The Spring 2024 Renewal Season has ended
Practitioners with a May 31, 2024 expiration date that did not submit a renewal or inactive status application are not authorized to practice at this time. To resume legal practice of acupuncture and East Asian medicine in the State of Maryland a reinstatement application must be submitted. To access the application click on the Apply For A License tab in the horizontal menu above and scroll down to the
Reinstate Your License tab. In addition to submitting your online [only] application (Step 1) and paying the associated fee of $751 (Step 2), proof of continuing education compliance – 30-hours of continuing education or passage of the acupuncture exam given by the NCCAOM within 4 years from the date of reinstatement –.must be submitted directly to the Board by email, fax or mail (Step 3 - see information detailed under Board Office on the right). The reporting period for earned continuing education units/credits, including NCCAOM PDAs is, June 1, 2022 - May 31, 2024.
NOTE: if you want to reinstate your license but your license expired in a past renewal period, prior to May 31, 2024, you may have to submit proof of 60-continuing education units/credits. Please contact the Board if you have questions.
Welcome to July and Disability Pride Month!
According to the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) a disability is any condition – vision, movement, thinking, remembering, learning, communicating, hearing, mental health and/or social relationships – of the body or mind that makes it more difficult (impairment) for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions).
The CDC further shares that there is diversity in this population. So much so that two persons with the same disability can be impacted in different ways. Please visit the CDC website to learn more about persons with disabilities and to view the
Disability Impacts All of Us infographic.
Disability Pride Month is directly connected to the passage of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. In short, the ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities; including employment opportunities, purchase goods & services, and participating in State & local government programs. This includes healthcare. To learn more please visit the US. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, website -
ADA.gov
The first Disability Pride recognition was celebrated in Boston in 1990. According to
AmeriDisability, the goal of the recognition is to “...promote visibility and mainstream awareness of the positive pride felt by those within the disability community”, Inclusivity (accepting the uniqueness of persons with disabilities) is essential to demonstrating disability pride
Of course, healthcare practitioners have an obligation to all their patients and for those with disabilities, reasonable accommodations may be required to ensure equal access. To learn more about the impact of the ADA on your practice a resource you may want to review is the
ADA National Network.
One of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s (ODPHP)
July health observances is
HIV. ODPHP’s observance is timely because HIV is a disease that can be considered a disability. Furthermore, discrimination based on disability and specifically HIV, is prohibited by Maryland Acupuncture Act
§1A–309(13) and COMAR
Standards of Practice
10.26.03.03.D.5.
Additional disability resources that you may want to review are as follows:
-
State of MD Commission on Civil Rights
-
MD Department of Disabilities
DON’T FORGET that the Board has eliminated manual payments (checks and money orders). Electronic payments are a convenience for Licensees and improves the efficiency of the services provided by the Board. Board staff is excited about the progress made in this area of the operation and is appreciative of your cooperation.
RESOURCES TO REVIEW:
WHAT’S ON THE CALENDAR:
- Fall 2024 License Renewal Season: October 1 - December 30, 2024
- Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Day - October 24, 2024
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION CHECK-IN:
