UNE Occupational Therapy Students meet with members of Congress on Capitol Hill

Eight University of New England Master of Occupational Therapy students and two faculty members traveled to Washington D.C. to advocate for legislation as part of the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA) annual day of advocacy on Capitol Hill.

MSOT Class of 2020 students Alexandra Burdo, Samantha Mack, McGyver Poulin and Kassidy Towne, who are all from Maine, joined Clinical Professor Kathryn Loukas, O.T.D., M.S., OTR/L, FAOTA, and Associate Clinical Professor Scott McNeil, O.T.D., M.S., OTR/L, in a visit with Senator Angus King and staff members from the offices of Senator Susan Collins and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. MSOT Class of 2020 students from four other states also participated with their state advocacy groups, which included Jessica Balland of California, Emma Canducci of Massachusetts, Marcela Cimarelli of Florida and Ellen Swedzinski of Minnesota. 

Students, faculty and practitioners joined AOTA to advocate for three major initiatives. The first was the Home Health Flexibility Act, which would allow occupational therapists to open home health cases. The second was non-pharmacological interventions for pain through the SUPPORT Act, which would combat the opioid crisis through the many daily solutions from occupational therapy. The third was full funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, which provides children with disabilities access to education.