Hello to all,
It’s time for Elections and our Annual Chapter Meeting!!
The positions available are:
- President (two-year term)
- Board Member (two-year term)
- Secretary (two-year term)
- Financial Administrator -(one-year term)
Speaking of Financial Administrator, I want to extend a special thank you to Sue Cormier for stepping into the role of the Financial Administrator for the past year. We so appreciate all that you have done for the Chapter.
At the Annual Meeting, we will start the morning with a 3-hour CE class. Details coming soon. There is a complimentary lunch for all attendees. The Annual Meeting runs from 12:30-3ish. We will give the results of the elections and awards! We vote on our budget and we hear from our Committees. Our lobbyist, Mark Molloy, will speak about the many issues going on with the MA Massage Board. Mark’s presentation is always lively and informative. A big issue that we are keeping a very close watch on is how Massachusetts is considering regulating bodywork. It’s a complex issue that requires us to stay up-to-date with how bodywork regulations could affect massage therapists. We hope to hear from the MA Massage Board also.
Annual Meeting will be held at the Sheraton in Needham on April 8, 2018. We have some exciting news about that day so you'll just have to stay tuned for that!
What else is going on?
Well, marijuana is going to be legal in MA. Massage Therapists will have the OK to have marijuana/CBD with THC products!! How does this play out? National AMTA is not prepared to give guideline at this time due to the lack of research in using THC products. Here are just a few of the issues that we think you need to take into consideration:
- Even though marijuana will be legal in MA, it is still federally illegal.
- Will there be banks that will accept money earned through marijuana products?
- Should a massage therapist use gloves while massaging if using these products?
- How can you get a license to use the products?
- Can you supply your own products or do you need to use only the products the clients supply?
- Is there special documentation that you will need to do?
- If you massage without gloves, will there be enough THC entering your system so that you would fail a drug test?
- What evidence do you have that shows that these products actually help?
- Did you know that you can use non THC CBD oils/lotions now?
- Make sure you are not massaging at a federally owned business/school.
As I wrote, these are just a few of the issues for this complicated issue! To learn more, click here.
What else has been in the news?
Sexual misconduct and assault issues
It is important for each and every massage therapist to have a policy and guidelines regarding informed consent (written and verbal) and clarity on sexual misconduct and how to report.
National AMTA President Dolly Wallace is now part of the Massage Envy Safety Advisory Council. As written on the notice of the Council:
The Safety Advisory Council is made up of experts who support our work to strengthen our safety standards, policies and processes and create meaningful, ongoing change in our own business - and throughout the massage industry.
What's going on with continuing education?
The MA Chapter has CE classes coming this year. We are helping to promote a neuromuscular class, taught by Judi Delany, at 360 NeuroMuscular Therapy in June. It will be on intraoral massage that is very effective with TMJD.
We are going to have a class that helps you to qualify for certification in Sports Massage. That class will be in September and is sponsored by National AMTA. More details to come!
Did you know that the National AMTA Convention is August 9-11 in Washington DC this year? Click here to get to know more about this year's convention.
So much is going on! We are there for you as best as we can be. Please let us know of any issues/concerns that you may have. And DEFINITELY get in touch if you'd like to volunteer to some capacity. We just finished our 2018-2019 budget meeting and had some of our newer volunteers attend. It was wonderful having some new energy at the meeting!
It is a pleasure being your Chapter President!
Greg Hurd