APTA Pennsylvania Key Issues

Senator Scavello, on behalf of APTA Pennsylvania and PTs in the state, introduced SB 485 last week. This legislation specifically includes dry needling in our practice act, increases direct access to 90 days and updates the requirements to practice in the direct access environment.

Access the APTA Pennsylvania Dry Needling and Direct Access Update here.
*Please note: you will need an APTA Pennsylvania membership to access this page. 

4th Trimester Awareness Day

Senator Muth introduced Senate Resolution 74 (SR74) dedicating May 26 as Fourth Trimester Care Awareness Day.

Fourth Trimester Care Awareness Day recognizes the first three months of the postnatal period, a particularly vulnerable time for both physical and emotional risks for new mothers.

The United States has one of the worst records for maternal health in the industrialized world. Both societal norms and our medical system concentrate almost solely on the health, safety, and care of the fetus and infant, while the care for the mother during the postnatal period has little to no support.

This resolution will bring attention to the need for Fourth Trimester care and raise awareness of the benefits for both mothers and infants by designating May 26th as the Fourth Trimester Care Day.

What can you do?

• If your Senator is listed below, call the office to thank them for supporting SR 74.
  • Senators Muth, Schwank, Collett, Kane, Browne, Fontana, Street, Santarsiero, Hughes, Kearney, Costa, Comitta, and Brewster.
• Reach out to other Senators to educate them about this important issue and request support or to consider co-sponsorship.
  • See the 4th Trimester Awareness talking points below.
  • Review the 4th Trimester Awareness presentation for more in-depth information. 
• Be on the lookout for additional information for the activities being planned for May 26, 2021 and consider joining APTA PA representatives for an exciting day.

4th Trimester Talking Points

• Women in the US are more likely to die of pregnancy related complications than in 49 other countries, including nearly all of European countries, Canada and several countries in Asia and the Middle East.
• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) now recommends postpartum care should be an ongoing process, rather than a single encounter and all women have contact with the OBGYNs or other Obstetric care providers within the first 3 weeks postpartum. This is not currently happening.
• Most maternal deaths happen not in pregnancy or delivery, but in the postpartum period.
• 1 in 4 new mothers return to work two weeks after giving birth due to lack of paid family leave.
• A woman should see a pelvic physical therapist immediately postpartum to address diastasis recti abdominus (DRA), pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and pain.
• A woman should also be screened by mental health therapist during the postpartum period.