AMTA Attends Voices for Non-Opioid Choices Coalition Meeting
AMTA recently attended the Annual Coalition Meeting on Voices for Non-Opioid Choices (“Voices”) in Washington, D.C. AMTA is one of 100+ national partner organizations that support this group's efforts to help focus attention on the need for preventing the abuse of opioids for treating diverse types of pain.
The theme of the 2024 Voices meeting was, “Continuing the Fight: Preventing Opioid Addiction in America." At the meeting, physicians, members of Congress and congressional staff, as well as patient representatives spoke on the negative impacts of opioid abuse.
AMTA was also an active participant in an earlier Voices advocacy effort to help pass the 2022 Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation “NOPAIN” Act. This Act intends to increase patient and provider access to non-opioid approaches for pain management for those enrolled in Medicare, and to help stem the opioid epidemic across the nation. It also includes language which aims to increase awareness that patients need access to complementary and integrative pain therapies such as massage.
AMTA will continue its efforts to collaborate with Voices and other organizations to highlight the role of massage therapy and other integrative services in helping address the opioid crisis. Stay tuned for more updates on how AMTA is working with our partners to educate Congress and government agencies on the many benefits of massage therapy and the important role it plays in our healthcare system.