The American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association has named the 2015 honorees of its Ralph R. “Ronney” Snell Legislative Advocacy Award.
Charles Kuffel, MSM, CPO, FAAOP; Teri Kuffel, Esq.; and Rick Riley will be honored as individuals in the field of O&P “who have made valuable contributions toward advancing the legislative and regulatory goals of the O&P community” in their work with legislators and decision makers on behalf of patients and providers, according to a press release from the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA). They will be presented with the Legislative Advocacy Awards at the AOPA National Assembly in San Antonio, at the General Session and AOPA Annual Business Meeting at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9, 2015.
Charles Kuffel
Teri Kuffel
Rick Riley
“Rick, Charles and Teri are O&P industry champions who consistently and unselfishly invest their personal time to inform and educate legislators, regulators and other professionals, with considerable impact,” Charles H. Dankmeyer, Jr., CPO, president of AOPA, said in the release. “Their voluntary efforts reap benefits for all O&P businesses. AOPA salutes their advocacy.”
Riley is the CEO at Townsend Design, where he previously served as vice president of marketing. He has worked to educate senators and congressional representatives through AOPA’s annual Policy Forum and encourages practitioners and suppliers to participate in the policy forum and other advocacy activities.
Charles Kuffel is the president and clinical director, and Teri Kuffel is the vice president, at Arise Orthotics & Prosthetics Inc. Both have been active in the Minnesota Society of Orthotists, Prosthetists and Pedorthists (MSOPP) and both teach for the master’s degree program in Prosthetics & Orthotics at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn. The Kuffels have attended the AOPA Policy Forum for the past 6 years and each year have sponsored an amputee to attend. Charles Kuffel has been president of the Northern Plains Chapter of American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP) and currently serves as vice chair of the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE), while Teri Kuffel is a member of the MSOPP board of directors and is an AOPA state representative. The Kuffels both have worked with state legislators on behalf of MSOPP on licensure and insurance fairness issues.
Reference: http://www.aopanet.org/
