Bill Would Change Administrative Oversight of Tennessee State Massage Board
Sections 11 and 12 of House Bill 2387 and Senate Bill 2249, if passed, would move the Massage Licensure Board from Tennessee Department of Health to the Tennessee Department of Commerce. On page 5 of the bill, Sections 11 and 12 would relocate Title 63-18, which is the Massage Licensure Act of 1995, from the Department of Health Related Boards (DHRB) to the Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI).
The Department of Health Related Boards currently oversees all health professions while the Department of Commerce and Insurance oversees other professional licensing programs such as: electricians, plumbers, and real estate agents.
Massage therapy is a health profession. The current administrative oversight of DHRB has worked since the state first began licensing massage therapists; there is no reason to change what is working. The massage licensure board is self-funded from license fees so the proposed move would not save tax dollars, streamline state government, or reduce duplication of efforts. In fact, a change in administrative oversight would require an application and process shift to conform to a new department. There has been no reason given as to why the sponsors of this bill feel an oversight change is even needed.
Therapeutic massage is a health profession—not a trade—and massage therapists are health care providers. Since 1995, our profession has been striving continually—and successfully—for recognition within the medical community. Many massage therapists now work in healthcare environments, i.e. offices of physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, and dentists. Many are employed in hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. Furthermore, the massage profession should continue to be regulated within the Health Department in order to best protect the public from unsafe massage therapists.
We, together with the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), Tennessee Massage Therapy Association (TMTA), massage therapists and healthcare professionals statewide, are opposed to this section of HB 2387. We encourage other healthcare professionals, our clients and patients to contact the sponsor of the bill and their representatives to voice opposition to Sections 11 and 12 of HB 2387. Contact them by email or phone or both.
The sponsor of HB 2387 is Representative Gerald McCormick, he can be reached at 615-741-2548 or rep.gerald.mccormick@capitol.tn.gov.
The bill has been referred to the Government Operations committee. Rep. Jim Cobb serves as chair, Rep. Barrett Rich is vice-chair, and Rep. Tony Shipley is committee secretary. Committee members also include Representatives Barbara Cooper, Craig Fitzhugh, Steve Hall, Julia Hurley, Mike Kernell, Debra Maggart, Judd Matheny, Gerald McCormick, & Mike Turner. The committee can be reached at 615-741-4866.
The same bill on the Senate side of the General Assembly is SB 2249, sponsored by Senator Norris and Senator Bell.
Senator Mark Norris, sen.mark.norris@capitol.tn.gov or 615-741-1967
Senator Mike Bell, sen.mike.bell@capitol.tn.gov or 615-741-1946
Find your state legislator by going to http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislators/
Read the Senate bill here: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/107/Bill/SB2249.pdf or the House bill here: http://www.abmp.com/downloads/2012_TN_HB2387.pdf.
To find your legislators contact info, go to: http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/districtmaps/
Survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, François Minani, his seven children and one grandchild spent a year and a half as refugees in the neighboring country of Burundi before being offered asylum by the United States Government. Their sponsor, First Broad United Methodist Church, helped them to feel at home in Kingsport and enabled them to settle into the community. The younger children headed off to school while François and the older ones went to work and to college.
At home in Rwanda, François had obtained a master’s degree in biology from the National University of Rwanda and had worked as a high school biology teacher and later as education officer for the Mountain Gorrilas Project. Not being used to the physically demanding jobs that he took on in Kingsport, François developed very serious upper back pain due to overuse and repetitive strain. It reached the point in which he stopped working and received intensive care at a rehabilitation center for four months before returning to work. He later developed severe lower back pain. For five years, he vainly tried everything from painkiller medicines and back support belts to a chiropractor. A friend and co-worker then referred him to a chiropractor working with a massage therapist. At every session François received therapeutic massage before being seen by the chiropractor. After only two months of intensive therapy his pain was gone forever! Having experienced dramatic results from this type of care, François decided he wanted to go to massage school so that he too would be able to help others feel better in this way.
With his strong background in science, thousands of hours of hands-on experience and several years of hard work at the Durham, NC Massage Envy location, François is ready to give back to Kingsport and the Tri-Cities area as a whole. We are pleased that François has chosen to join us. He specializes in working with expectant mothers and people dealing with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and depression, as well as upper body pain and stiffness and the modality of cranial sacral therapy. He also gives wonderful Swedish, Deep Tissue, Reflexology, Sports and Hot Stones massages.
In his spare time, François enjoys walking by the river in his neighborhood, landscaping and vegetable gardening, playing with his grandchildren and spending time with his new bride, Benie.
François offers sessions at AMMA on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Reserve a session with him now before his schedule fills up! He is also offering an introductory rate for a limited time. To speak with him or to arrange an appointment, contact the Appalachian Medical Massage Associates office at 423-288-2662 or call François directly at 423-863-0390.
Finer Things for Her is having a Swim and Fit Event from 25-27 February. Swim trunk show, bra specials, giveaways & a special reception until 7pm Thursday evening.
Remember that a proper-fitting brassiere should allow you to easily slip two fingers under the band and under the straps. Call 423.343.9043 to schedule your fitting appointment. Tell them that Amber sent ya!
All sorts of exciting things are happening in DownTown Kingsport! Open Houses for Holiday Shopping, Christmas Parade, Santa Train, Black Friday (and Saturday) Shopping Specials, Christmas Tree Lighting and Festivities, Gingerbread Houses, Free Music, Delicious Food, New Year’s Celebration, and so much more! Find out more about what’s happening in DownTown Kingsport at www.exploredowntownkingsport.com, the official site for DownTown Kingsport!
Do you realize how easy it is to earn free money to spend DownTown? Since the inception of our client referral program, we have given away hundreds of dollars in gift certificates to DownTown Kingsport restaurants and shops.
Through the end of the year, simply refer a friend or family member to our practice and when they come in for their first appointment, we’ll send you a $20 gift certificate for the DownTown Kingsport establishment of your choice. You can even earn gift certificates for AMMA! It’s our way of saying “Thank You” to our best clients and DownTown neighbors. Call us at 423.288.2662 or send us an email if you have any questions.
We look forward to seeing you DownTown soon. . . . and hope you enjoy a safe and healthy holiday season.
~ Paul & Amber Vachon
P.S.: How do you like the photo of the two of us? Nice, huh? It was taken by Rachel & Ross Anglen of Anglen Photography. Check them out at www.anglenphotography.com. They’re awesome!
See more testimonials in our Testimonial section.
All of our testimonials are reprinted with permission. If you would like to make your story available to others, please let us know. Contact us at amma@ammatn.com or send us a letter the old-fashioned way.
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You can download it below as an Adobe PDF file. Considered by many to be the global standard for electronic document sharing, the latest version of Adobe Reader is available for free download at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.
A Nutrition and Lifestyle Workshop focusing on insulin resistance is scheduled Sunday, February 22nd from 2:00-4:30pm at Re-Max offices on Eastman Road in Kingsport. This is helpful information for everyone! Pre-registration cost is $15, or $20 at the door.
A Qi Gong for Spring Workshop is scheduled Sunday, March 22nd from 2:30-5:00pm at the Appalachian Fairground in Gray indoor/outdoor. Cost is $25. Registration ends March 14th. This is the first in a series focusing on exercises for each season.
More information is available at www.juliathie.com or by calling 423.239.7044.
See our Testimonial section for more stories like this.
All of our testimonials are reprinted with permission. If you would like to make your story available to others, please let us know. Contact us at amma@ammatn.com or send us a letter the old-fashioned way.
