GULF COAST EAST DISTRICT

OFFICERS

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

OT MONTH 2023 
April 8, 2023 (Saturday) – CEU Presentation
Title of Program: Adopting a Trauma Informed Approach for Improved Patient Care
Speaker: Sue Ram, OTR, OTD
Time: 11a - Noon

 April 11, 2023 (Tuesday) – CEU Presentation 
Title of Program: Airline Travel with Wheelchairs, Educating Occupational Therapy Practitioners 
Speaker: Amanda Swofford, B.S.Kin. TOTA Capstone Student -Judith Joseph Mentor eOTD Class of 2023
TWU Houston -Alicia Lohmann, Faculty Mentor
Time: 6:30p – 7:30p 

April 15, 2023 (Saturday) – Social Event
Picnic in the Park to Celebrate OT Month
Hermann Park (The Hill behind Miller Outdoor Theater)
Time: 11am – 1pm
Contact: Esmeralda Lizcano – [email protected]

 OTHER EVENTS 
June 20, 2023 (Tuesday) – CEU Presentation
Title of Program: Understanding Hospice and the Unique Role of the Occupational Therapist
Speaker: Tara Patterson, RN, MSN, PhD
Time: 7:00p – 8:00p

 Late Summer/Early Fall
OT/OTA Student and New Graduate Symposium
Time and Location: TBD
September 2023
Backpack Awareness Events throughout the district and potential sites for volunteer opportunities within the community. More information to come!

Meeting Information:
Currently all meetings will be held online and CEUs can be earned through the TOTA LMS.

GCED OT Month Page

The success of TOTA and GCED rests with our colleagues who serve the membership, volunteering numerous hours to keep you informed of healthcare changes impacting our practice, creating educational and networking opportunities, and delivering benefits to support your professional development and growth.

Moving Water Donation Drive

Painting with a Twist

All of the OTA programs graciously agreed to donate the toiletry items to Moving Waters. This organization is run by Jennifer Park, an occupational therapist who provides mobile showers to the homeless in the greater Houston and Galveston areas. In addition, to a shower individuals receive socks, undergarments, and a hot meal. Renee Shepherd (Vice Chair) and Kira (Chair) separately dropped off materials filling the back of our vehicles of supplies to support Moving Waters because of the efforts of the OTA programs mentioned above. Jennifer was very grateful for the donations to assist her efforts in the community! We look forward to having another drive potentially in the fall to support specific needs of her organization. For more information on Moving Waters please visit the website: www.movingwaters-houston.org.

We would like to thank all of those who participated in the OT Month events! The CEU event went well and there was great discussion. Painting with a Twist event was enjoyed by all participants and brought out our creative skills as practitioners. Most importantly, we ended the month with a student challenge consisting of a toiletry drive which was very successful!    We had three OTA programs within the district participate in the student challenge. Houston Community College, San Jacinto College, and Lone Star – Tomball were the OTA programs who graciously donated items. The OTA program donating the most items and winner of the student challenge was…  San Jacinto College

MEETING INFORMATION

All meetings are free to TOTA members. Attendees will receive 1 to 2 CE credits at all district and cluster group meetings. Check the calendar for specific amount. 

Meetings are also broadcast at outlying locations throughout the state via Virtual Meeting. 

For information regarding upcoming workshops, please visit the calendar. 

MEETING LOCATION

Currently all meetings will be held online and CEUs can be earned through the TOTA LMS.

OTHER DISTRICT LOCATION

• Alamo-South District
• Capital Centex District
• Great Plains West District
• Gulf Coast East District
• Rio Grande District
• Trinity North District