Act NOW. To license Naturopathic Doctor s in North Carolina. Can You... Write a letter? Send an e mail? Make a telephone call? Visit your legislator?

Transcription

1 Act NOW To license Naturopathic Doctor s in North Carolina Can You... Write a letter? Send an e mail? Make a telephone call? Visit your legislator? We need your help! We are actively pursuing licensing of naturopathic medicine in North Carolina. Bill # H969 has been introduced in the House and Bill # S1080 has been introduced into the Senate. Your support will make the difference in getting this bill passed. Legislators need to hear from YOU, their constituents, encouraging them to enact this very important Bill. We THANK YOU in advance for your supportive efforts. This packet includes: Key points to consider when contacting your legislator Example of patient letter Charlotte Observer article on naturopathic medicine & licensing efforts Senators & Representatives Contact information Feedback forms to let us know what happened If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Yours in health, Dr. Michael Smith Dr. Marci Scott * These forms are available for download at:

2 Five Key Benefits of Licensing Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) in North Carolina: Licensing means that the public has assurance that a practitioner calling themselves a Naturopathic Doctor has appropriate medical training through attending a 4-year accredited naturopathic medical school. Greater access to naturopathic medicine more NDs will practice in North Carolina when licensed and can fill a void where there is a severe physician shortage. Overall savings on healthcare costs through less expensive therapies. Improved health status of North Carolinians by addressing the cause of disease, promoting optimal health, and a strong focus on preventative healthcare. Individualized healthcare with more one-on-one time spent with a physician. Naturopathic medicine is currently licensed in the following states and territories: Maine Vermont New Hampshire Connecticut Alaska Hawaii Washington California Oregon Arizona Idaho Montana Utah Kansas District of Columbia Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands Please help us make North Carolina the first state in the Southeastern U.S. to license NDs. The Six accredited Naturopathic Medical Schools are listed in the 2007 Princeton Review Best 168 Medical Schools alongside: Harvard Medical School, John Hopkins School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, UNC-Chapel Hill, and others. A complete list of the accredited Naturopathic Medical Schools can be found at the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges ( North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians

3 April 7, 2007 [Your Street Address Your City, NC Zip] [The Legislator s Name Their Office Address] Re: Naturopathic Licensing Dear Senator or Representative (last name), I am writing today to ask for your full support of licensure for Naturopathic Doctors. The bill is being sponsored by Senator Ellie Kinnaird in the Senate and Representative Dewey Hill in the House, and provides for licensure of Naturopathic Doctors in North Carolina. [Please select text from the following paragraphs as appropriate. If you ve had a positive personal experience with a naturopathic doctor, it would be great to share that interaction in this letter.] Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are trained as general practitioners who specialize in natural therapies. Naturopathic doctors are required to have completed undergraduate pre medicine training, and an additional 4 years of post graduate naturopathic medical training at one of the U.S. Department of Education accredited schools. Naturopathic doctors would be required to pass national board exams, be held accountable to a state licensing board, and be required to take ongoing continuing education to maintain their license. Licensure will protect the public by defining educational requirements including clinical training and understanding of when it is appropriate to refer for additional medical care. Licensing naturopathic doctors will provide proper oversight of the profession by a regulatory board. Fourteen states, including California, and the District of Columbia license Naturopathic Doctors. Efforts are underway in at least 10 other states to license naturopathic doctors. I was impressed to learn that the naturopathic doctor I am seeing completed pre med prerequisites and four years of training at a naturopathic medical school accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency. The training included extensive experience seeing patients in an out patient clinic while supervised by licensed doctors. This training prepared my naturopathic doctor to know when to refer to other practitioners as appropriate. Naturopathic doctors are recognized community resources for medical information regarding drug, nutrient, herb and supplement interactions. In this way they provide a

4 valuable resource for the health and wellness of North Carolinians. Licensure will allow access to this valuable service. This bill will provide title clarification by requiring the title Naturopathic Doctor applies only to those professionals who complete the training described above and who have passed national board exams. This will resolve the confusion I and others experience when searching for a qualified professional in the natural health field. Currently anyone can use the term naturopath even when their training is from a distance learning program. I have a strong interest in this type of medicine and deserve to have access to the services provided by well trained naturopathic doctors. Thank you for your service to our state. In closing, please give your full support to the naturopathic licensing bill. I encourage you to learn more about the need for this important legislation which will protect your constituents and provide access to professionals who specialize in the prevention of chronic disease and the use of natural therapies. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Sign [Print Your Name Here] This letter can be downloaded for editing at:

5

6

7 County Voting District Representative - Last First Telephone - Raleigh Raleigh, NC Address Anson 69 Gibson Pryor A Legislative Office Building Pryorg@ncleg.net Cabarrus 82 Barnhart Jeff Legislative Office Building Jeffba@ncleg.net Cabarrus 83 Johnson Linda Legislative Building Lindajo@ncleg.net Catawba 88 Warren Ray C Legislative Office Building Rayw@ncleg.net Catawba 89 Setzer Mitchell Legislative Building Mitchells@ncleg.net Catawba 96 Hilton Mark Legislative Building Markh@ncleg.net Cleveland 110 Clary Debbie Legislative Office Building Debbiec@ncleg.net Cleveland 111 Moore Tim Legislative Office Building Timm@ncleg.net Cleveland 112 England, M.D. Bob Legislative Building Bobe@ncleg.net Davidson 80 Dockham Jerry Legislative Building Jerryd@ncleg.net Davie 79 Howard Julia Legislative Building Juliah@ncleg.net Gaston 108 Neumann Wil Legislative Office Building Wiln@ncleg.net Gaston 109 Current, Sr William A Legislative Office Building Billcu@ncleg.net Gaston 110 Clary Debbie Legislative Office Building Debbiec@ncleg.net Mecklenburg 98 Tillis Thom Legislative Building Thomt@ncleg.net Mecklenburg 99 Saunders Drew Legislative Building Drews@ncleg.net Mecklenburg 101 Earle Beverly Legislative Office Building Beverlye@ncleg.net Mecklenburg 102 Carney Becky Legislative Building Beckyc@ncleg.net Mecklenburg 103 Gulley Jim Legislative Building Jimg@ncleg.net Mecklenburg 104 Samuelson Ruth B Legislative Office Building Ruths@ncleg.net Mecklenburg 105 Killian Ric Legislative Building Rick@ncleg.net Mecklenburg 106 Alexander Martha B Legislative Building Marthaa@ncleg.net Mecklenburg 107 Cunningham W. Pete Legislative Office building Petec@ncleg.net Rowan 76 Steen, II Fred Legislative Office Building Fredst@ncleg.net Rowan 77 Coates Lorene Legislative Office Building Lorenec@ncleg.net Union 67 Almond David Legislative Building Davida@ncleg.net Union 68 Blackwood Curtis Legislative Building Curtisb@ncleg.net Union 69 Gibson Pryor A Legislative Office Building Pryorg@ncleg.net County Voting District Senator - Last First Telephone - Raleigh Raleigh, NC Address Cabarrus 36 Hartsell, Jr. Fletcher Legislative Office Building Fletcherh@ncleg.net Catawba 42 Allran Austin Legislative Office Building Austina@ncleg.net Davie 34 Brock Andrew Legislative Building Andrewb@ncleg.net Gaston 41 Forrester James Legislative Building Jamesf@ncleg.net Gaston 43 Hoyle David A Legislative Office Building Davidf@ncleg.net Mecklenberg 37 Clodfelter Daniel Legislative Office Building Danielc@ncleg.net Mecklenberg 38 Dannelly Charlie Smith Legislative Building Charlied@ncleg.net Mecklenberg 35 Goodall Edward Legislative Building Eddieg@ncleg.net Mecklenberg 40 Graham Malcolm Legislative Office Building Malcolmg@ncleg.net Mecklenberg 39 Pittenger Robert Legislative Office Building Robertp@ncleg.net Rowan 34 Brock Andrew Legislative Building Andrewb@ncleg.net Stanly 25 Purcell William Legislative Office Building Williamp@ncleg.net Union 35 Goodall Edward Legislative Building Eddieg@ncleg.net

8 Please let us know what action you have taken so we can track the number of contacts made to each legislator. This also assists us when speaking with the legislators on your behalf. Your Name Phone Legislator s Name Action Taken: Phone Call Message Letter Met with Any feedback or comments? Please include a copy of any correspondence you have sent to your legislators. You may call, mail, e/mail or fax us a copy of this form. Thank You. Carolinas Natural Health Center 1212 Mann Drive, Suite 100 Matthews, NC Phone Fax Please let us know what action you have taken so we can track the number of contacts made to each legislator. This also assists us when speaking with the legislators on your behalf. Your Name Phone Legislator s Name Action Taken: Phone Call Message Letter Met with Any feedback or comments? Please include a copy of any correspondence you have sent to your legislators. You may call, mail, e/mail or fax us a copy of this form. Thank You. Carolinas Natural Health Center 1212 Mann Drive, Suite 100 Matthews, NC Phone Fax