Government Relations Committee of the AMTA
Stephanie Clark, MT-BC, CCLS
 Email Stephanie Email  
Nov 25 2008
Committee Report PDF Imprimir E-Mail
escrito por Stephanie Clark   
Tuesday, 25 de November de 2008
Submitted as of 9/20/08
For the past several months, NER-GR has been working in conjunction with Judy Simpson, Director of Government Relations for AMTA, to raise awareness and interest among the New England Region’s Membership in regards to Government Relations matters. With the pressures felt by Music Therapists at the Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton, the need for increased activity, specifically in the state of Massachusetts, was highlighted. Judy recommended the region focus on forming a state task force in MA. This plan is based on several factors including restrictions on the GR budget, events that have come to pass at MHS, and also the volume of MT-BCs in the state of MA. If legislation were to change in such a way that it could negatively impact Music Therapist’s ability to practice, MA is the state in our region that would be most effected. As a means of attempting to increase the NER Membership’s awareness of how State/Federal government agencies can impact music therapy practice, Marcia Lajoie, MT-BC, volunteered to write an editorial for the NER website on her experience at Mass Hospital School. Once that editorial is finished, it will be posted online. In an effort to build a Massachusetts State Task Force, Judy Simpson and Dena Register sent out a letter of intent. The letter was aimed specifically at Massachusetts MT-BCs. Tomoka Sakai, President of MMTA (Massachusetts Music Therapy Alliance), was also contacted to both explore the possibility of having the letter posted on the MMTA website and to try and identify Music Therapists who are active in MMTA with interest in participating in the State Task Force. Suggestions for further advocacy in Government Relations include the collection of letters of support from allied professions including but not limited to: Educators, Occupational/Physical Therapists, Speech Therapists and Registered Nurses. Also, letters of support from parents/guardian’s of those in receipt of Music Therapy services would be useful. The letters would then be sent along to legislators to increase their awareness of the benefits of Music Therapy services.
Respectfully Submitted, Stephanie L. Clark, MT-BC, CCLS NER Government Relations Representative
 
May 05 2008
Committee Report: NER-AMTA Government Relations PDF Imprimir E-Mail
escrito por Stephanie Clark   
Monday, 05 de May de 2008

4/15/08 In February, AMTA Government Relations sent out a call to action in support of the H.R. 1424: Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007; a bill introduced by Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) on March 9th, 2007. As one organization among many in support of the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007, AMTA sought the assistance of its membership in contacting their respective state representatives to convey the need for parity. With enough support, efforts would help amend preexisting legislation to eliminate discrimination in regard to provisions (potentially relating to quality music therapy services) for accessible care for Americans with mental health disorders and addiction issues. A credit to all those who participated in this call to action, it was on March 5th 2008 that H.R. 1424 was passed by the House of Representatives with a vote of 268-148. Now that the bill has passed the House, the Senate and House must agree on the terms of one bill. There is still plenty of work to be done to as the Administration is not in support of H.R. 1424 but rather, the weaker version of the bill proposed by the Senate. The official statement released by the Executive Office of the President can be found at whitehouse.gov. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/sap/110-2/saphr1424-h.pdf

To track the progress of the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007, you can visit govtrack.us and search by bill number or keyword. If you’re just catching up, you can read more about the legislation and the ensuing discussion thereof by simply keyword searching H.R. 1424 using your preferred search engine.

Questions? Comments? Interested in how you can help support the efforts of NER-AMTA Government Relations? Email: Esta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra los robots de spam, necesitas tener Javascript activado para poder verla

Respectfully,
Stephanie L. Clark, MT-BC, CCLS

 
Jan 24 2008
Access to Music Therapy Services PDF Imprimir E-Mail
escrito por Stephanie Clark   
Thursday, 24 de January de 2008

It is my objective to identify Music Therapists within NER working to advocate for the profession with the ultimate goal of developing a regional Government Relations Task Force. Nicole Peraullt continues to network and address Government Relations issues in her home state of Rhode Island. In addition, Shannon Laine, a Music Therapist working primarily with children diagnosed under the spectrum of Autism, has been active in advocating in the state of New Hampshire for the benefits of music therapy with this specific population. Shannon has been provided with wonderful sponsorship through the Community Music School in Manchester, NH and will be featured in an interview to be aired on NPR on February 2nd. The interview will also be available online at nhpr.com. Currently, funding for Special Education Music Therapy services in New Hampshire is determined at the local level on a case-by-case basis. It is our hope that the interview, which highlights the success of an individual client, will help to raise awareness of Music Therapy in the state and ultimately aid in making connections with New Hampshire Government Officials and the Department of Education. Thank you to all the Music Therapists in the region striving to build Government Relations.

Interested in increasing awareness of/access to Music Therapy services in your community? Please contact me via email at Esta dirección de correo electrónico está protegida contra los robots de spam, necesitas tener Javascript activado para poder verla You don’t have to go it alone!

 
About Stephanie Clark, MT-BCStephanie completed her undergraduate degree in Music Therapy at Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA in 2006.  She began working as a Child Life Specialist at Shriners Burns Hospital-Boston in November of that same year after completing a six month Music Therapy Internship at the site.  Stephanie is currently a dually certified Music Therapist and Child Life Specialist serving the pediatric burns population at SBH.  Stephanie feels very strongly about the importance of providing family centered care and has a special interest in working with children and families who have been exposed to trauma.  The children served by the hospital never cease to humble and inspire.  She is very much looking forward to serving on the board as the newly appointed Government Relations Representative for the New England Region.