The APTA-Mississippi Fall Conference, held September 5–6, 2025, at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s School of Health Related Professions, concluded as one of the most successful events in the association’s history. With a record attendance of more than 280 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students, the conference featured three robust tracks of educational sessions offered in both in-person and virtual modalities. Attendees will also benefit from on-demand access to sessions and resources, ensuring the knowledge shared continues to reach members well beyond the conference weekend.

The event also fostered meaningful networking and professional connections. A Friday evening reception at the AC Marriott drew more than 50 participants who enjoyed live music, great food, and fellowship. Attendees highlighted the energy and enthusiasm of this year’s participants as a testament to the growing strength of Mississippi’s physical therapy community and the importance of advancing clinical education and collaboration across the state.

On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, members of APTA-Mississippi joined physical therapists from across the nation in a unified effort on Capitol Hill to advocate for legislation that strengthens the delivery of physical therapy services. The delegation focused on four legislative priorities: Medicare payment reform, the locum tenens bill (H.R. 1517/S. 2225), the SAFE Act for falls prevention (H.R. 1171), and the Optimizing Postpartum Outcomes Act (H.R. 4074). Advocates called for inflation-based updates to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and urged lawmakers to co-sponsor or introduce companion legislation supporting continuity of care, fall prevention, and postpartum recovery. APTA-Mississippi was well represented by Carmen Cooper-Oguz, David Friloux, Jeremy Foster, Joe Jacobson, Josh Becker, and Philip Christian. The team made contact with all Mississippi House and Senate offices, holding meaningful conversations with the offices of Representatives Michael Guest, Mike Ezell, Bennie Thompson, and Trent Kelly. Meetings emphasized how these bills would benefit patients across Mississippi. The delegation also encouraged Senator Roger Wicker’s office to consider companion legislation in the Senate. Their collective advocacy showcased the vital role physical therapists play in shaping effective, patient-centered health policy.

All Mississippi PTs and PTAs are invited to save the date for the 2025 APTA-Mississippi Fall Conference on September 5-6 at the UMMC School for Health Related Professions in Jackson. This year’s conference will keep the agenda format of the past few years and include both plenary sessions as well as breakouts on pertinent PT topics for the state.

Registration coming soon. Please save the date and check back soon for additional details.

The Mississippi Chapter of APTA (APTA-Mississippi) is very excited to announce that yesterday Governor Tate Reeves signed Senate Bill 2072, which allows a Mississippi citizen to seek the care of a physical therapist without a physician referral. This will go into effect on July 1, 2024.  This is a big win for Mississippians, giving us greater access to the healthcare we need and deserve.  
This legislative success is due to the years of hard work from countless members of our profession.  I would like to thank our President David Friloux and Past President Meg King for their advocacy and leadership.  We also thank Steve Corbitt, our lobbyist, for his years of service to our profession and steady guidance through this legislative session.  We would not have been able to move our bill without his positive relationships and leadership.  Finally, we thank Senator Kevin Blackwell (bill sponsor), Representative Becky Currie (bill sponsor), Chairman Sam Creekmore, Chairman Hob Bryan, Subcommittee Chairwoman Angela Turner Ford, Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, House Speaker Jason White, and Governor Reeves for helping us move our profession forward in Mississippi.

This is a great day for our profession!  

We are preparing for a statewide celebration in each District in the near future.  Stay tuned for more details!Joshua Farley, PT, DPT, CDNT, OCS
Regional Director – Region 42
Cell: 601-927-3011
Email:  Joshua.farley@resultspt.com

APTA-Mississippi has been working with several legislators in the Mississippi Senate and House of Representatives in order to allow patients improved access to physical therapy, including access to a physical therapist without the requirement of a physician referral.

As of the date of this release, there are three bills that have been proposed:

HB 76
Sponsored by Rep. Beckie Currie, this bill will remove the physician referral requirement for accessing care from a physical therapist.

SB 2072
Sponsored by Sen. Kevin Blackwell, this bill will remove the physician referral requirement for accessing care from a physical therapist.

HB 45 and 76 will be discussed in the House Public Health and Human Services Committee, and SB 2072 will be discussed in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. We encourage members to reach out to the chairman and members of both committees in order to express your support of these bills. 

Click here to view House committee members
Click here to view Senate committee members

The APTA-MS 2023 Fall Conference was held on September 8-9 at William Carey University in Hattiesburg. More than 230 PTs, PTAs, students and industry partners joined the association for the two-day event that featured 12.5 hours of continuing education over two different track sessions. Dr. Jude Haney, HIM program director at Carey, was the keynote presenter to kick-off the conference with a 2-hour ethics seminar. This was followed by a great evening reception at Bourbon on Front in downtown Hattiesburg. Day two enjoyed two all-day tracks, many of which took place in the Carey PT laboratories in the Health Sciences building.

During the annual business meeting, recognitions and awards were provided. Outgoing board members included past president Meg King, nominating committee chair Jordan Bennett, and Student SIG president Haley Roll, and Continuing Education chair Dr. Judy Prehn. Awards were presented to deserving nominees for the associations three award categories, including Emerging Leader Luke Rogers, PTA of the Year Jeremy Foster, and the Ben Piazza PT of the Year Janet Slaughter.

All session were recorded and are available for both in-person and virtual attendees on the conference resource page. APTA-MS appreciate all attendees for their participation at this year’s conference.

APTA is currently accepting applications for the 2024 board certification specialty examinations, with an “early bird” submission deadline of July 31, 2023, and a final submission deadline of September 30, 2023.

If you have any questions about APTA’s specialist certification program through ABPTS, please contact Keith Mendenhall, Certifications Manager, at 703-706-8563.