News from Nancy

Thank you to Shari Berry, pictured above, from the Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association and the Physical Therapy Examining Board (PTEB), for coming down to Madison this week to testify before the Assembly Health Committee in support of legislation I’ve authored that will allow the Physical Therapy Examining Board to clarify the supervisory relationship between Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, and Student Physical Therapy Assistants. Shari, who lives in Tomah, is the Program Head of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Western Technical College, and originally brought this to my attention a couple years ago now. It’s kind of complicated to explain (that’s why I was especially thankful and grateful Shari was able to come down in person to offer her expertise to the committee), but as it exists now in state statute, the Physical Therapy Examining Board lacks the authority to align supervisory standards governing Student Physical Therapist Assistants with what is commonly accepted as industry standard practice.
 
As a result, there are a number of educational programs in Wisconsin that are having difficulty finding sites to place students for the necessary hands-on clinical education that’s required for their students to graduate. Western Technical College is an example of one of these educational programs having difficulty because of this issue, but programs across the state are having difficulty including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A lack of Student Physical Therapist Assistants being trained will lead to a shortage of Physical Therapist Assistants which would mean fewer trained individuals available in the state to provide care. That’s a problem, and I was happy to author this legislation. Here’s the bill number and a link to additional information if you’re curious to learn more:
Assembly Bill 581
 
In addition, the Assembly Health Committee, which I have the chance to serve on, unanimously approved legislation I authored that re-authorizes the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. I released the following statement on the Compact Re-Authorization Act being passed out of committee:

“I’m very pleased that we were able to move this bill one step closer to enactment today and I’m happy that my colleagues on the committee showed unanimous support for the bill. This compact has proved to be an overwhelming success for practitioners and patients throughout our state, as evidenced by quantifiable utilization of compact licenses for practitioners and a documented track record of success stories experienced by healthcare providers and patients alike. I plan to have this legislation up for a floor vote in the very near future so that it can get to the governor as soon as possible.”

I originally authored The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, a voluntary process for expediting physician licensure across state lines, and it was signed into law in 2015. When the compact was signed into law, it included a sunset after five years to trigger legislative review of Wisconsin’s participation in the compact. The goal of the sunset was not to terminate Wisconsin’s participation, but to review the benefits and re-evaluate the need to continue Wisconsin’s participation in the interstate agreement. The Compact Re-Authorization Act, which passed the Senate in June of this year, addresses and removes the sunset clause in the original legislation.
 
I was very pleased to see movement on these proposals this week and will continue to push them forward. Access to care in our local communities is critical and a key component of that is removing barriers that make it difficult for our healthcare providers to attract, recruit, and retain qualified professionals to provide healthcare services close to home.


Please continue to utilize my legislative website, legis.wisconsin.gov/
assembly/70/vandermeer
, and follow Rep. Nancy VanderMeer on Facebook to communicate with me and receive up to date information and communication.

 Sincerely,


Nancy VanderMeer
70th Assembly District Representative
In and Around the District
I enjoyed the chance to attend the North Central Region Highway Commissioners Legislative Breakfast in Stevens Point recently and had the chance to speak and catch up with Joel Ortman from the Wood County Highway Department and Supervisor Dennis Polach from the Wood County Board (pictured left), as well as Portage County Highway Commissioner Nathan Check (pictured right). Thanks for all you do.
Upcoming Events in the 70th
 
WIAA State Cross Country Championship
The Ridges, 2311 Griffith Ave. 
Saturday, November 2, all day
107th State Cross Country Championships
Tomah Veterans Memorial Dedication
Superior Blvd, Tomah
Saturday, November 9, 9:00am-10:00am
The Tomah Veterans Memorial Committee invites all to attend the Final Dedication of the Memorial. The dedication will include a short program and will include a fly over of a Black Hawk Helicopter lifting off from The National Guard Armory.


Pittsville Veteran's Day Program
Pittsville High School Gym
Monday, November 11, 11:00am-11:45am
Program featuring the Pittsville American Legion. 


Annual Veteran's Day Dinner
Tomah American Legion
Monday, November 11, 5:00pm-8:00pm
Reservation required. Contact Dave Goldbeck at 608-387-9231 or Pete Peterson at 608-374-0718. Dinner is $15.00 per person.


Sparta Blood Drive 
Barney Community Center
Tuesday, November 12, 10:00am-4:30pm

Sponsored by the American Red Cross, Kaiyuh Services and the Sparta Masonic Lodge
Facebook
Website
Our mailing address is:
Suite 11W
P.O. Box 8953
Wisconsin State Capitol
Madison, WI 53708

Email: Rep.VanderMeer@legis.wisconsin.gov
Phone: (608) 237-9170

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