NEWS RELEASE
April 18, 2005

Contact: Laurie Jake, ATRA Communications Coordinator
Phone (480) 460-1525 or
Ann Huston, ATRA Executive Director
Phone: (703) 683-9420

Tennessee Recreational Therapy Association (TRTA) Accepted as Affiliate Member of the Tennessee Hospital Association

(Alexandria, VA) The American Therapeutic Recreation Association is pleased to announce that the Tennessee Recreational Therapy Association (TRTA), a chapter affiliate of ATRA, has been accepted as an Affiliate Member of the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA). The Tennessee Hospital Association serves as an advocate for hospitals, health systems and other healthcare organizations and the patients they serve, providing education and information for its members, and working to inform the public about hospitals and healthcare issues at the state and national levels.

According to TRTA member John Mikula, CTRS, “It has taken us almost a year to accomplish this goal.” Mikula and Melissa Cook, the current TRTA President were invited to participate in an upcoming leadership meeting with the THA and 20 other Affiliate Members in Nashville. ATRA President Nancy McFarlane acknowledged, “We are extremely proud of these members, I have already congratulated them for being accepted to this prestigious organization in Tennessee that promotes and represents the interests of all health careers, hospitals and health systems. This is a tremendous opportunity to ensure that recreational therapists are included in the important discussions affecting health care in the state of Tennessee. I hope this achievement will encourage more recreational therapists to advocate and share their knowledge in the future”.

For more information about recreational therapy or any of ATRA’s resources and opportunities, please contact the ATRA National Office at (703) 683-9420.

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The American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) was founded in 1984 to advance the the profession of therapeutic recreation. ATRA is a non-profit professional membership organization dedicating 100% of resources and efforts to promote therapeutic recreation professionals in health care and human service settings. For more information, please contact the ATRA National Office