Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68016
Workshops Benefit Massage Therapy Foundation Performance Health Inc. and the Kinesio Taping Association are partnering to raise funds for the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF), a nonprofit group established to promote the knowledge and practice of massage therapy. The partnership is sponsoring 20 Elevate Your Practice workshops throughout the United States to teach the basics of using the Kinesio Taping Method, Prossage Heat, and Biofreeze Pain Reliever. The companies are underwriting the workshops, and the $20 registration fee is donated to the MTF. Each six-hour workshop demonstrates the therapeutic effectiveness of soft-tissue treatments with hands-on experience using taping. For more information, visit www. massagetherapyfoundation. org/fund_workshops.html or to host an event email Lynda Solien-Wolfe at lwolfe@phi.us. No HIV Ban for Licensing Boards, Training Schools The U.S. Department of Justice has ruled that occupational training schools and state licensing boards cannot discriminate against HIV+ applicants. The ruling happened after several HIV+ massage therapy students were denied licenses to practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta's massage licensing statute previously required applicants to provide a physician's note specifying they had no communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS. The therapists won their lawsuit and the discrimination ban was written into the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Read the new ADA regulation at www.ada.gov/qahivaids_license.htm. NCBTMB to Launch Advanced Certification Exam The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork's (NCBTMB) official steering group and task force announced the formation of a new Advanced Certification Exam and a timeline for its launch. This exam is designed to allow practitioners to demonstrate and market their expertise. It will touch on all aspects of massage and bodywork and is being developed by a task force of more than 20 industry experts. The task force will determine the abilities, knowledge, and skill sets that define an advanced practitioner through a number of ways, including an industry survey in November 2009. A beta exam will launch April 2, 2010. After analyzing participant response, an exam is expected to be finalized before June 20, 2010. You can track the progress of the Advanced Certification Exam on the NCBTMB website at www.ncbtmb.org. connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 15