President’s Message (June 6, 2025)
A Message From the President – June 6, 2025
Dear APTA Indiana Members,
Greetings! I am excited to share some of the incredible progress and accomplishments we’ve made together as a Chapter over the past year.
This spring marked a major milestone with our First Annual PAC Gala, a fundraiser for the APTA Indiana PAC, which was a resounding success. Thanks to the generous donations from friends of PT, we raised $16,500 for the APTA Indiana PAC—bringing our total PAC contributions to over $25,000 in the past 12 months. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Dale Turner for not only proposing the idea, but also taking the lead in organizing this memorable evening. Additional thanks to Andrea Lausch and Caitlin Hudoba, who graciously volunteered as servers for the plated dinner, and to Elizabeth Simmons for hosting a wonderful wine tasting fundraiser. Our March Madness fundraiser also performed well—thank you to everyone who participated!
Looking ahead, we’re thrilled to announce our next fundraising event at TopGolf on June 27 from 6–9 PM. Brad Shupe did an amazing job of putting this event together, and we’d love for you to join us for a fun evening of networking and support for our advocacy efforts. Event details are included in this email blast and on our website and social media.
On the legislative front, I’m excited to share several significant victories. First, the Indiana PT Board of the IPLA has ruled that eligible physical therapists may perform DOT physicals, pending additional training. This is a huge step forward for our profession and was made possible thanks to our members’ initiative in requesting the ruling. Special thanks to William Beck, who attended the June 4 PT Board meeting, and to Rick Wickstrom, who provided critical supporting evidence.
Even more exciting, our prior authorization bill has officially been signed into law! This is a monumental achievement in improving patient access to physical therapy services. We owe our sincere thanks to Valerie Strunk, APTA Indiana Legislative Chair; Andrea Lausch, APTA Indiana Practice and Payment Specialist; Steve Beebe, our dedicated lobbyist; and the entire Legislative Committee for their tireless work in making this happen. We are making PT more accessible and continue to fight for a practice environment where PTs can thrive—but the work isn’t done yet.
Thanks to our active members, passionate volunteers, and the generous donations of your time, talent, and treasure, we are moving our profession forward. Let’s keep the momentum going. Stay tuned for more updates and ways to engage.
Thank you for all that you do to make APTA Indiana stronger and to improve care for the patients we serve.
With gratitude,
Paul Lonnemann, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT
President, APTA Indiana
