10/30/2025

An Impactful Day for Ohio PA Advocacy

Participants gave testimony, met with legislators and built community

Oct. 22, 2025, was a historic day for Ohio Physician Assistants (PA) advocacy as nearly 100 PAs and students gathered at the Ohio Statehouse to advance the PA profession in Ohio.

As the PA community assembled in Columbus, three messages were broadcast loud and clear about PAs as the future of quality, accessible and cost-effective patient care in Ohio:

1. PAs are masters-level educated, nationally board certified medical professionals who play a critical role in Ohio's healthcare workforce.

2. Supporting HB 353 will change the title of the PA profession from "physician assistant" to "physician associate" to better reflect the vital role that modern day PAs play in healthcare without any change to scope of practice.

3. Modernizing PA practice by removing outdated laws and administrative barriers is essential to improving healthcare access in Ohio, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

The morning began with Government Affairs Chair Matthew Freado, MBA, PA-C, and Committee Member Melissa Bowlby, MHA, MSBS, PA-C, DFAAPA, providing in-person proponent testimony before the House Health Committee on House Bill 353, Ohio’s legislation to update the professional title from physician assistant to physician associate.

Please select this link to read the complete article from the Ohio Association of Physician Assistants (OAPA).