ATRA's RT Medicare Project Update

We are very pleased to provide this update on behalf of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association's Recreational Therapy Medicare Project.

Next week the United States House of Representatives will be introducing the "Ensuring Medicare Access to Recreational Therapy Act of 2007". The legislation will assure Medicare beneficiaries will have access to Recreational Therapy services in Inpatient Rehabilitation, Inpatient Psychiatric and Skilled Nursing settings. You will be hearing directly from our Federal Public Policy Team leaders in the near future that we need you to contact your Member of the House of Representatives. Please wait for their contact and then follow their directions as soon as possible.

We are within reach of finally having recognition on Recreational Therapy by the Medicare program in the inpatient Rehab, Psychiatric and Skilled Nursing settings. Success in these settings is the necessary order before we are able to look at additional gains in the outpatient arena.

To successfully complete this process we must raise $60,000 in the next 60 days specifically for the costs of lobbying this legislation through Congress. We kicked this goal off with the "R.T. Medicare Project Goal Line Offense Fund" earlier this week at the ATRA Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During the first 48 hours of this campaign we raised $6,500 from Conference attendees.

We need your financial support and assistance within the next two weeks to push this legislation through Congress! We need you to assist as an R.T. Medicare Project 1st & 10 Team Leader and help us raise the remaining financial $53,500 goal. Through your generous contribution and by your contacting the Recreational Therapy professionals, organizations and supporters in your area you can have a tremendous impact in assuring the success of the R.T. Medicare Project.

If you can assist, in sharing this important project update and request for support of the R.T. Medicare Project please contact G.T. using the contact information below. We have talking points prepared to make your participation simple and easy to complete.

While anyone can learn from history, we have the opportunity to be part of making history with the support of this landmark Recreational Therapy project.

Best Regards,
G.T. Thompson, M.Ed., CTRS, NHA/L
Recreational Therapy Medicare Project Co-Chair

Melinda Conway Callahan, MPA, CTRS, CFRE Recreational Therapy Medicare Project Co-Chair