State Associations Receive ASHA Grants (2010)

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderASHA News1 Apr 2010State Associations Receive ASHA Grants Eileen Crowe and Neela Swanson Eileen Crowe Google Scholar More articles by this author and Neela Swanson Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.AN1.15052010.4 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In ASHA has awarded 2010 grants—four personnel grants and five reimbursement grants—to nine state associations to help them pursue state grassroots advocacy projects. Personnel Grants Personnel grants support activities that address personnel issues in education or health care settings. Colorado and South Dakota—the only two states in the country that do not have licensure for speech-language pathologists—have been awarded grants to pursue licensure. Both intend to introduce licensure legislation in the 2011 session. Florida has been awarded a grant to gather workload data from a sample of SLPs, to use the information to educate policymakers in the state education department, and to provide leadership training for a selected group of SLPs. Pennsylvania has received a grant to continue the work of the Pennsylvania State Advisory Council on Personnel Shortages in Speech-Language Pathology, a group convened by the state association. Advisory council membership includes stakeholders from a number of early-intervention, school-based, and health care agencies. The grant also will support the state association’s efforts to achieve universal licensure and help the association in its ongoing collaboration with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Network to increase the number of students admitted to communication sciences and disorders programs that are certified by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. Reimbursement Grants Reimbursement grants advance projects that improve reimbursement and coverage by private health plans and Medicaid for speech-language pathology and audiology-related services. Georgia and Vermont will use grant funds to increase their advocacy efforts and pursue legislation to address Medicaid-related issues, including increased reimbursement denials, decreased reimbursement rates, and severe limitations on the number of treatment sessions allowed. In Idaho, grant funds will be used to develop and distribute a Web video to educate stakeholders about the benefits of speech-language pathology and audiology services. The video is designed to raise awareness and encourage SLPs and audiologists to participate in advocacy efforts on behalf of increased Medicaid and private health plan reimbursement. Michigan will use grant funds to address barriers SLPs face in providing services to Blue Cross (BC) and Blue Care Network (BCN) private health plans. The state association will form a coalition of SLPs to meet with BC/BCN to discuss a number of issues, including delay tactics and denial of medically prescribed treatment for voice disorders because of clients’ “lifestyle choices.” New Jersey will use grant funds on a public awareness campaign, part of its ongoing efforts to support legislation mandating coverage of speech-language pathology services for disorders deemed “non-restorative” or “behavioral” by health plans. Author Notes Eileen Crowe, director of state association relations, at [email protected]. Neela Swanson, health care financing information coordinator, at [email protected]. Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 15Issue 5April 2010 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Apr 1, 2010 Metrics Downloaded 84 times Topicsleader_do_tagleader-topicsasha-article-typesCopyright & Permissions© 2010 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...