The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) honored Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, on Tuesday at its Annual Congressional Awards reception on Capitol Hill.  Diane Barrickman, a physical therapist from Santa Barbara, presented Capps with the American Physical Therapy Association’s 2009 Public Service Award on behalf of the organization’s 71,000 members and its Board of Directors. The award is given annually in recognition of an individual’s service and dedication to the profession of physical therapy and the patients physical therapists serve. Capps has been very supportive of the APTA’s priorities, specifically efforts to support and improve patient access to physical therapists under Medicare and removing the therapy cap on Medicare beneficiaries. Her efforts have made physical therapy more accessible to seniors and persons with disabilities and continue to be appreciated by physical therapists and rehabilitation patients in the state of California and throughout the nation.

“I am so honored to be receiving this award, and it makes it all the more special to have one of my constituents, Diane Barrickman of Santa Barbara, here today to present the award,” said Capps. “I have long respected the work of America’s physical therapists because it is so important to keeping our citizens strong and healthy. I believe physical therapists are kindred spirits with nurses because we both serve on the front lines of delivering quality health care to our patients and in pushing for comprehensive health care reform. I hope that this year we will finally bring this effort to fruition.”

— Emily Kryder is communications director for Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara.