and detailed resources that will enable interested bakers and organizers to raise funds for mental health charities through locally organized pop-ups “ (DCS, 2019). In addition to the tasty treats sold, Agomoh and Trujillo created a comprehensive list of mental health resources local to the area and gave them to anyone who visited the pop up bakery. Conversations and personal stories were shared by those that visited the pop up which made for a rewarding experience!

The inaugural Denver pop up bakery raised $1,017.50 to support the National Alliance on Mental Illness for the local NAMI Colorado chapter. Trujillo and Agomoh acknowledged the partners who contributed to make the event a success: Brewability Lab for the wonderful space for the pop up bakery, Coquette’s Bakery of Colorado Springs, Cupcake Girls of Colorado Springs, Walmart of Aurora, King Soopers of Aurora, Starbucks of Aurora, fellow Creighton doctoral students and family.

Alexa Trujillo and Sylver Agomoh are Occupational Therapy students in the Creighton Regis pathway and graduate in May of 2019. Dr. Andrea Thinnes, OTR/L is an Assistant Professor in Occupational Therapy at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and served as the faculty mentor for the student endeavor.

Depressed Cake Shop, DCS (2019). Mission & FAQ. Retrieved from
http://depressedcakeshop.com/about

Submitted By Alexa Trujillo, OTS; Sylver Agomoh, OTS; and Andrea Thinnes, OTR/L

Student Corner: CSU Student Occupational Therapy Association Silent Auction Fundraiser Success

Colorado State University’s Student Occupational Therapy Association hosted their annual Silent Auction fundraiser on March 1st, offering a night of entertainment, networking, and donation opportunities to CSU OT students and faculty, OTAC members, and OT practitioners. Proceeds from this event support CSU SOTA members in attending professional development opportunities as they prepare to become OT practitioners.

Together attendees enjoyed live music, door prizes, and hors d’oeuvres while exploring auction tables filled with items to bid on. The majority of the auction items were donated by local Fort Collins small businesses and included a variety of unique items including ski rentals and lift tickets, homemade art and jewelry, and many different gift cards to attend coffee, dinner, comedy shows or enjoy massages and facials.

The Silent Auction event was a huge success! Donations for auction items surpassed SOTA’s goal, students and OT practitioners participated in significant networking, and students learned from OTAC board members of the importance of membership in OTAC and the support the organization offers practitioners, for example, supporting the upcoming renewal of OT licensure legislation. Silent Auction funds will be used by CSU SOTA members to participate in professional development both locally and nation-wide including: 2019 AOTA conference fees, OTAC and AOTA membership fees, splinting courses, and NBCOT preparation. A portion of the funds will be donated to a non-profit organization supporting members of the local Northern Colorado community. We hope to see you all at next year’s CSU SOTA Silent Auction!

Kristina Ihrig, OTS, OTAC CSU Student Representative

In Memoriam: Claudia K. Allen

Claudia Allen, MA, OTR, FAOTA who influenced generations of OT practitioners, students and educators around the world passed away on February 25, 2019. Her contributions to our profession and the field of rehabilitation are countless as she informed the practice of Occupational Therapy with persons with cognitive challenges and offered us many tools to provide client-centered care.

Rightfully, Claudia was named one of the 100 most influential people in our profession by AOTA for developing the Cognitive Disabilities Model, with its assessment tools and caregiver strategies that promote best ability to function for clients with cognitive impairments.

I had the privilege to attend many of her trainings and seminars throughout my career and now despite the sad news of her passing, I feel gratitude and humbleness to have learned directly from such an important person in our profession.

Thank you once again, Claudia Allen.

Carmen Aguirre, OTR/L
Board Chair of Professional Development Chair