US-POLITICS - R. Gingras/Academy Florida Chapter Position

US-POLITICS - R. Gingras/Academy Florida Chapter Position

Ron Gringas, LPO, CPO, Academy Florida Chapter President and its members:


I applaud you for boldly stepping forward with your position and concerns.

You have clearly conveyed THE importance of recognizing the CAAHEP O&P
Education Standards over anything else...... as THEY are the standards that
will most protect persons with disabilities and best assure the quality of
comprehensive O&P health care.

In your Position Statement to the Academy Board you state:

 << In this post consolidation failure period, we your academy members in
 Florida, urge the Academy board to start fresh, to revisit and revise our
 mission statements and bylaws to more clearly reflect the interests of its
 members and the persons that we serve and to speak out for them . >>

As indicated in my previous post to this OANDP-L, the Academy Mission
Statement does in my opinion reflect the interests of its members and the
persons that we serve. Unfortunately, interpretation of that Mission
Statement, board member or otherwise, factors in to the equation. That was
the reason for my previous post Re: Harkin vs Wexler...... to historically
clarify what should be the Academy's position.... Board member or
otherwise!!

I personally feel the following statement from your Position Statement is
worth repeating, as I feel it is one which most appropriately reflects the
intent of the Academy's Mission Statement from my perspective, as it relates
to advocacy and education:

 << As you probably are aware, the practitioners in the state of Florida
 and in at least five other states have been actively involved in their
 respective state governments in the arena of professional regulation. In
 advocacy of our citizens with disabilities our chapter members have spent
 considerable time and hundreds of thousands of dollars to pass state
 licensing acts based on high educational standards (CAAHEP Standards) and
 strict, but fair, grandfathering requirements to protect the public from
 unqualified practitioners. >>

The Academy clearly must and historically has supported high educational
standards in it's advocacy efforts for the benefit of persons with
disabilities!! If it cannot....... then we have a real problem with our
leadership and I do not think that is the case!!

Personally, I do feel we have an excellent Academy Board which is supported
by excellent Council and Committee members. I suspect they are now ready and
preparing to move the Academy to even greater heights..... now that the
Consolidation issue has been decided. Unfortunately, Consolidation diverted
far to much time, energy and resources from the issues at hand. I am sure
the Board, Council and Committee members were strapped with how to move
forward with existing initiatives, as well as their goals and objectives,
with the uncertainty of the Academy's existence created by the Consolidation
issue.

Your post, if nothing else, strongly points to the need for the Academy and
an stronger presence in its efforts to appropriately represent the
interests of the individual O&P practitioner members.

Again, I applaud you and your Florida Chapter Members for your proactive
stance in this matter, the O&P practice matters of your State and especially
in advocacy of the persons with disabilities who depend on your care.

Many positive changes have occurred in Florida over the past 6 years!! Keep
up the good work!!!

John N. Billock, CPO