 Hydrate your life with Naturopathic Medicine!
Arizona Lobby Day 2007
by Julie Pefferman
“Hydrate your life with Naturopathic Medicine!” the theme of the 2007 annual Arizona Lobby Day held on March 27th. The Arizona Naturopathic Medical Association (AZNMA) and the Naturopathic Public Awareness Campaign (NPAC) sponsored the important day. The attending legislators experienced an interactive assortment of booths from sampling various types of artisan to mineral water to learning more about heart disease and having their blood pressure checked. Legislatures also received a fun water bottle to stay hydrated and learned more about effective Naturopathic treatments for diabetes that could help many affected constituents in Arizona and many more.
Legislators also had the opportunity to learn more about the community outreach programs that SCNM students and doctors are involved with - Hamilton Elementary, for example, offers free medical care to an underserved population in Phoenix at the school’s medical center headed by Dr. Matt Baral. Many legislators planned a future visit to Hamilton to see first hand what an amazing impact Naturopathic Medicine is having within the Phoenix communities.
Although Arizona is a licensed state with a wide scope of practice it is still important to educate legislators about Naturopathic Medicine. Each year when representatives of Naturopathic Medicine attend Arizona Lobby Day, they continue to form relationships not only with those familiar with Naturopathic Medicine, but also with legislators & staff that did not even know that Arizona is home to an outstanding Naturopathic medical college. Legislators and staff were so impressed by the information presented at Lobby Day that they requested to tour Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine.
Legislators were intrigued by the student’s passion to share Naturopathic Medicine and SCNM has become a place for students who are dedicated in sharing Naturopathic Medicine with the public through such events as AZ Lobby Day.
 “We could not do this event without you [students].” expressed Deborah Mainville Knight, Executive Director of the AZ Naturopathic Medical Association (AzNMA). The students who coordinated and attended Lobby Day included: Kiera Smialek, Jessica Hart, Julie Pefferman, Leslie Cisear, Jen Mundt, Y’ves Moliere, Heather Paulson, Ruby Crozier, Jonci Jensen, Hannifah Muhammad, Elaine Kozuka, Nikki Young, Sam Chan, Margaret Kelley, Katie Stage, Britnney Emerson and Sandra Olic.
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