ArPTA Elections
(terms to begin in 2009; ballots will be mailed to the membership)
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Vice-President: 2 year term
Steve Forbush
Joel Sebag
Secretary: 2 year term
Debbie Crandall
Delegate: 2 year term
Sam Allen
Twala Maresh
Nominating Committee: 3 year term
Stan Harris
Lara Lamastus-Waite
Leah Lowe
PTA Caucus Rep: 1 year term
Cheryl Jordan
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Steve Forbush
- candidate for Vice-President
City of residence:
Conway
Primary Clinical focus: Orthopedic PT, Bariatric Rehab
Primary facility: University
Previous professional service:
APTA Appointments and Activities:
Elected to Nominating Committe
For HPA Section 2008-2011
Appointed, Bylaws Committee, HPA section, 2007-2010, Elected Delegate, APTA House of Delegates,
1984-1993, 1995-1998, 2000-2003,
Member, Orthopedic Section,
Foot and Ankle SIG, Manual Therapy, SIG, Member, Section on Administration, APTA, 1995 to merger, Member Section on Health Policy and Legislation, Member Section on Health Policy and Administration, APTA,
merger-present, Member, Private Practice Section, APTA, 1986-1992
ArPTA Elected Offices, Appointments, and Activities:
Elected, Vice President, ArPTA, 2007-2009, Appointed, Chair Reimbursement
Panel, 2006, Appointed, Chair Bylaws Committee, 2006, Appointed, Co-chair
Federal Affairs, 2007
PTAG Elected Offices, Appointments, and Activities:
Elected, Nominating Committee, PTAG, 2003-2005, Task Force on Physician
Owned PT Services 2004
FPTA Elected Offices, Appointments, and Activities:
Elected,
Director at Large, FPTA, 1987-1989, 1999-2000, Elected, Chief Delegate, FPTA,
1994-1997, Elected, Nominating Committee, FPTA, 1990-1993,
Chair or Member of Task Force/Committee on: Direct Access,Geriatric Exercise
Programs, Managed Care, Continuing Education, Reimbursement, C oordinator,
Practice Panel, Continuing Education Accreditation
Committee, Third Party Payer Committee,
Reimbursement Panel, Conference Committee, Legislative Panel,
Numerous
Northern District, FPTA, Elected Offices, Appointments, and Activities
Personal statement: Communication
is going to be the key to growth in the ArPTA over the next few years. The
licensed physical therapists in Arkansas have a relatively negative
impression of the APTA and ArPTA from some past episodes and now need to be
shown that the environment is changed and all the ArPTA/APTA can be and is
doing for them. This can only be accomplished through concentrated service
of the ArPTA to all members and potential members and a concentrated
marketing effort. I would hope, if elected to this prestigious position, to
revitalize district activities where they are needed (through offers of free
or inexpensive continuing education and contact into the Districts),
participate in membership recruitment activities (through contact in person
and in correspondence with all licensees on a regular basis), and create an
environment of collegiality amongst each and every PT and PTA program to
work together to convert more students to full membership on graduation. I
would also like to re-emphasize collegial relationships with the clinical
base (therapists and assistants working full time in the clinics) as this is
the base of who we represent as a professional organization.
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Joel Sebag
- candidate for
Vice-President
City of residence: Harrison
Primary Clinical focus: Orthopedic PT, Geriatric PT, Neurologic
PT, Aquatic PT, Cardiopulmonary PT
Primary facility: Health System or hospital based outpatient
facility, private outpatient clinic,
SNF/ECF/ICF, School
System (pre-K, primary, secondary), Industry
Previous professional service:
Member
ArPTA and APTA, Chairperson, Coalition for Hometown Health (Children's
Obesity and Health and Wellness program)
Personal
statement:
I
would like to be part of the physical therapy organization so that I
can express some of my views regarding health and promotion to the
community and how our organization can be part of the solution,
especially senior adult wellness and children's obesity problem. Also, I want us to focus on the biggest problem that physical therapists
are facing with reimbursement.
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Debbie Crandall
- candidate for Secretary
City of residence:
Fayetteville
Primary Clinical focus: Women's Health and Hospital
Administration
Primary facility: Acute Care Hospital
Previous professional service:
practiced clinically in multiple care-setting continuously until 2000 and transitioned into Management and Administration.
Now
serve as the Administrative Director of Northwest Medical Center-Willow
Creek Women’s Hospital. A member of the APTA since 1974; served as the Treasurer and
Secretary of the ArPTA.
Personal statement: A
key focus for the Health Care industry is quality and patient safety. The
primary focus for the APTA and ArPTA must be quality education and
information for physical therapist and physical therapist assistants whether
in education, clinical based practice, or research. Access to excellent
educational materials is a key step to improved evidenced based practice and
better patient outcomes. This is key to the success of the individual
therapist/assistant and the profession.
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Sam Allen -
candidate for Delegate
City of residence:
Little Rock
Primary Clinical focus: Orthopedic PT-practice, Neurologic PT-
research
Primary facility:
Health
system or Hospital Based Outpatient Facility
Previous professional service:
Research Poster presentations at
CSM
2006, 2007, and National
Conclave 2007. Volunteer: University of
Central Arkansas Alumni Board, Hendrix
College Alumni Board of Governors UCA Physical Therapy Class of 2007
Vice President, Habitat for Humanity President and Vice President Hendrix
College- Junior and Sophomore year.
Personal statement: No
Dues without Representation! (Fortunately we have representation). APTA
members’ beliefs and concerns are represented through the House of Delegates
which serves to navigate the growth and future of the physical therapy
profession. The House of Delegates is a pathway in which every member can
become actively involved with the policy and procedures of the APTA from
re-imbursement advocacy to public awareness as a profession.
You can become active through awareness of current issues
that will be presented during the next House Session. Your views on these
issues can be relayed to your chapter’s delegates to assist in how he/she
will direct their vote. If you have an issue that is pertinent to your
clinical practice, please address these concerns to a delegate and a motion
representing your concerns may be proposed during a House Session.
In serving as your delegate, I pledge to represent the voice
of the ArPTA members, inform and poll members on upcoming issues to be voted
on during House Session, and bring forth any suggested motions that would
enhance our ability to practice as physical therapists.
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Twala Maresh
- candidate for Delegate
City of residence:
Cabot
Primary Clinical focus: Neurologic PT,
Equipment Assessment and Assistive Technology
Primary facility: College or
University; Research Center
Previous professional service:
ArPTA Delegate
one year term – 2007-2008; ArPTA
Secretary (2 terms of 2 yrs each); ArPTA Nominating committee member (2 yrs)
and chair (1 yr); APTA Section member of Neurology, Acute Care,
Administration and Education; Member of the SCI SIG; Member of Rehabilitation
Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America; Member of the
Wheeled Mobility and Seating SIG; Associate Member of the American Spinal
Injury Association; Appointed Member to the Fundraising and the
Communication Committees
Personal statement:
I feel
that the direction for both the ArPTA and the APTA should be education to
the public and the physical therapy community, as well as advocating for all
physical therapists to take responsibility for the profession of physical
therapy. As we progress toward the doctor of physical therapy in all
physical therapy programs, the profession of physical therapy must
strengthen in numbers and in voice. As delegate, I would strive to
represent all physical therapists in the state of Arkansas on a state and
national level. It would then be my duty to educate the therapist
concerning legislative issues that directly or indirectly impact the
profession and their practice.
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Stan Harris
- candidate for Nominating Committee
City of residence:
Little Rock
Primary Clinical focus: Orthopedic PT,
Chronic
pain/HA’s
Primary facility: Private Outpatient Clinic
Previous professional service:
served as an advisor for Rehab Net; no formal
service with APTA
Personal statement: Our profession has come a long way since its beginning but I see problems
ahead if our associations are not well-supported. As a private practice P.T.
it’s even more important to me for our profession to strive for autonomy and
the only way to achieve this is by changing laws that limit this. It
certainly has helped that our schools saw the need for the doctoral degree
in PT – a step in the right direction, but we are ultimately being
squeezed into a corner by others who want theirs as well. Though I have not
been so involved in the APTA in the past, I see the need to become more so
in the future as I hope others do as well. We can win if everyone pitches
in, and I see that I need to play a role in some way.
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Lara Lamastus-Waite
- candidate for Nominating Committee
City of residence:
Fayetteville
Primary Clinical focus: Pediatric PT
Primary facility:
School System
(pre-K, primary, secondary)
Previous professional service:
APTA
Section Member:
Pediatrics Section, past member: Aquatic Physical Therapy Section,
Neurology Section, Orthopaedic Section, Sports Physical Therapy Section;
Special
Olympics Healthy Athletes FUNfitness:
Volunteer,
Searcy, AR, 2005, 2006, 2008; Ozark
Komen Race for the Cure:
Volunteer, Fayetteville, AR, 1999-present
Personal statement:
I
appreciate the opportunity to be elected to the nominating committee of the
ArPTA. It is essential to have a strong representative body to initiate and
oversee the development of laws that promote the goals of our profession. I
believe it is important for professionals at all levels of experience to
stay connected and active in protecting, improving, and stimulating those
ideas that help PT professionals provide quality care to our patients. In
nominating officers, I would strive to develop a slate of candidates that
includes both experienced and newer professionals who are ready to provide a
continuum of leadership.
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Leah Lowe -
candidate for Nominating Committee
City of residence:
Conway
Primary Clinical focus: Pediatric PT
Primary facility: Private Outpatient Clinic, School System (pre-K,
primary, secondary)
Previous professional service:
I actively participate in
the grass roots efforts with the APTA Political Action Committee (write,
call legislators). I volunteer with the Triumph Soccer League currently
here in Conway in coordination with Community Connections. This is a soccer
organization that teams up with several soccer groups around town and
provides a safe and fun environment for children with special needs to be
involved in group and team play.
Personal statement:
All those who are
members of the physical therapy profession certainly are aware of the
benefits and substantial need for physical therapy across age groups,
genders, and races. If you ask any family in Arkansas and quite possibly
America if they know anyone who has required physical therapy, they will
most likely answer “yes.” Physical therapy is and will always be a
necessary service in the world of rehabilitation, health/wellness, and
prevention of injury. With that said, the association made up of those
therapists should not only focus on developing the public perception and
accessibility to the professional skills they offer but also to protecting
and developing the opportunities afforded to that profession. It is
important that we as an organization not only directly communicate with our
legislators but also with our public whom we serve to educate them and help
guide the decision making processes that affect our profession and the
ability to provide skilled therapy in a variety of settings.
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Cheryl Jordan -
candidate for PTA Caucus Rep
City of residence:
Hot Springs
Primary Clinical focus:
Sports Medicine/Orthopedics
Primary facility: Sports Medicine/Orthopedics
Previous professional service:
2007
Caucus Representative, 2008 Caucus Representative
Personal statement:
I
believe the focus of the APTA/ArPTA, regarding PT Assistants should be to
educate the public as to the role of the PTA. By public, I refer to all
lay persons, legislatures and fellow health care providers. Also, I believe
the most important focus should be membership of PTAs in the association.
If re-elected for another year as Caucus Representative, I
plan to continue to work at increasing membership in the ArPTA/APTA, pursue
the possibility of the State Board of PT Examiners creating a seat for a
PT Assistant. Lastly, to promote awareness and interest in PT Assistants
obtaining a full vote vs the ½ vote we currently have.
I look forward to my second national conference this year in
San Antonio and learning more of what it means to be our Caucus
Representative.
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