Your Communicator 2024 IN TOUCH AMTA-KY Fall Newsletter

Fall 2024, Volume 31, Issue 2

In Touch

The Newsletter of the

American Massage Therapy Association

Kentucky Chapter

Fun Fall Fling!

In celebration of the season, this year we are planning a meetup at Eckert's Orchard in Versailles, KY! Because it is a meetup, it will be self-pay. Please feel free to bring family with you. We can't wait to see you all and the lovely people who love and support you!

What: Fun Fall Fling

When: October 13, 2024, at 1PM

Who: You! and any family you'd like to bring

Where: Eckert's Orchard, 1396 Pinckard Pl, Versailles, KY

A Message from Your

AMTA-KY Chapter President

Jo Ann Klein, BSIBS, AASMM, LMT

Happy Autumn! I can scarcely believe that it’s already Fall. It’s been a whirlwind Summer, full of family, friends, and adventures. My latest adventure was attending the 2024 Volunteer Leadership Conference and the National Conference in Tampa, Florida last week.

The VLC was an amazing experience, learning how to better serve our members and how to be a better volunteer. The keynote speaker was Dr. Heather A Hayes. She taught us about the importance of speaking and listening styles. Fun Fact: there are 4 of each.

The National Convention had 35 educators. They taught such varied topics as cupping, the science of pain, increasing cervical mobility, non-fatiguing passive movement therapy, to name a few.

I got to hear Spencer Pon speak. He is the 2024 winner of The Massage Therapy Foundation’s Student Case Report Contest. He explained the research he had done to increase ankle mobility in a patient with Cerebral Palsy.

This was followed by a panel discussion on the benefits of mindful awareness in body-oriented therapy. I found this discussion fascinating!

I hope you can come to Eckert’s Orchard on October 13th. I look forward to seeing you and your family there.

Jo Ann Klein, BSIBS, AASMM, LMT

AMTA-KY President

2024 AMTA National Convention

This year's National Convention was September 12th-14th in Tampa, FL. For all of the members who were able to attend, it was wonderful to meet you all and we sincerely hope you enjoyed your time in Florida, learned new things you can take back to your practice from the panel of world-renowned instructors, and made new friends and connections.

Not sure what the big fuss is about the AMTA National Convention? We asked our first timers to tell us what they thought about this year's convention, and this is how they responded:

Heather Wood told us: Attending the AMTA National Convention in Tampa this year was an extraordinary experience. I had the opportunity to meet several esteemed professionals in the field, and the classes I participated in exceeded my expectations. As a first-time attendee, I encountered some challenges but gained invaluable insights along the way.

My advice for future attendees is to plan table arrangements in advance rather than attempting to coordinate on-site. Additionally, while we opted for an Airbnb instead of hotel accommodations, this choice limited our networking opportunities and participation in chapter events.

I had the pleasure of connecting with many remarkable individuals from across the country while exchanging our Kentucky Chapter pins. The memories created in Tampa are truly priceless, and I eagerly anticipate the next convention in Dallas.

Paula Richards says: I would highly recommend All Massage Therapist to participate in the AMTA National Convention.

It was such a great experience for me as a first timer. I learned so much and met some amazing like-minded people. Networking was so much fun! I would encourage to have group meeting of the KY AMTA beforehand to let new people know what to expect and to coordinate a meet up before hand at the location. Overall, I loved it and looking forward to the next one!!!!!

Have you thought about volunteering with us and wondered about the volunteer experience at National?

Board Member, Marcella Thompson, sums it up very well with her response: This year's conference was absolutely amazing. Our 2 days of VLC was so invigorating, inspiring me to think bigger on how to help my board and state in the present as well as what our future holds. Having the opportunity to rub elbows, network, open lines of communication that would never come to be without this conference is life changing. To mesh and socialize with authors, mentors and head-lining leaders in our profession brought a new definition and profound feeling to the word commUNITY! Thank you AMTA for this chance of a lifetime. Thank you AMTA KY chapter for continuing to contribute to the best of massage therapy in our state. If you are not a part of this wonderful organization, come on! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Join now, promises 10x over of priceless lifelong experiences!

Hopefully, this gives you a small taste of what you can expect from the National Convention. The 2025 AMTA National Convention will be in Dallas, TX, August 21-23. We look forward to seeing all of you that are able to attend!

Delegate Report

2024 National Convention

Kim Alexander, LMT

Delegate, Even Year

The AMTA Assembly of Delegates (AOD) met prior to the opening of the National Convention held in Tampa. The meeting was held the afternoon of September 11. I was in attendance, representing the Kentucky Chapter.

Since the election in March, National has been hosting open houses for discussion of topics relevant to the state chapters. The open houses are designed to allow the delegates to have interaction prior to the conference. We have participated in discussion with delegates from across the country via Zoom and also by email.

AOD Delegates receive Position Statements and Discussion Topics a few months before National Convention, that have been submitted by members in the hopes of becoming the AMTA official stance on a subject or for consideration for future Position Statements. We read them, discuss various points, ask questions of the author/s for clarification purposes before making them public to our state’s members. We send out emails with the discussion information and connect it to the Kentucky Chapter.

We ask our members to email us their questions, concerns, thoughts. Delegates take this information to the AOD meeting, where we have discussions in small groups and can address the moderator/delegates

with these perspectives, along with our own.

There were several Position Statements and Discussion Topics in 2024 submitted for consideration. A position statement and discussion topic were selected by National for further discussion and consideration at the 2024 conference.

Discussion Topic: How would having unified definitions on modalities such as Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Sports Massage and Clinical Massage shape the Massage Therapy profession?
Proposed Idea for a Position Statement (PIPS): Massage therapists could benefit from a position statement on the effects of massage therapy on abdominopelvic pain.

During the AOD discussion, the position statement on massage relative to abdominopelvic pain was passed to a research workgroup for further research.

The discussion topic generated a robust discussion in all groups. There were several terms suggested for defining. Ultimately, the discussion groups did not arrive at a uniform definition for Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports massage, and clinical/medical massage.

One statement asked for input on what “speaking the same language” meant relative to having massage therapy be integrated into healthcare. Delegates spoke of:

The need to be “multilingual” with our clients, the general public, other healthcare professionals – i.e. changing the words we use based on who we are talking with.
Be careful when using acronyms and abbreviations.

I felt the information gained was important and look forward to next year’s outcomes on these subjects as well as new Position Statements and Discussion Topics. Thank you for the opportunity to represent Kentucky members at the National level.

Kim Alexander, Delegate

Government Relations Report:

July 21, 2024

Ann Boone, LMT

Government Relations Chair

The National AMTA has filed a lawsuit challenging the Federal Department of Education (DoE) bill that was passed on October 1, 2023, and which was scheduled to go into effect on 7/1/24. It is now on hold due to this and other lawsuits.

it is important to support the “Smucker Amendment” as it would allow Title IV schools (i.e. those who offer loans/grants, etc. and are regularly audited by an accrediting agency), to teach up to 150% of the state minimum clock hours for a chosen vocation. For Massage Therapy in Kentucky, the current minimum number of clock hours is 600; 150% of this would be up to 900 clock hours. As a profession, we are hearing more of a call to be recognized as Healthcare Practitioners. Decreasing the number of clock hours in entry level Massage Therapy education programs is not the answer. We will continue to watch current and new developments.

In an effort to continue to elevate the profession of Massage Therapy, The Healthcare Advocacy & Research Committee (HARC) was established in 2023 to support the ongoing AMTA Government Relations as it relates to the clinical and integrative care environment. I am honored to have been selected as one of seven AMTA member Massage Therapists in the country to be on this working committee. We have only begun the work of reviewing the Standards of Practice for the Massage Therapy profession to determine what, if any, changes may need to be made moving forward. This will be a slow, deliberate process and we will continue to update our members regarding this committee’s progress.

At this time, adding Kentucky to the Interstate Massage Compact put forward by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) proposing a bill to promote portability of Massage Therapy has been tabled due to opposition of certain aspects of the proposal. Military families are currently able to take advantage of this portability. AMTA continues to work with the FSMTB, Association of Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP) and other vested parties to continue to explore the best way forward.

Microcurrent devices have been approved to use within our scope of practice by the Kentucky Board for Licensure in Massage Therapy (KBLMT). We are currently working with a PEMF company (BEMER) to have that device also fully approved as well. These were both approved within our scope 3/18/21. However, approval of the CE classes by the KBLMT for each device is necessary in order for them to be fully approved within our scope of practice.

Finally, on June 30th I attended the American Association of Equine Therapists and Technicians (AAETT) annual conference at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. I went as an individual and not a representative of either the KBLMT or AMTA. I was interested in sitting with equine therapists, veterinarians and others involved in equine therapies to hear their concerns and desires as they find a way forward to regulating animal massage in Kentucky. I have also had discussions with members of the National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure and Massage (NBCAAM) to learn about their requirements for certification. The Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners (KBVE) continues to work on a framework for Animal Massage regulation. Board members and licensees with the KBVE would like input into developing a program and certification process. Please contact them at: kbve.ky.gov and request to be on their mailing list for any developing information or with any questions. Please pass this information along to any interested equine therapists. Your input and engagement are encouraged as they are looking at revisiting state certification in the next few years. KBLMT has expressed interest in having a seat at the table with regards to regulatory input and has been in regular contact with them.

In health,

Ann E. Boone, LMT, BCTMB, MLD-C

Remember: Please continue to check the KBLMT website for any updates (bmt.ky.gov).

We will share updates as we receive them as well.

If you have any further questions, please contact Ann E. Boone, LMT at grchair@amtaky.org.