Quick Links
OATA NEWSLETTER MARCH 2018 
OATA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
March's OATA Spotlight is
EVERYONE!!!
Happy National Athletic Training Month!!!
If you would like to nominate a deserving OATA member to be in the "spotlight,"
please email deb.walkoAT@gmail.com.
Thank you!
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S PEN
Happy National Athletic Training Month! What an amazing joy it has been to see the many faces of athletic training represented across various media outlets this month! Celebrating our colleagues and this profession certainly goes a long way in educating others on who we are and what we do. Many thanks to Social Media Chair, Kate Weale, and her committee for highlighting various committee members throughout the month!
Several of our members have been given honors at the state, district, and national level this year. At the 50th GLATA Celebration, in Wheeling, IL, it was great to see our GLATA winners honored. We are also extremely proud of the Miami University students, Alex Mueller, Audrey Van Auken, and Abby Weiland, for representing Ohio in the GLATA Bowl. In May, we look forward to paying tribute to our OATA award winners at our annual meeting. If you are headed to New Orleans for the NATA 69th Clinical Symposia and AT Expo, make sure you give a big shout out to Vince O’Brien for his Athletic Training Service Award.
Ohio Athletic Trainers’ Association Awards
Congratulations to everyone on their well-deserved awards! Make sure you are reaching out to your district representatives (http://oata.org/board.php) with highlights of the good endeavors happening around our state. We want to continue to celebrate you and other athletic trainers for the amazing contributions you are making to our profession.
Remember April is Preceptor Appreciation Month. If you are a preceptor for an Athletic Training Program in Ohio, thank you for educating and giving back to the next generation of athletic trainers! We appreciate you!
Enjoy the rest of National Athletic Training Month!
Two shorten the road,
Siobhan
THOUGHTS FROM THE PRESIDENT-ELECT
Events in the news recently sparked a conversation in some athletic training circles about the roles of athletic trainers as mandated reporters of child abuse or neglect in the state of Ohio.
Let’s look at what the Ohio Revised Code states:
(a) No person described in division (A)(1)(b) of this section who is acting in an official or professional capacity and knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in a similar position to suspect, that a child under eighteen years of age, or a person, under twenty-one years of age with a developmental disability or physical impairment, has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the child shall fail to immediately report that knowledge or reasonable cause to suspect to the entity or persons specified in this division. (Ohio Revised Code 2151.421 (A)(1)(a))
So, what does that really say? If you know of or have a reasonable suspicion of physical or emotional abuse or neglect, you are obligated to report it. I like that the word reasonable is repeated four times. It’s a term that is synonymous with rational and logical which are words that describe most athletic trainers that I know.
(b) Division (A)(1)(a) of this section applies to any person who is an attorney; health care professional; practitioner of a limited branch of medicine as specified in section 4731.15 of the Revised Code; licensed school psychologist; independent marriage and family therapist or marriage and family therapist; coroner; administrator or employee of a child day-care center; administrator or employee of a residential camp, child day camp, or private, nonprofit therapeutic wilderness camp; administrator or employee of a certified child care agency or other public or private children services agency; school teacher; school employee; school authority; agent of a county humane society… (Ohio Revised Code 2151.421 (A)(1)(b))
I cut that off a bit because it is a large list. Athletic trainers are not specifically mentioned, but I want to highlight the two categories that ATs fall into. The first category is health care professionals. We as AT’s are health care professionals. We have been designated so by the American Medical Association, the Health Resources Services Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services. So, that’s pretty easy. The second category that many athletic trainers also fall into is school employee. Regardless of where you are employed, it’s your profession that designates you as a mandated reporter.
Only one phone number is needed to report suspected child abuse or neglect,
855-O-H-CHILD (855-642-4453).
This automated telephone directory provided by The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will link callers directly to a child welfare or law enforcement office in their county. Information needed to make a report includes:
1. the name and address of the child,
2. the child’s age,
3. the name and address of the parents or caretakers,
4. the name of the suspected abuser and address if available,
5. the reason you suspect abuse or neglect,
6. and any other information that may be helpful to the investigation.
Always err on the safety of the child if you are not sure you have enough information to report. It is a misdemeanor criminal offense to fail to report suspicions of child abuse or neglect and failure to report could jeopardize your licensure. Lastly, if you make a report in good faith, you are not liable in civil or criminal court if there is no proof that you intentionally provided false information.
I have highlighted child abuse and neglect above, but there are two other instances where mandated reporting arises: domestic violence (Ohio Revised Code 2921.22) and elder abuse (Ohio Revised Code 5101.61). Athletic trainers work in a wide variety of settings and abuse and neglect reach across all of them.
I encourage you to educate yourself, have conversations in your workplace, and know your responsibilities.
Thank you,
THE OATA STORE
IT IS NOT TOO LATE
TO ORDER YOUR
2018 OATA NATM SHIRT!
Tamika James and Hannah Reinhard from Lake Health model their new shirts!
YOU CAN GET YOURS AT.....
THE OFFICIAL
Ohio Athletic Trainers' Association Store
Now available on our website!
https://oata-store.itemorder.com/sale
Be sure to visit the store for quality merchandise sporting our OATA logo!
Check it out today for shirts, pullovers, bags, and tumblers!
OATA STATE MEETING & CLINICAL SYMPOSIUM
Columbus/Dublin Embassy Suites
Hotel reservations include an indoor pool, free high speed internet, complimentary fitness center access, hot breakfast, and cocktail hour.
Join us for evidence-based continuing education,
the Hall of Fame Awards Banquet,
networking with other athletic training professionals,
and fun for the whole family!
We look forward to seeing you in May!
SECONDARY SCHOOL COMMITTEE
News from the Secondary School Committee
ATTENTION:
OHIO'S GLATA SAFE SPORTS SCHOOL GRANTS ARE EXCLUSIVE TO OHIO ONLY UNTIL MAY 31st .
IF NOT CLAIMED BY MAY 31st, THEY WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ANY OTHER STATE IN THE DISTRICT WHO APPLIES FOR THE GLATA GRANT, SO PLEASE DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY!
https://www.glata.org/safe-schools-grant-application
Here is a testimonial from SSC sub-chair Eric Bortmas, Licking Heights High School, 1st Team SSS Award recipient as funded by GLATA:
“The ease of use of the GLATA Grant Application is extraordinary. Once I obtained the necessary signatures for my application and submitted it, the turn-around from submission to being informed of its acceptance was within 10 days. And because of the method of delivery of the news, the NATA receives your application for the Safe Sports School Award along with your congratulations and within 2 days, I was awarded my 1st Team status, which was an upgrade from my previous application status as 2nd Team. The grant helped tremendously in motivating my renewal and upgraded status!”
UPDATE FROM AAFP
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) encourages schools that provide an interscholastic sports program to utilize Athletic Trainers as part of their medical team.
RULE REVISIONS
The National Federation of State High School Associations has issued rule revisions for high school soccer. These rules address uniform and equipment issues. One revision addresses the use of head coverings: “If approved by the state high school association, players could participate with a head covering for medical/cosmetic reasons or for religious reasons. In the case of medical/cosmetic reasons, a physician’s statement is required before the state association can approved (approve) a head covering. In both cases, the head covering cannot be abrasive, hard or dangerous to any other player and attached in such a way that it is highly unlikely to come off during player (play).” These changes can be found at: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/homevisiting-uniforms-to-switch-in-high-school-soccer/
SPORTS MEDICINE LEGAL DIGEST PUBLISHED BY NATA
The NATA publishes a quarterly newsletter entitled Sports Medicine Legal Digest which is designed to keep athletic trainers informed of current legal issues. The current issue contains summary of cases involving secondary school athletes and a liability toolkit that can be used to help athletic trainers evaluate their risk of liability. This is a good resource for athletic trainers and can be found at NATA.org.
OHIO ATs CARE COMMITTEE
ATs CARE
The OATA has been a leader in AT critical incident stress management thanks to the on-going efforts of Perry Denehy. The NATA and president Scott Sailor saw the value of this program on a national level and continues to support it with resources and training. At the 2018 Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association Symposium positive energy continued with the formation of a regional committee made up of the state’s chairs.
Stateside, the OATA Executive Committee continues to strongly support Ohio ATs Care. This includes purchasing "ATs Care" polo shirts and name badges to be worn on interventions. OATA members include: Perry Denehy (national liaison) Chair, Woody Goffinett, committee members: Dave Bogenschutz, Eric Bortmas, Mary Brooks, Patty Estock, Karyn Gentile, Jill Huck, Diana Ivkovich, Hollie Kozak, Bill Kulju, Gary Lake, Maddie Legerski, Mike Mulcahey, Gerry Rishel, Jim Rumelhart, Megan Scott, Mo Sizemore, John Smith, Rich Walker, and Stu Wilson. If you are interested in becoming a member or going through the training please reach out to us. Simply, complete and submit an OATA universal interest form.
There are numerous ways to contact the ATs Care program. Nationally, you can email Katie Scott at atscare@nata.org. Katie will send notification to the state representative. You may also go onto the OATA website and tab AT Resources-ATs Care Ohio-and reach out to individual committee members, or you can contact a committee member directly.
The Ohio ATs Care committee will have a meeting at OATA on Friday, May 11 at 1pm in conference room 3.
Sincerely,
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS' COMMITTEE
Exploding Top Myths About Athletic Trainers
https://newgradphysicaltherapy.com/athletic-trainers/
Dr. James Andrews Thanks Certified Athletic Trainers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzO1n_B3jhE
The Importance of Athletic Trainers In High School Sports
http://www.easyscat.com/2017/12/20/the-importance-of-athletic-trainers-in-hs-sports/
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
District Governance Proposal
Hello GLATA Members!
We are writing to both inform you and to seek your participation in a discussion of our governance structure and how our members are represented at the national level.
To provide some context, currently, we elect one District Director who represents the entire membership within our six states to the NATA. Our District Director then appoints a single representative to each of the 24 district-based NATA committees. These committees, such as Governmental Affairs, Committee on Practice Advancement, each of the NATA education committees, etc then conduct the business involved with advancing the profession. This governance structure has proven to be effective over many years. However, given the large size of our District, it also deprives our Membership of equal access to representation and to equal opportunities to participate in national discussions impacting our profession when compared to other Districts.
Inside our six states, our membership receives one set of representatives for every 7,250 voting Members, while outside of our District, athletic trainers receive one set of representatives for every 3,142 members. Another way to put this is that with over 20% of the national membership one in five athletic trainers reside in District IV, yet we are represented by a governance structure that provides us with a one in ten ratio.
We, the GLATA Executive Board, have discussed a proposal to reorganize the association into two, three-state districts (the current District IV and a new District XI) to allow for improved representation and participation at the national level. You can access a summary of the proposal, several informational videos about what the proposal is and what it isn’t, as well as some frequently asked questions on our website, https://www.glata.org/district-governance.
The GLATA Board is committed to transparency of both process and discussion. The process to add a district is scripted in the NATA Bylaws (Section 5.2) and requires multiple steps requiring the entire Membership to participate. We want to assure that if the decision is made to change our District governance, this decision will be made by the Membership and not by the Executive Board.
This process will move intentionally and with deliberate precision. We encourage you to gain as much information as possible, discuss the pros and cons with your colleagues, and ask questions on things you do not understand clearly. These are important discussions for the present and future of our association and profession.
Governance Video Series
- Introduction and Rationale
- Exploring NATA Bylaws
- The Process Thus Far
- Possible Structure
- Financial Implications
- Positives and Areas of Concern
- Next Steps and Timeline
Sincerely,
GLATA Executive Board
DID YOU KNOW???
March 1 – March 10, 2018, Cedarville University Athletic Training Education Program, partnering with Athletes in Action, went to the Middle East to teach Athletic Training and Character in Sport. We had donations from Cramer of backpacks that we filled with supplies the CUATP student organization purchased along with t-shirts and other items. We gave each participant a backpack and certificate of attendance. We partnered with an NGO to maximize their community involvement and work on academic program development within the Middle East. Our team taught basic first aid, lower body injury management, and other injury recognition procedures. It was an amazing five days of teaching and relationship building with women in the athletic community. If you would like to know more about this experience and other opportunities for international travel using athletic training please feel free to email me! lisa.martin@athletesinaction.org.
