On September 23rd, 2019, 521 occupational therapy advocates went to Capitol Hill to promote three issues that will have an impact on the occupational therapy profession. More information on those three issues can be found at the end of this post.
AOTA’s Annual Hill Day is a wonderful opportunity for occupational therapy advocates from across the country to meet with their legislators and talk to them about issues that will impact their practice. We schedule the events of the day to make sure advocates are prepared to take action and have time to run around, across, over, and around (again) on Capitol Hill. Hill Day is a wonderful opportunity to speak to your legislators and to make a difference for occupational therapy in the years to come. For a look of the Tweets sent out by attendees, you can search #OTHillDay on Twitter & Instagram or take a look at our Twitter Moment. If you have any other questions, check out the FAQ on AOTA’s Annual Hill Day, or contact us at HillDay@aota.org. Thank you to all 2019 Hill Day Attendees for making the day such a huge success!
Speaking of success, here’s a breakdown of the numbers:
Hill Day & Virtual Hill Day netted 14 new co-sponsors across the 5 bills for which we were advocating!
Co-sponsorship is important because it’s a legislator signaling that they not only like the bill, but want to say, before there is a vote, that they approve of and are willing to put their name on this piece of legislation.
- 95 Occupational Therapists
- 7 Occupational Therapy Assistants
- 369 Occupational Therapy Students
- 48 Occupational Therapy Assistant Students
- 2 Associates
- 89 companies represented
- 60 schools represented
- 35 states represented
All in all, we had 230 meetings with legislators or their staff scheduled for the day! That is 230 opportunities to build relationships with the legislators who represent you in Congress.
Virtual Hill Week Numbers
The Issues at Hand
For a look at the issues on which we focused, follow the links below: The One Pager and the Talking Points were materials used in the Hill Day meetings. The Engagement is an opportunity for you to contact your legislators on these issues. The Narrated PowerPoint is a resource created for you by AOTA’s Federal Affairs team if you’re interested in learning more about the legislation.
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act (S.1725/H.R. 3127):
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act One Pager
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act Talking Points
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act Engagement
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act Narrated PowerPoint
The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act (H.R. 3637):
The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act One Pager
The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act Talking Points
The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act Engagement
The Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act Narrated PowerPoint
Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act (S. 2500/H.R. 2431):
The Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act One Pager
The Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act Talking Points
The Mental Health Professional Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act Engagement
The Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act Narrated PowerPoint
Whether in Virtual Hill Week or in person at AOTA’s 2019 Hill Day, thank you for taking action this year. If you haven’t taken action yet, it’s never too late to begin advocating for your future using AOTA's Legislative Action Center. Happy Advocating!