Dear WA State Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine Practitioners,
“SSHB 1039 Concerning physical therapists performing intramuscular needling” is rolling through the House of Representatives with a lot of support from legislators this year. SSHB 1039 has just been pulled out of the House Rules Committee and now heads for a vote on the Floor of the House of Representatives sometime next week.
WAEMA opposes the bill in its current form. Although we appreciate that the bill was amended to increase the number of training hours from 175 to 325 hours, we still have concerns about public safety and the very broad scope of the bill.
Please contact your two House of Representative members today!
Go to Find Your District and put in your home mailing address. Click on your legislator’s names and their contact information will pop up. From there you can email them with a message. Here is a sample message you can use:
Dear Representative __________,
Please oppose SSHB 1039 Concerning physical therapists performing intramuscular needling as it is written. I am an Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine Practitioner who lives in your district. I am very concerned about the broad scope of this legislation and its lack of safety requirements for needling patients.
SSHB 1039 in its current state does not adequately limit the type of needling that will be allowed and permits the practice of acupuncture by not addressing needle retention or electrical stimulation. We request an amendment that will address these issues and provide additional safety requirements.
Please work with the acupuncture community towards a compromise bill that will address the concerns of our profession to provide a safe and effective treatment for patients in Washington state.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
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Thank you for your consideration!
Leslie Emerick
WAEMA Public Policy Director
360-280-6142