Board Nominations Open, Wellness Program, Thentia Software

Alabama Board of Physical Therapy

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 V O L U M E 3 3 I S S U E 1 Newsletter Board Members

T-Michael Dougherty, PTA, Chair, South Region Robert Fleming Jr., PT, From the Desk of the Executive Director 1st Congressional District We're excited to share that three Board appointment nominations are now open! While it Robin Irwin, PT, 2nd Congressional District may feel early, the Annual Alabama APTA Conference is in April, and that's when nomina- tions are officially taken and voted on. The top five nominees for each position will then be Zach Nelson, PTA, North submitted to the Governor for appointment consideration. Region Here are the open positions: • Licensed Physical Therapist residing in Congressional Districts 3, 4, 6, or 7 (currently Dhrumil Patel, PT, Secretary 5th Congressional held by Dana Daniel Blake, District 6). You can confirm your district by visiting District https://2023-court-ordered-congressional-plan-algeohub.hub.arcgis.com/ • Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant residing in the southern division of the state Dana Daniel Blake, PT, (currently held by T-Michael Dougherty). See map below for PTA divisions. Treasurer 6th Congressional District • Consumer Member (State at Large) This nominee may live in any Congressional Dis- trict. This position is currently held by Margaret Hemm, who has reached the maximum Margaret Hemm number of consecutive terms. Consumer Member Legal Counsel

1. Matt Bledsoe Assistant Attorney General Administrative Staff PTA Divisions Map (left) Kathy Miller Executive Director Angela Warr Executive Assistant You can nominate someone--or yourself! Please submit: Kristi Mullins • A signed consent-to-serve letter Accounting • Curriculum vitae Claire DiLaura • A short bio Accounting and Budgeting Deadline: March 31, 2026 Please let us know if you have questions regarding the upcoming nominations. Contact info@pt.alabama.gov -Kathy Miller ( 3 3 4 ) 2 4 2 - 4064 Executive Director

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Alabama Board of Physical Therapy Spotlight on Margaret Hemm, Ed.D Consumer Member

It's been an honor for me to serve on the Alabama Board of Physical Therapy for the past 9 years. After I retired from a long career in rehabilitation management, I met with members of the PT Board to discuss my concerns about the lack of ac- cess to therapy services primarily in rural areas of Alabama. Seeing my concern and passion for patients needing access to care, several Board members nominated me for a position on the Board. In July 2017, I was appointed to the PT Board by Governor Kay Ivey to repre- sent the State as the Consumer Member. Shortly after my appointment, I became a member of the Violations Committee which I have continued to serve in that capacity throughout my ten- ure. Even though I am not a Physical Therapist, I have been respected as an equal member by the Board Members, and I appreciate their support. I have participated in legislative changes to our law as we navigated required background checks for applicants due to our participation in the PT Compact, as well as rules changes needed to align with the Direct Access bill. The Board is currently researching opportunities to fund scholarships for students wishing to enter the field and work in underserved communities. In addition, we are seeking to make continuing education requirements more accessible in the future.

As part of my concerns about access to PT services, I was most proud when the Board began issuing Compact Privileges in October 2024. This was a five-year process, and my sincerest gratitude goes out to Kathy Miller, Executive Director, and her team for their hard work and tenacity to make this a reality. As of January 2026, we have 181 privilege holders from numer- ous states that can practice in Alabama. In addition, the number of licensed PTs and PTAs in the State has continued to grow at a rate of 3% year over year for the past four years.

As I have had the opportunity to visit many of our colleges and universities, I continue to be amazed at the incredible training programs and technology that is being provided to the PT/ PTA students throughout the State. I am pleased to see so many of the seasoned therapists seeking specialty certifications and training to provide best practices and evidence-based treat- ments for their patients.

I am sincerely grateful for this opportunity to have served.

-Margaret M. Hemm, Ed.D.

Margaret has been a valued member of the Board, and her contributions cannot be overstated. Thank you, Margaret, for all you do for the State of Alabama!

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NEW SOFTWARE! As many of you are aware, we have recently updated our regulatory software to Thentia! We have found that it is more user-friendly, and we sincerely hope you do, too. But, as with all technologies, there may be bugs that need to be worked out. We strongly encourage you to go to our website--www.pt.alabama.gov--and select "Online Services" to be directed to your user portal. There, you can update personal information (except your name; you can submit a name change request for that), print your certificate and wallet card, and most importantly, this is where you will go to renew! Don't wait until the last minute to become familiar with the new system! The Licensee Portal looks like this:

One major difference we've noticed is that you will need to enter your continuing education on the left side of the home page--see below--or Thentia will not let you proceed with your renewal: There is also an Applicant Portal, Public Register, etc. Don't delay! Check out Thentia today! -Angela Warr, Executive Assistant III

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Wellness Program (Impaired Practitioner) The Alabama Board of Physical Therapy continues to work with Dr. Mike Garver, DMD, to provide an Impaired Practitioner Wellness Program as a service to licensees in the State of Alabama. This program is designed to help licensees who are impaired by reason of illness, inebriation, excessive use of drugs, alcohol, narcotics, chemicals or other substances, or a result of a physical or mental condition. Currently the program has approximately 15 participants, with the majority of those entering the program by self-report. This self-reporting option provides the opportunity for a licensee to directly contact Dr. Garver or the Board office and receive much needed help without jeopardizing their license. Self-reporting avoids a formal Board hearing with the viola- tions committee, and the subsequent reporting to the National Practitioner Data Bank. Additionally, there is no public record as participants are only known to the Board by case number. For assistance, physical thera- pist and physical therapist assistants should contact the program director at 1-855-865-6704 (Wellness Cen- ter Hotline). Mentors continue to be fundamental in the success of the program. They allow participants to have some- one to turn to that have faced those same challenges of addiction. Mentors remain anonymous and time frame for participation is at each individual's discretion. If you are interested in becoming a mentor please contact Dr. Mike Garver at the contact below. From a current Mentor in Dr. Garver's Program: I am a recovering alcoholic Physical Therapist. I reached out 5 years ago to the Wellness committee for my problem, which had taken over my life and ruined relationships. I was scared and lonely, but having treat- ment for my disease helped me to recover my former self and provide me with tools to maintain this won- derful lifestyle. Because I self-reported, I was not reported to the National Practitioners database nor had any probation or other public notices. This allowed me to continue my work and help provide for my family. I am a mentor to others like myself and in doing so have received many blessings. If I can say one thing to those of you who still suffer, please stand up and walk through your fear to self report your problem. You will not be disappointed in the response. Someone like me will be there to help. The Wellness Program can help you. They will help you. Michael Garver, DMD P.O. Box 426 19260 North Mobile Street Citronelle, Al 36522 E-mail: abptwellness@gmail.com Phone: (256)866-5585 Fax: (251) 866-5570

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NEW LICENSEES!

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New Licensees Cont'd

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School Trainings

Wallace CC PTA Hanceville USA DPT Students

South Montgomery PTA ASU DPT Students Students

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Calhoun CC PTA Students Samford DPT Students

Wallace CC Dothan PTA Students

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Disciplinary Actions: Case #2025-014 Case #2025-006 Amanda Sanchez Sydney Barnes Unable to Practice Safely by Reason of Substance Use Working without a License Closed and Approved: 1/8/2026 Providing False Information to the Board Closed and Approved: 9/12/2025 Case # 2025-016 Jennifer Crews Case #2025-013 Practicing with an Expired License Tina Rector Closed and Approved: 1/8/2026 Practicing with an Expired License Closed and Approved: 11/13/2025 WE ARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

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