There’s a lot to update here! I want to make sure that you all have all the relevant documents from OBMT and OHA, so I will provide a brief overview of major developments and LOTS of links.

As of Friday, June 19th, all counties have reopened massage therapy services. So-called “non-medical massage” must follow additional guidelines from OHA that are available here. 

OBMT created a document with additional clarification about offering water, record keeping, “capes” for clients (not required for massage therapy), “smocks” for therapists (not required, but you must change any clothing that comes into contact with a client), and shared bathrooms. 

There was a question at the last OBMT meeting whether the board could make the OHA guidelines apply to all massage performed by LMTs. It appeared that the board wanted to make the guidelines apply to both “medical” and “non-medical” massage to avoid having two distinct sets of regulations, but as of this moment, there has been no follow up. Documents from OHA continue to refer to “non-medical massage”, implying that “medical massage” is not impacted. “Medical massage” is defined (according to this statement from OBMT) as “massage that a physician or someone authorized to prescribe massage in the State of Oregon for medical purposes has recommended to occur for the health of the patient.”

For those who did not read the post on Facebook (follow us for more frequent updates), I was appointed to the workgroup that helped advise OHA and Governor Brown’s office on the creation of the guidelines. As I wrote in a letter to OBMT summarizing my involvement, the workgroup ended abruptly, and before I was satisfied with the guidance. Overall, I think OHA and Governor Brown are doing a reasonable job balancing the various interests regarding reopening. AMTA Oregon did not take a position about when massage therapy should open, but we did raise concerns about overall safety, availability of PPE, liability issues, and support for immune-compromised and high-risk people throughout the process.

Regarding liability coverage for COVID claims, AMTA recently released this video stating that there are no exclusions for infectious diseases. While every claim is evaluated on a case-by-case basis (and nothing is certain), this is the best information we have about your coverage in the event of a claim regarding COVID-19. Your best protection is following all local laws and regulations, creating business policies in writing, and documenting your practices thoroughly. Consider creating a sanitation checklist that you complete between each client. FSMTB has a set of recommendations that are worth reviewing as well (AMTA staff was consulted on the report). 

Finally, I would like to say a few words about Black Lives Matter and the massage community. The current moment calls each of us to raise our awareness, not just of violence against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), but of all forms of racism. The fact is that there is an underrepresentation of BIPOC in the massage profession, and especially in leadership positions. For example, neither your local chapter or the national board of directors currently have any BIPOC representation. In addition, in the last three years that I’ve programmed education events for the state chapter, I  failed to invite any speakers of color at our chapter education events, and we held no courses that focused on race or implicit bias. I take responsibility for my part in that – I know I could have done more with my platform. 

None of this was explicit exclusion, but I won’t excuse the problem by saying “no POC applied for the positions.” Institutional racism means that the deck is stacked against marginalized groups, and it’s not enough to just sit around and wait for equality to happen. We have to examine *why* inequities exist. We have to examine *implicit bias* and *institutional racism* that create artificial limitations and contribute to a culture that isn’t as inclusive as we want it to be. I’ve already written to the national board of directors asking them to commit to action on this issue. The Oregon board is discussing what we can do at the local level. Meg Donnelly, an LMT from Virgina, has assembled a great list of resources tailored for massage therapists, including this course on unconscious bias from Healwell (being offered for free through the end of July). Benny Vaughn, a massage therapy educator, created a video call-to-action that is worth your time as well.  

I am no longer Chapter President, but I will be a part of the change here. If you have suggestions, thoughts, or want to get involved, please reach out. My new email is gov@amtaor.org, and Aaron is president@amtaor.org. 

Thank you,