By: Ashlie White, Senior Director of External Affairs 

American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA) envisions a world where orthotic and prosthetic care transform lives.  

What is your organization’s mission? 

Our mission is to be a trusted partner, advocating for and serving the orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) community.  

Tell us about the communities you serve.  

AOPA’s members include 1,800 prosthetic and orthotic patient care facilities, manufacturers of prosthetic and orthotic devices and technology, and academic and research institutions training the next generation of prosthetists orthotists and conducting prosthetic and orthotic research. AOPA’s member businesses serve individuals who have experienced amputations, were born with limb difference, or have acquired limb impairment.  

What are your organization’s main programs or issue areas? 

AOPA works to foster relationships with decision makers to ensure equitable access to prosthetic and orthotic care, provides education that promotes professional excellence, supports research that informs innovative care, and advances equality to strengthen the orthotic and prosthetic profession and improve the lives of patients.  

AOPA’s 2026 Policy Priorities 

• • To Protect Patient Access to Quality, Patient-Centered Care  
  • To Expand O&P Care Access 
  • To Secure Funding for the National Limb Loss Resource Center 
  • To Secure O&P Research Funding 
  • To Increase Care Coordination and Interdisciplinary Care Access 
  • To Support the O&P Innovation Pipeline and Investment Market 

AOPA’s Partnership with the Amputee Coalition 

Each year, AOPA hosts its annual Policy Forum, bringing AOPA members, leaders, partners, and individuals living with limb loss or limb difference together to engage directly with policymakers, strengthen relationships, and advance priorities critical to the O&P profession and the individuals we serve.  

April is Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month, and this year AOPA is supporting one of its most important partners, the Amputee Coalition, in its efforts to secure federal funding for the National Limb Loss Resource Center (NLLRC) through the Labor Health and Human Services (LHHS) Appropriations Bill. The NLLRC is the cornerstone of the Amputee Coalition’s work for the limb loss and limb difference community and provides information and referral services and programs in peer support, education, workforce development, youth engagement and leadership, and community living, as well as an annual youth camp and national conference.  

As a stand-alone budget line item under the Administration for Community Living (ACL) the NLLRC has been eliminated in the past two presidential budget requests and remains extremely vulnerable in the current political environment. Like many programs that were facing elimination in FY26, champions in Congress, in both chambers and from both sides of the aisle, funded the National Limb Loss Resource Center in full, maintaining access to its vital services and programs for the over 5.6 million individuals living in the US with limb loss or limb difference and their families and caregivers.  

How does your work relate to the National Health Council’s mission and the work of our members? 

The NHC’s focus on promoting patient-centered health care through evidence-informed and patient-led policies make it an incredible resource for AOPA, empowering its efforts to support the O&P community’s continued commitment to patient-centeredness as well as the other important quality of care domains. 

AOPA’s commitment to partnership and collaboration is foundational in its ethos and the NHC fosters an environment where the open exchange of ideas drives a collective voice that is so much stronger together than any one organization can be on its own.  

What inspires you to lead and create change through your work? 

When I was offered the opportunity to rejoin the AOPA team, it was the commitment from AOPA Leadership, our Executive Director, Teri Kuffel, JD, and Board of Directors, to doubling down on its support for the Amputee Coalition that made it such an easy decision. Having served as the chief strategy and programs officer at the Amputee Coalition for three years, the opportunity to continue supporting its important work while returning to my roots at the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association was a dream scenario.  

Every single day, I hear personal stories from individuals about their inability to receive the orthotic and prosthetic care that they need, and I witness the work that AOPA members must do to overcome the challenges they face in providing that care. I’m striving to be a small force in fixing these broken systems to build a better health care ecosystem for all individuals who are born with limb difference or experience amputations or injuries that lead to limb impairment.  

AOPA is a new member of the National Health Council. For more information on NHC membership, please email membership@nhcouncil.org.