APTA Colorado DEI Committee

The APTA Colorado Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is dedicated to advancing a more inclusive physical therapy profession at the state and national level. Since the Committee's inception, we have sponsored educational sessions at the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference & PT Expo on "Upstander Training" in 2021 and "Brave Space Training" in 2022, as well as participated in student outreach events throughout the Metro Denver area. We are now pleased to announce the launch of a new DEI Committee webpage (found in the Chapter's webpage section, "SIGs, Committees, & Districts").

The new webpage features information about the current DEI Committee membership, links to key DEI resources from APTA, brief profiles on APTA Colorado practitioners and students, and a list of DEI Committee-sponsored content from the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference & PT Expo (live links will be added to this section soon). Please note that the webpage will grow as the DEI Committee and our network of Chapter partners continue to grow and evolve. Therefore, we are requesting the following assistance and input from our Chapter members: 

  • Provide recommendations for professional and student APTA Colorado members who would be open to be included in our "Members Spotlight"
  • Forward additional DEI-oriented links that could be considered for inclusion in the "Resource Center" section of the webpage
  • Reach out to one of the DEI Committee Co-Chairs (Dr. Hofmann or Dr. Harris-Love) if you have a suggestion for a DEI-themed educational topic or interest in committee service.

The DEI Committee webpage will also provide information on upcoming events and initiatives that you can participate in to help advance the cause of diversity, equity, and inclusion in physical therapy. With your valued contributions, the webpage can continue to grow and better meet the needs of Chapter membership. We look forward to partnering with you as we strive for a greater sense of belonging in our clinics, classrooms, and communities.
 

CDC Adds Covid-19 Shots to List of Routine Vaccines for Kids and Adults

CNN | By Janelle Chavez

Covid-19 shots are included in new schedules of routinely recommended vaccines released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. The immunization schedules summarize current vaccine recommendations for children, adolescents and adults, but do not set vaccine requirements for schools or workplaces.

Key changes to the schedules, published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Thursday, include the addition of Covid-19 primary vaccine series and recommendations on booster dose vaccination; updated guidance on influenza and pneumococcal vaccines; and new vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and for hepatitis B.

The schedule also recommends additional doses of MMR vaccine during a mumps outbreak and administering inactivated poliovirus vaccine in adults who are at an increased risk for exposure to the virus.

The proposed changes were recommended by the CDC's vaccine advisers, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or ACIP, and signed off on by the CDC, which worked with physicians, nurses and pharmacists on the recommendation.

The biggest change, the report's authors told CNN, is incorporating Covid-19 vaccines into both schedules.

"This means COVID-19 vaccine is now presented as any other routinely recommended vaccine and is no longer presented in a special "call out" box as in previous years. This, in a sense, helps 'normalize' this vaccine and sends a powerful message to both healthcare providers and the general public that everyone ages 6 months and older should stay up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccines (including a booster, when eligible), just as they would with any other routinely recommended vaccine," Dr. Neil Murthy and Dr. A. Patricia Wodi said in a statement.

However, including Covid-19 vaccines on the routine schedule does not mean vaccination will be required by schools. School-entry vaccination requirements are determined by state or local jurisdictions, and not by CDC.

The new recommendations also add the use of PCV15, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine used to treat bacterial infection recently approved for use in children. Either PCV13 or the higher valent PCV15 may now be used based on the specific pediatric population.

Read Full Article
 

Frustrated with Prior Authorizations?!?!

APTA Colorado intends to introduce legislation to lessen the negative impact that insurance carriers and their 3rd party intermediaries have on you, your patients and your employers. We need your input to show legislators that we have a real problem with utilization management and prior authorization to justify our legislative recommendations. Please complete the 3-5 minute survey below to help our profession fight back against insurance carrier overreach. 
Click here to take survey! 
 

 
 

Non-surgical Treatment Significantly Reduces Knee Pain for Adults, Especially Those 50 and Older

By The Reis Group

Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive treatment for knee pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee, and can significantly reduce pain, especially for adults who are 50 and older, according to new research to be presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology Annual Scientific Meeting in Phoenix, March 4–9. This is the first time a study has examined patient demographics, prior surgical history and other clinical characteristics that may predict the level of pain reduction after treatment.

"We know this treatment has clear benefits in reducing pain and improving the ability to do  for patients," said Kaitlin Carrato, M.D., chief resident in  at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. "But now that we know it's particularly helpful for those over 50 years old, it may mean that those with , like arthritis, would benefit more from this treatment than patients suffering acute pain, such as an injury."

Interventional radiologists perform genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation by image guidance to place probe needles next to the nerves of the knee that can send pain signals to the brain. The probes generate , creating a ball of heat to dull or destroy the pain nerve endings. These nerves do not control muscles or affect balance, making the procedure safe. Furthermore, patients leave with Band-Aids, not stitches. The treatment in other studies has been shown to last for approximately six months to up to two years.

The study examined pain reduction for 36 patients using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) pain scale. Researchers evaluated whether pain reduction levels were influenced by demographics and clinical characteristics, such as age, gender, body mass index, history of prior surgery and history of fibromyalgia.

Before treatment, patients had a mean baseline VAS of 8.58 and a mean baseline WOMAC of 66.6. After treatment, all study participants experienced a statistically significant reduction in pain. The mean VAS of 8.58 decreased to 5.02, while the mean WOMAC score decreased from 66.6 to 41. The greatest increase in functionality and decrease in pain was recorded for patients 50 and older compared to younger participants.

"Roughly one in four U.S. adults have ," said John B. Smirniotopoulos, M.D., an interventional radiologist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. "This treatment can offer many of those people a chance to enjoy everyday activities and regain a higher quality of life by decreasing the pain that they experience on a daily basis."

The researchers are currently conducting  into this treatment that dive deeper into what other factors could predict how well the treatment will work. The same treatment is also conducted with shoulder, hips and sacroiliac joints, where the spine connects to the pelvis.
 

Organ Damage for 59% of Patients with Long COVID Continues a Year After Initial Symptoms

By SAGE Publications

A new comprehensive study of organ impairment in long COVID patients over 12 months shows organ damage persisted in 59% of patients a year after initial symptoms, even in those not severely affected when first diagnosed with the virus.

The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, focused on patients reporting extreme breathlessness, cognitive dysfunction and poor health-related quality of life. 536 long COVID patients were included in the study. 13% were hospitalized when first diagnosed with COVID-19. 32% of people taking part in the study were healthcare workers.

Of the 536 patients, 331 (62%) were identified with organ impairment six months after their initial diagnosis. These patients were followed up six months later with a 40-minute multi-organ MRI scan (Perspectum's CoverScan), analyzed in Oxford.

The findings confirmed that 29% of patients with long COVID had multi-organ impairment, with persistent symptoms and reduced function at six and twelve months. 59% of long COVID patients had single organ impairment 12 months after initial diagnosis.

A member of the research group, Professor Amitava Banerjee, Professor of Clinical Data Science at the UCL Institute of Health Informatics, said, "Symptoms were common at six and twelve months and associated with female gender, younger age and single organ impairment."

The study reported a reduction in symptoms between six and 12 months (extreme breathlessness from 38% to 30% of patients, cognitive dysfunction from 48% to 38% of patients and poor health-related quality of life from 57% to 45% of patients).

Professor Banerjee added, "Several studies confirm persistence of symptoms in individuals with long COVID up to one year. We now add that three in five people with long COVID have impairment in at least one organ, and one in four have impairment in two or more organs, in some cases without symptoms."

He said, "Impact on quality of life and time off work, particularly in healthcare workers, is a major concern for individuals, health systems and economies. Many healthcare workers in our study had no prior illness, but of 172 such participants, 19 were still symptomatic at follow-up and off work at a median of 180 days."

The underlying mechanisms of long COVID remain elusive, say the researchers, who did not find evidence by symptoms, blood investigations or MRI to clearly define long COVID subtypes. They say that future research must consider associations between symptoms, multi-organ impairment and function in larger cohorts.

Prof Banerjee concluded, "Organ impairment in long COVID has implications for symptoms, quality of life and longer-term health, signaling the need for prevention and integrated care for long COVID patients."
 
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