From our Chapter President
I hope this message finds you well, as we navigate these challenging times.
Practicing massage safely has never been as challenging as we are currently experiencing. Many of us are overcoming obstacles of getting back to work. Figuring out small business loans and unemployment have been difficult for many in our profession.
Our society is grappling with how to combat racism and police brutality in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and the protests that have risen up to demand accountability and justice. Our AMTA core values include diversity, respect and dignity. I believe it is important for us to examine our profession and work to combat prejudice and racism and foster inclusion and equality together as massage therapists. I will be asking our chapter board to discover ways in which our chapter can respond to the realities of these times to make a difference. If you have experiences to share or would like to be involved, please let me know.
This year marks not only 65 years of our Chapter, but 10 years of Massage Therapist License in Wisconsin! As we celebrate this milestone, it also a good time to revisit our statutes. A few years ago, our chapter worked to introduce legislation to add stretching, kinesiotaping, and the application of body treatments into our scope of practice as well as add a requirement for a massage establishment license for massage business owners who are not massage therapists to be granted by our board. This legislation did not gain momentum and died in committee. Are these or other changes to our statutes needed? Our Chapter Board and government relations committee will work to answer this question. If you are interested in being part of this process, please let me know.
We have important work ahead of us. The future of our profession depends on us – we are the current pioneers – like the many generations of dedicated massage therapists who have gone before us, let's preserve and make a difference!
Yours in service,
Jeffrey Montoya
Wisconsin Chapter President
