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Licensing Update: 1.06.20

The VAANP is very excited to report that considerable progress is being made with the bill to license naturopathic doctors in Virginia! We now have four chief co-patrons: Delegate Rasoul (D) and Delegate Adams (D) on the House side, and Senator Petersen (D) and Senator Vogel (R) on the Senate side. We will have additional sponsors supporting us as well. 

This is the first time the VAANP has retained a lobbyist during an active legislative session. It is also the first time we have had patrons on the House Health Welfare and Institutions committee (HWI). This is strategic, as our bill must pass through this committee, and now both of our chief co-patrons serve on this committee!

In addition, this is the first time that we have a patron, Delegate Adams, who is also a medical professional. Delegate Adams is a nurse practitioner who last Session spearheaded legislation that granted nurse practitioners autonomy. Even though the 2020 legislative Session hasn't yet begun, the VAANP is truly in the strongest position we have ever been in to move our bill to license naturopathic doctors in Virginia forward!


However, we do face opposition. The Medical Society of Virginia has already stated that they oppose our bill. They were neutral in our 2005 to 2008 efforts, yet opposed our 2011 effort. To counter this, we are building a strong network of support with various allied health professions, and expect that this strong support will help to neutralize any opposition.

Right now, we await our finalized bill language along with our bill number in the next few days. There have been a number of changes in the Virginia legislature, including within the bill drafting staff. Given this, our lobbyist has told us to anticipate having to make some additional changes even after we receive the "final" language. Our patrons will help us to make any additional changes. We are working to make sure the bill language is something we can all agree to - understanding that some compromises might be needed along the way, in order to be sure our billed gets passed.


This is a crucial time for the VAANP, and we need your support.  Here's how you can help:
  • We need financial support to continue this awesome momentum. We have raised $10,000. We need to raise an additional $10,000 for our lobbyist. We appreciate your support in sharing this "100 Friends $100 Campaign" GoFundMe link with your patients, friends and family.
  • Once we receive our bill number you will be hearing from us again - requesting that you reach out to your legislators and do the same of your patients. This is a crucial time for the VAANP. Please stay tuned for these important updates.
We couldn't have gotten this far with out the hard work that each and every one of you do everyday serving patients in Virginia and from the efforts of our previous VAANP leaders. We are grateful for you all and look forward to continuing forward in this effort together. Please do feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Sarah

Sarah Giardenelli, ND, MSOM, LAc
VAANP - President
info@vaanp.org
(p) 571.314.0705
100 Friends $100: Support ND Licensing Today
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