Wisconsin Wisconsin Health Freedom Coalition is “seeking an exemption, or safe harbour, from licensed health care practice acts, for the many natural healing arts that are practiced in our state and pose no risk of harm to the public.” They have drafted a safe harbor exemption bill entitled the Consumer and Health Freedom Access Act, and will introduce it within days. The safe harbor health freedom bill will protect the rights of herbalists, naturopaths, homeopaths, and natural health care practitioners to practice without being charged with practicing medicine without a license and it will allow them to provide nutritional advice or recommendations without having to be licensed Dietitians or licensed nutritionists.
In 2008, the Wisconsin Health Freedom Coalition defeated a dietitians’ bill with their lobbyist. And once againWisconsin Health Freedom Coalition has had to launch an urgent initiative to defeat 2009’s Dietitian and Nutrition licensing bills.
Syncha Maniscalco has headed the coalition, and managed a website since 2006, and Lee Pattison has been the Sunshine Health Freedom State Coordinator. He has asked Susan Klingeisen to replace him for a six month period. When the dietitians bill was introduced, Diane Miller went to Wisconsin to help them develop an effective team. In 2008, Diane attended many conference calls to kill the dietitians bill and to redraft a bill just for unlicensed persons. Jolene came on as lobbyist, and Diane again went to Wisconsin to meet with her and the group. Syncha and Sue attended the National Health Freedom Conference in 2008. At the end of November, 9 WHFC members met with Susan Gingerich for an afternoon of grassroots lobbying training. The slides for that meeting are available for any state.
Wisconsin is in a two year session, and WHFC is introducing a Health Freedom Bill. The last week of January, final decisions were made concerning wording in the final draft of the bill. They are working with Diane Miller on their language.
Their lobbyist, Jolene, has asked for short paragraphs of adverse effects on practices that a Dietician bill would have. The bill would create a monopoly in the field of nutrition. The group is hoping to stop, or at least hinder the new bill. The lobbyist has also requested that WHFC members call their representatives at this time and get as many people as they can to do the same to tell them not to support or become a co-sponsor to the WDA proposal if approached.
The Dietitian bills would make it illegal for unlicensed persons to practice nutrition care services, which are defined very broadly to include much of what nutritional consultants and nutrition practitioners do that are not licensed currently. Health freedom community has mobilized to defeat the bills.
Wisconsin
Sunshine Health Freedom State Coordinators
Susan Klingeisen
911 Oviatt St.
Kaukauna, WI 54130
Ph: 920-766-7208
Lee Pattison
Phone: 920-564-2254
Wisconsin Health Freedom Coalition
Syncha Maniscalco
Phones: 715-452-5544 or 715-271-0168
