June Rubdown

Topics:

• Healwell News
• State and National News
• AMTA Files a Lawsuit Against the Department of Education
• Association News
• Upcoming Live and Online events

Healwell's Glossary of the Massage Therapy Profession
ABMP News Page
AMTA News Page
International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork

ABMP's Response to Change.org Petition
AMTA and Friends of Veteran's Affairs Research
Massage Therapy Foundation's Bob King Legacy Grant
NCBTMB Strategic Plan
USOLMT Board
Lorimer Moseley TED talk: Why Things Hurt
Black Massage Therapist's Conference

Transcript

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Speaker 1 0:07

Welcome to the Rubdown , a news update about massage therapy . I'm your host , kori Rivera , licensed massage therapist and correspondent . Every month , the Rub will bring you news from the world of massage therapy . Today's Rubdown will include news from June 2024 . Don't forget , the HealWell blog has a helpful glossary of terms relating to the massage industry . You can find the link to this guide in the show notes . If we've missed any , please let us know by emailing us at podcast at HealWellorg .

Healwell News

Speaker 1 0:39

First up HealWell News . The HealWell Service Department provided 820 sessions in June to the DC , maryland , virginia area , bringing our total massage sessions for the year to 5,402 . Healwell Homecoming is September 20th through 21st . In previous news updates we talked about the CE classes that will be available on that Friday and on Saturday we will be holding an event called the Grand Noodle . This 3CE event will see attendees talking about the profession of massage therapy . Conversation prompts will be organized around HealWell's three areas of focus service , education and research . The Grand Noodle's purpose is to discuss real solutions to the real problems facing the massage therapy profession . Come , make connections , find support and talk about the heavy things with hope , pragmatism and laughter . Nothing is easy , but we can do hard things together .

State and National News

Speaker 1 1:32

Up next state and national news , a Texas court has temporarily halted the enforcement of the 100% rule . The court's decision is in response to a lawsuit filed by the Career Education Colleges and Universities , a national organization which serves post-secondary career schools . A second suit , also filed in Texas , was denied , creating uncertainty in how the rules will be enforced in the future . The rule was originally set to go into effect on July 1st . On June 7th , the American Massage Therapy Association also filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education in response to concerns expressed by its massage school members . I spoke with Lisa Studjink , ceo and General Counsel for the American Massage Therapy Association . My main question for Lisa was why AMTA chose to file this lawsuit .

Speaker 2 2:14

Lisa responded you would ask why did AMTA choose to file this lawsuit ? Because we knew that restricting Pell Grants for students going to massage schools would have a huge impact , not only on our members but on the entire educational landscape within the profession , on the massage therapists and on employers and the workforce for years to come , workforce for years to come . So we filed the suit , first and foremost , to bring back the 150% rule . That's been working quite well for 30 years and in fact , four years ago , the Department of Education re-looked at the rule back in 2020 , and they had a consensus group look at the rule and they added an alternative at that point , but the 150% rule stayed the same . So it was working and it's been working for 30 years . So that's primarily why we did this .

Speaker 2 3:19

And then , second , recognizing that change may come . Second , recognizing that change may come , that change may be due , to really gain more time to study the effects of any change in the rule across the profession and across the school market . We know that schools vary widely in their approaches to education and in their concerns about what the rule means for them . Obviously , there are schools that don't use Title IV , don't rely on Title IV federal financial aid , and the AMTA represents that broad spectrum , the broad spectrum of members , of school members and AMTA doesn't know , and no one knows really , the impact that this rule is going to have in the long term . We're also concerned that the department's rule would take away the opportunity for many young people , especially women , who obviously make up the majority of students in the profession , and also minorities , many of whom have certain economic disadvantages that make the full range of federal financial aid so important for them to have .

Speaker 1 4:30

Lisa and I talked in more detail about AMTA's decisions and you can hear the full interview on our Patreon Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals . Abmp has stated that it will continue to assist states in increasing their entry-level education requirements to the 600 to 650-hour range . Abmp also says that it will continue to push for increased education requirements for currently licensed therapists in states that are raising their entry-level requirements . For currently licensed therapists in states that are raising their entry-level requirements . In state news , ohio has joined Nevada in the Interstate Compact . Five more states are required to join the Compact before a committee can be created to iron out the rules . Louisiana has a bill waiting for their governor's signature . It will raise entry-level education requirements from 500 to 625 hours . It will also update background check requirements and reinstate lapsed licenses . Colorado has raised its entry-level education requirement from 500 to 650 hours . It has also passed a bill that will require periodic criminal background checks for massage establishment owners , operators and employees . This new requirement does not apply to licensed massage therapists , who are already required to submit a background check as part of their initial licensing process .

Speaker 1 5:40

The state of Maryland has passed two new bills . The first alters their massage therapy scope of practice rules to include the use of instruments in soft tissue manipulation , including scraping and vibration . Such tools will require the massage therapist to complete training . This bill also requires state and national criminal history checks before a massage therapy license can be reinstated . The second bill passed in Maryland creates a fine for an unauthorized massage therapy practice . Conviction will result in a felony offense and will instill either a fine or jail time as punishment . Punishment , florida has passed a bill granting its Department of Health more power to suspend the license of a massage therapist or establishment if an employee is arrested for certain offenses like prostitution , kidnapping or human trafficking . The state's Surgeon General can also suspend a license if there is probable cause of sexual misconduct . The bill explicitly forbids sexual activity in massage establishments and allows the Department of Health and law enforcement to investigate these places to help identify potential human trafficking . The bill also prohibits the use of a massage establishment as living quarters unless it has already been zoned as residential property . During inspections , department of Health investigators must ask for a valid government ID from all employees and therapists . If an employee cannot provide ID , the Department of Health must notify federal immigration authorities .

Association News

Speaker 1 7:03

Our next segment is news from the National Massage Therapy Associations . The Coalition of National Massage Therapy Organizations met June 10th and 11th . I hope to have updates about what was discussed at the meeting in future news updates . Prior to the meeting , a petition was written by massage therapist Julie Onofrio on Changeorg . The petition was signed by 450 massage therapists . Abmp has written a response to the petition on their news website , which you can read in full using the link in the show notes .

Speaker 1 7:32

The United States Organization of Licensed Massage Therapists has added a new board member , christy Waltrip , from Louisiana , as their Director of Education . Christy will be overseeing USOLMT's educational programs , including developing online learning opportunities and leadership training for members and expanding on CE provider partnerships . Usolmt has an opening on their board for a Director of Advocacy . This is a volunteer position . Duties include development and oversight of all USOLMT advocacy efforts , including workplace advocacy for employees and employers , and local , state and national government relations . They are also looking for volunteers who are interested in serving as a point person for each state . A state point person will be the point of contact , keeping USOLMT up to date on in-state movements for change in the profession and statewide massage therapy issues . For more information , please see the link in the show notes . The Massage Therapy Foundation is accepting schools' application for the Bob King Legacy Grant for community-based work . Legacy grants are between $500 and $1,500 , and the deadline is September 1st , the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork released its second volume for 2024 .

Speaker 1 8:38

It contains an editorial from Amanda Basquill on the topic of practitioners sharing their experiences with the journal . Other articles include a study on the effect of massage on knee-joint position sense , a comparison on the effectiveness of myofascial release versus placebo on lumbar lordosis and a study from Indonesia comparing the effectiveness of tepuric therapy and deep tissue massage on nonspecific low back pain . The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork has approved a new three-year strategic plan . The plan builds on NCBTMB's mission of elevating the massage profession by establishing and advancing the highest credentials and standards of excellence . I will be speaking with a representative from NCBTMB at a later date to get more information .

Speaker 1 9:18

The American Massage Therapy Association has been recognized by the American Society of Association Executives for their advocacy campaign titled Advancing the Integration of Massage Therapy in Healthcare . The campaign's goal was Advancing the Integration of Massage Therapy in Healthcare . The campaign's goal was to expand the use of massage therapy in managing health conditions . It focused on legislative efforts and working with healthcare providers , insurance companies and patients . Amt has also been recognized by the Friends of Veterans Affairs Medical Care for supporting research on the benefits of massage therapy for military and veteran populations . For more information about that specific research , you can follow the link in the show notes .

Event Calendar

Speaker 1 9:55

And here are the massage therapy events coming up . If you want to catch a HealWell live class , we have oncology classes August 23rd through 25th in Harrisburg , pennsylvania , and October 23rd through 25th in Keene , new Hampshire . Healwell's hospital-based massage therapy stewardship is November 5th through 8th in Washington DC . We have SCAR classes September 21st through 22nd in Fairfax , virginia , and October 26th through 27th in Santa Monica , california . And , as mentioned before , healwell Homecoming is September 20th through the 21st .

Speaker 1 10:25

Other live conferences include the AFMTE Educational Conference July 11th through 13th in Kansas City , missouri . The AMTA National Convention is September 12th in Tampa , florida . The keynote speaker is Dolly Chug and , whether or not you can attend the convention , I highly recommend you read her book the Person you Mean to Be . It is an incredible work of accountability and compassion . The FSMTB Annual Meeting is October 3rd through 5th in Washington DC and the Black Massage Therapist Conference is October 8th and 9th in Charlotte , north Carolina . Early bird tickets will go on sale on July 14th .

Speaker 1 10:58

Lauren Ramosli , professor of clinical neurosciences and foundation chair of physiotherapy at the University of South Australia , will be doing a rare tour of North America in September and October . He'll be visiting Vancouver , san Francisco and New York City . You can check out his TED Talk on pain at the link in the show notes . If you have any national or state-level news about massage therapy you'd like to share , please send an email with your news and a link to your source to podcast at heolorg . You can subscribe to our Patreon for full interviews and you can always join us in the Huel online community . You can now text the show by clicking the link in the show notes . Each news update I'll be asking a question and reading responses the following month . This month's question is what do you wish you had learned in your entry-level education ? This has been your June News . Rep Down and thank you for listening .