Peabody stressing over massage regulations

PEABODY-The State?s new responsibility involving the regulation of massage therapists and establishments has rubbed the Peabody Board of Health the wrong way.Director Sharon Cameron said her board believes the State?s standards are far more relaxed than those set by Peabody for the past several years.?The State Board of Registration (of Massage Therapy) has come out with regulations that, in view of the Board, are less stringent,” Cameron said.She went even further to say, “Peabody has been more stringent compared to other communities,” which is a reputation Cameron would like to uphold.?We?d prefer to maintain control even though it?d be an additional duty if that allows us to be sure (the process) would be monitored on a regular basis,” she said.In 2006, Massachusetts Legislature overrode former Governor Mitt Romney?s veto of a bill that would develop a state board to oversee the thousands of massage therapists in Massachusetts. Prior to the bill?s passing, any and all such regulations were taken care of by local board of health officials.It took Massachusetts nearly two years to establish members of the new board, during which time licensing was still mandated at the local level. However, with an official board in place as of Jan. 1, all licenses must be applied for through state board members. Any persons with a massage license administered by local governments before the first of the year will have until May 1, 2008 to utilize the grandfather clause. After that deadline, applicants must complete the process from beginning to end, as a first-time license seeker would.One of the main issues Cameron sees with the State?s regulations is the required certification level of licensed massage therapists.?We require massages to be done by physical therapists or physical therapy assistants,” said Cameron, noting that the new legislature allows anyone with a certificate from a regulated massage institute to obtain a license.The new legislation also requires that applicants be at least 18 years old, have at least 500 classroom hours or equivalent supervised credit hours of experience, and possess a clean slate in terms of sexually related crimes.In Peabody, the Board of Health mandates that applicants be at least 21 years of age, a registered physical therapist or physical therapy assistant, and pass a physical examination.Cameron said that her staff has been able to keep an eye on massage therapists and their establishments in Peabody, but fears that the State might not be staffed enough to do so.?We want assurances that staffing at the state level would be adequate to do regular, unannounced inspections,” she said. “If the state does not have adequate staffing, (we) feel it would undercut compliance potentially.”Massachusetts has yet to draft rules and regulations for the licensing of massage establishments, although they are expected to be complete in the near future.Links to applications and information on regulations can be found at www.mass.gov/dpl/boards/mt.