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2026 Hill Day Downloadable Materials
Advocacy Issues – Add Your Voice!
The resources linked below outline several advocacy issues related to occupational therapy practice in Tennessee. Included with these resources are template letters for you to use, reference, and/or personalize to help add your voice to TNOTA’s efforts to support occupational therapy practitioners in Tennessee.
Resources and links will be added to this section as specific legislative/advocacy priorities are identified by TNOTA’s Advocacy Committee.
RECORDING: Hill Day Recap & Advocacy Update Session
In this webinar, presenters will share their insight, experiences, and advice for advocating for occupational therapy, especially in relation to Hill Day in Nashville on February 25, 2026. In addition, participants who attended Hill Day will be invited to share their thoughts and take-aways from the event, and follow-up action steps will be discussed. This information will be relevant for all OT practitioners and OT/OTA students in TN – those who attended Hill Day and those who did not! Registration is required; the event is open and free to all. One hour CE credit is available for participation.
This webinar will be recorded with the recording made available after the event for viewing through the TNOTA website.
Speakers: Cindy Blackwell, OTD, OTR/L and Rosemary Lewis OTR/L, CTP, CBIS
Cindy Blackwell, OTD, OTR/L is the TNOTA Federal Legislative Representative. She formerly served as president of TNOTA and has practiced as a pediatric occupational therapist at an outpatient clinic in Franklin, TN. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She completed her master’s degree and post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is an AOTA Emerging Leader, Class of 2014. She has worked in a variety of settings, including public and private schools, home-based services, outpatient pediatric clinics, and academia. Her passion is working with children with disabilities or developmental delays and their families, to help empower them to reach their fullest potential.
Rosemary Lewis OTR/L, CTP, CBIS is an OT practicing in the Cardiovascular and Medical Intensive Care Units at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is a Certified Trauma Professional and Brain Injury Specialist and has advanced training in early mobility and rehabilitation for patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. She serves as the co-chair of the Advocacy Committee for TNOTA and is an associate reviewer for the Journal of Acute Care Occupational Therapy.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees will complete the following during this session:
- Share information about experiences, take-away thoughts, and questions about Hill Day.
- Discuss one or more current legislative issues relevant to OT practice in the state of Tennessee right now.
- Identify at least one action step related to advocacy to complete as a follow-up to Hill Day.
RECORDING: Dry Needling Advocacy: A Tale of Two States
This video is a presentation provided in part by past president Cindy Blackwell, OTD, OTR/L, that highlights the process that TNOTA followed to get dry needling into the TN OT Practice Act. Cindy’s part of the presentation begins at about 34 minutes, but the entire presentation contains relevant information for OTPs in Tennessee.
State and Federal Advocacy Update 2024
TNOTA is offering a pre-recorded continuing education course entitled “State and Federal Advocacy Update 2024” now through Aspire OT. This course is free to TNOTA members and non-members and is worth 0.5 hour CE credit.
About This Course: In this webinar, presenters will share their insight, experiences, and advice for advocating for occupational therapy both in Tennessee and at the federal level. This will include updates on current legislative topics.
Course Objectives:
Through participating in this event, attendees will be able to do the following at the close of the session:
- Locate and access TNOTA advocacy resources on the website.
- Identify the role of the TNOTA advocacy committee, the TNOTA legislative chair, and the TNOTA lobbyist.
- List a legislative issue currently being discussed at the state level and/or the national level.
Presenters: Stephanie Lancaster & Rosemary Lewis
Stephanie Lancaster graduated with a degree in occupational therapy from Washington University in St. Louis in 1991. She has worked as an OT educator since 2013 and serves as associate professor in the OT program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. She holds an M.S. in Leadership & Policy Studies and a Doctorate of Education in Instruction & Curriculum Design with an emphasis on Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Memphis. She served as the co-facilitator of the TNOTA Pediatric Community of Practice for several years before moving into the role of TNOTA President.
Rosemary Lewis OTRL, CTP, CBIS is an OT practicing in the Cardiovascular and Medical Intensive Care Units at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is a Certified Trauma Professional and Brain Injury Specialist and has advanced training in early mobility and rehabilitation for patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. She serves as the co-chair of the Advocacy Committee for TNOTA and is an associate reviewer for the Journal of Acute Care Occupational Therapy.
Advocacy Resources
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OT Advocacy Toolkit
The Advocacy Toolkit serves as a foundational resource to develop and support your advocacy knowledge and skills, especially at a state-systems level. It is created with students in mind, ensuring the information is accessible and digestible.
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Find Your Legislators
To better inform yourself on issues that affect the provision of OT services in Tennessee, find your legislators and see where they stand on issues that impact our profession.
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Template: Letter of Medical Necessity
To better inform yourself on issues that affect the provision of OT services in Tennessee, find your legislators and see where they stand on issues that impact our profession.
TNOTA believes that advocacy is critical to maintaining the health and visibility of occupational therapy in Tennessee. Membership in TNOTA supports our efforts to represent occupational therapy in legislative and regulatory affairs and gives a powerful, united voice to occupational therapy practitioners across our state. TNOTA is always working to develop more publicly available resources to enable OT practitioners, educators, and students to better advocate for our profession. If you have a resource you’d like to see, contact admin@tnota.org.
Legislative Updates
In alignment with the mission and vision of TNOTA, TNOTA continues to work closely with our lobbyists at Capitol & 5th Public Strategies as well as AOTA State Affairs to monitor legislation and regulations that impact occupational therapy at both the state and federal levels. Read about legislation we’re tracking below!
If you have any questions or input about these or other legislative or advocacy issues, please contact TNOTA as listed here.
TNOTA's Lobbyists: Capitol & 5th Public Strategies (C5)
TNOTA employs a lobbying firm that closely monitors legislation and executive orders from our Tennessee government.
