Press Release - Town Hall - 2/11/07

New York Stat Acupuncture Coalition Town Hall
Press Release - 2/11/07

On Sunday, February 11, 2007, the steering committee for the New York State Acupuncture Coalition, hosted a town hall meeting at Touro College to discuss proposed changes to the scope of practice for licensed acupuncturists in the state. The meeting, organized by steering committee member, Kathy Taromina, MS, Lac, brought together over 100 people, including practitioners, students, representatives of state and national organizations, herbal growers and suppliers, and interested members of the general public.
Kathleen Golden, MS, LAc, steering committee member, welcomed everyone and introduced the distinguished assembled panel. She gave a history of acupuncture regulation in the state and detailed the contributions that went into the scope of practice initiative.
Michael Taromina, Esq., steering committee counsel, outlined the proposed legislation, which includes the following:
1) language to amend the current acupuncture law to encompass the practice of herbs
2) proposal to include a mandatory continuing education provision to bring acupuncture professional standards in line with other medical providers and many other licensed professions in the state. The proposal includes a CEU requirement of thirty six hours per three years licensure term.
3) setting the acupuncturist membership of the state acupuncture board to the same ratios as other professional boards and
4) allowing for visiting faculty to practice within an educational context.
Following the presentation of the proposed legislation, distinguished panelists from the acupuncture and Oriental medicine field discussed the proposed legislation. Those participating included Yemeng Chen, LAc, president and academic dean of New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and official representative of TCMAA; Jean Giblette, Director of High Falls Gardens; Thomas Leung, owner of Kamwo Chinese Herbal Pharmacy; Marilee Murphy,LAc, RN, dean of acupuncture and Oriental medicine at New York Chiropractic College and steering committee member; Steven Schram PhD, DC, LAc, representing the board of the Acupuncture Society of New York; Betsy Smith, associate deputy director for legislative and state issues at the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Elaine Stern, LAc; and Kejian Xiao,MB, LAc, faculty member, Touro College.
After the panelists concluded their statements, steering committee member Megan Haungs, MS, LAc, LMT, mediated an audience discussion of the proposal. Comments included support for the proposal, questions about the continuing education requirement, and a discussion of the proposed educational requirements for practitioners recommending custom-made herbal formulations.
Taking the floor again, Taromina asked the attendees for a show of applause indicating their support for going forward with the proposed legislation as it now stands…and the response was an overwhelming show of support for the initiative.
Golden then outlined the next steps to be taken, including letter writing and political outreach. A community-wide trip to Albany is planned for Tuesday April 24th.
The meeting was a historic moment for the acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession in New York State and was especially notable for the across-the-board agreement among practitioners, students, alumni associations, schools, and numerous state associations to move forward with the initiative.
For more information on the Initiative please visit nysacupuncture.org.