Support HB5446 to License Naturopathic Doctors in MI
In December, State Representative Jamie Thompson introduced HB5446 to License ND’s in MI. As an overview, HB5446
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Offers title transparency and ensures truth in advertising by setting educational standards for ND’s (aka NMDs).
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Defines the scope of practice for ND’s in MI.
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Creates a Naturopathic Board of Medicine, which allows for enhanced safety standards for naturopathic medicine in the state.
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Does not prevent the practice of natural modalities for other trained practitioners.
One of biggest concerns with our current unregulated status, is that we are unable to practice to our full scope, which often delays care for our patients. Many of you may have experienced this with Dr. Abigail and Dr. Dewitt needing physician oversight to order labs (conventional and functional) and prescribe medications.
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HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP!
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Write your legislators:
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Please send this email to the following email addresses: CurtisVanderWall@house.mi.gov, JamieThompson@house.mi.gov, karenwhitsett@house.mi.gov, LukeMeerman@house.mi.gov, MarkTisdel@house.mi.gov, MatthewBierlein@house.mi.gov, NancyDeBoer@house.mi.gov, DavePrestin@house.mi.gov, KathySchmaltz@house.mi.gov, AliciaStGermaine@house.mi.gov, KarlBohnak@house.mi.gov, SteveFrisbie@house.mi.gov, brendacarter@house.mi.gov, angelawitwer@house.mi.gov, cynthianeeley@house.mi.gov, JasonHoskins@house.mi.gov, MorganForeman@house.mi.gov,
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Copy and Paste the following language into your email body. Make sure to edit your name and contact at the end, and consider modifying to suit your own personal experiences.
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Send your email!
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Consider making a donation to the Michigan Association of Naturopathic Doctors (MAND), so we can keep moving this bill forward!
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Dear Chairman Vanderwall and members of the House Health Policy Committee
I am writing to urge your immediate support for House Bill 5446, sponsored by your committee colleague, Jamie Thompson, which would provide for the licensure of Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) in Michigan.
Michigan residents deserve access to safe, evidence-based integrative healthcare. Currently, our state lacks a regulatory framework for naturopathic medicine, creating a "wild west" environment that is confusing for patients and potentially dangerous. While I have been fortunate enough to find a highly qualified ND who graduated from an accredited four-year medical school, many Michiganders cannot distinguish between trained experts and those with online "certificates."
Licensure under HB 5446 would solve three critical problems:
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Patient Safety & Transparency: It establishes rigorous educational standards and "truth in advertising," ensuring patients know exactly who is treating them.
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Expanded Access: My current ND is licensed in another state but cannot practice to their full scope of training here. This creates unnecessary delays in my care and prevents my ND from fully collaborating with my primary care physician.
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Fill a Gap in Michigan’s Healthcare: Michigan consistently ranks among the lowest in the nation for health outcomes. Our current system is reactionary, but Naturopathic Doctors prioritize the very thing we are missing: comprehensive prevention, lifestyle interventions, and natural modalities. Licensing NDs fills a vital void in our healthcare model, providing the expert preventive care necessary to finally reverse our state's declining health trends.
I prioritize my health, and although it took a lot of my own effort to find the right Naturopathic Doctor and I had to pay out-of-pocket, it was worth it! It’s hard to imagine that Michigan residents who want integrative medical care options have to go through so much trouble in order to find a qualified practitioner when it is so much easier in other parts of the country.
Please vote YES House Bill 5446 to prioritize safe, evidence based natural therapies.
Thank you for your time and your service to Michigan!
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Phone Number]