APMA News - January/February 2022 - 24

State Advocacy
Continues
Amid the Pandemic
By Chad Appel, JD, director, Center for Professional
Advocacy, and associate director, Health Policy and Practice
As 2021 has come to an end, the APMA Center
for Professional Advocacy (CPA) reflects on the
advancements made in the past year and looks
ahead to 2022. In 2020, most state legislation that
was not about the COVID-19 pandemic came to a
halt, but in 2021, state legislatures returned to some
normalcy and took up other issues. As APMA's state
component societies increased their advocacy efforts
in 2021, the CPA provided assistance to them,
especially to state societies working to modernize
their scope-of-practice law to include the ankle and
governing and related structures of the lower leg.
The Alabama Podiatric Medical Association
(ALPMA) made significant progress in the spring
of 2021 as the House Health Committee passed
its scope-of-practice legislation and the Senate
Health Committee held a hearing on the bill.
While the legislative session ended before the bills
could advance, these developments still should be
celebrated because they represent the first time
an Alabama legislative committee recognized the
full capabilities of Alabama podiatrists. While the
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
legislature has been out of session, ALPMA has
continued to build momentum and reach out to
legislators to gain a strong start in 2022.
In Massachusetts, the Joint Committee on Public
Health again heard testimony on scope-of-practice
legislation that would allow podiatrists to treat the
foot and lower leg. The Massachusetts Foot and
Ankle Society testified in support of the legislation
and organized physicians from other specialties to
testify to help demonstrate broad support for this
legislation. The CPA reached out to national organizations
to submit testimony, including the Foot
and Ankle Section of the American Public Health
Association, the Podiatric Medical and Surgical
Section of the National Medical Association, and
the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders. APMA
President Jeffrey DeSantis, DPM, FACFAS, submitted
written testimony on behalf of APMA and its
members, as well.
The Mississippi Podiatric Medical Association
(MSPMA) made significant inroads this year.
MSPMA developed and strengthened legislative
relationships and invited the state component's bill
sponsor, State Senator Hillman Frazier, to the state
meeting in May to share his support for the bill
directly with members. Dr. DeSantis also participated
in this meeting and spoke with Dr. Frazier.
Throughout the year, CPA staff has worked with
MSPMA leadership and recently held a briefing with
the state association's new lobbyist.
In addition to these examples where the CPA
provided direct assistance to state components, the
CPA hosted several initiatives and programs to assist
state societies more broadly. CPA hosted its second
Scope-of-Practice Advocacy Summit in June. The
summit was designed for state components advocating
to modernize their scope-of-practice laws to include
the ankle and governing and related structures
of the lower leg. The meeting allowed participants to
share their experiences, identify common issues and
struggles, and collaborate to develop solutions to advance
their state scope-of-practice advocacy efforts.
State component leaders, their lobbyists, the APMA
Board of Trustees, the CPA Advisory Group, and staff
participated in this 90-minute virtual meeting.
Additionally, the CPA hosted the 2021 State
Advocacy Forum in Atlanta. More than 65 member
volunteers and state leaders representing 30
states, along with a handful of online participants,
enjoyed two days of education and collaboration.
Throughout the forum, attendees shared common
challenges and swapped solutions to address those
challenges. Topics of discussion included scopeof-practice
modernization, oversight of physician
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