Welcome to the latest edition of e-news - the bi-monthly newsletter from AMTA Washington. In each issue we keep you up to date on the latest industry news and AMTA Chapter events.  We hope that you enjoy our newsletter and feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

If you have not yet registered for the convention, there is still time!

   

You may have seen a Facebook or Twitter post or received an email message from a company by the name of Unwind stating that they are partnering with AMTA on a fund for our scholarship program. This is untrue and their communications were unauthorized. We have enlisted our attorney to take further action with this company. If you receive anything else from Unwind, please let the National AMTA office know at info@amtamassage.org or 877-905-2700.

Saturday, March 15 was a nice mix of business and pleasure, with 200+ licensed massage practitioners gathered at Echo Falls in Snohomish, overlooking the scenic golf course and lake.

It was wonderful to see so many new faces and experience the leadership growth and potential within the massage profession in Washington State. As Diana Thompson shared, "We have the best chapter in the country! I was in Oregon last weekend and this meeting is bigger than the Oregon Chapter Convention."

For some, 24 people to be exact, the day started off with a MAIN (Massage Awareness & Involvement Network) breakfast at 8am. Leaders from around the state gathered to meet, share, network, learn, strategize and get inspired (all the good stuff!) by fellow colleagues.

Third VP Teri Mayo conducts the oath of office for new board members and delegates.

All the good stuff continued on from 10am to 5pm in the large meeting room, with a chock-full agenda of business and camaraderie. Here are some highlights:

• Introductions of your VOLUNTEER elected Chapter Board of Directors (BOD); appointed Program Directors (MAIN, Journal, Website, Gov't & External Affairs, Convention, Membership, Volunteer Support, WA Sports Massage Team-WSMT, Massage Emergency Response Team-MERT), House of Delegates, MAIN Group Leaders and new AMTA National Member-at-Large Glyn Desmond.

• Discussion and Approval of Minutes, Standing Rules & Budget. Also discussed was the change by National AMTA regarding the $30 Chapter fee no longer being added to the $235 membership dues. This $30 helped to support our Chapter's administrative costs, advocacy efforts, MAIN groups, and volunteer support and development. Taya Countryman offered the "$100 challenge" for WA members to contribute to our Chapter. Marybeth Berney, Chapter President already took that challenge, so our leaders are setting the example.

• Elections: 3rd VP Teri Mayo was our "MC" for this portion of the meeting and she delivered a profound and challenging charge as to the importance of voting (with her insatiable charming dry humor). Did you know that only 2.5% voted in the National AMTA elections, out of 53,000 members?

• Chapter Program Reports: Program Directors gave a brief snap-shop to the audience of all the amazing things happening in our chapter. Updates included the recent legislative session, Affordable Care Act, the new Web Presence and the upcoming Chapter Convention in May. Our programs are the backbone of our Chapter, as Scott Lesieur, WSMT chair stated, "WSMT puts massage in front of 200,000 people every year." Now that's powerful!.

• Election Results/Officer Installation: Congratulations to President (Marybeth Berney), 2nd VP (Diana Thompson), Secretary (Michael Mandell), House of Delegates (Linda Bucher, Kristine Proctor), Alternate Delegate (Jeanette Wahl)

• and More....: Meritorious Award announced (Congrats to Annie LaCroix), Prize Drawings & Healthy Lunch

• Continuing Education (1-5pm): Attendance at both presentations met the state ethics requirement.

This rainy day in March was enlightening and instructive... a great opportunity to; earn CE's, stay informed of Chapter business, vote in Chapter elections and network/meet other LMPs.

If you missed the Annual Meeting, John Conniff will be presenting "HIPPA Compliance for LMPs" again at Chapter Convention, plus there are over 100 additional hours of Continuing Education available to choose from, including Ethics, Massage During Chemotherapy, Aromatherapy and MUCH MORE! 

Our new website is much more than just a website. It is a place to connect with other members throughout the state. If you haven't updated your profile yet, take a few minutes to log on and see what the new site has to offer.

Here are a few highlights:

First, you can fill out your own profile with all the information about yourself that you would like others to know. We have a very good "Find a Therapist" feature which allows the public to locate an AMTA-WA therapist near them. If you have good information in your profile including your location, rates, hours and modalities, it will make it easy for you to connect your business to new clients.

Second, you can connect with other LMPs across the state. This is beneficial for finding local events, continuing education classes or just general networking. For those therapists that live in more remote areas, our website will give you an opportunity to find other therapists on-line and have virtual networking meetings.

We also have many local MAIN (Massage Awareness and Involvement Network) groups. Find one close to you and get involved right in your own neighborhood. Then, through the website, connect with other MAIN group members.

In addition to being able to connect with people across the state, you can also use the website as your own personal file cabinet. You can store Continuing Education certificates, receipts, pictures, documents or anything else you might want to categorize in one place related to your business.

We are all used to websites that just give us information we need. But think of our new AMTA-WA website as a place to find what you need, connect with friends, reach out to new clients and file away important documents. We are taking our on-line presence to a whole new level and we can't wait to see you there!

In each issue of our e-news, Melanie Stewart reports on key legislative issues of interest to the massage profession. 

 

Click here to read legislative issues as of February 24th.