Chapter Reports
July 2010
California Northern Chapter
I hope everyone is making plans to attend the National Conference in Boston. It will be a great experience.
The Chapter is looking forward to some interesting CEU programs for the remainder of the year. July will be in Petaluma: Respiratory Training, PAPR vs. N95. Just in time for all of us who need to update our Influenza Plans and Policies. If you have a topic of interest, know of a great speaker and would like to have a meeting at your facility, Jill Peralta-Cuellar would like to hear from you. The May meeting was a fundraiser to benefit the Immunization Action Coalition and the chapter made a donation of $450. Thank you for your generosity.
Voting will be by e-mail for Chapter Vice President, Treasurer and for the revised Bylaws. There is still time to volunteer for a position or make a nomination.
A very special member has taken on a new position in Hawaii and will be moving. She plans to stay active in AOHP and Hawaii is in Region One. Maybe there could be some influence to get a future National Conference in Hawaii!
Want to contact a member? You have access to the member directory by logging on to the National site, http://aohp.org/pages/member_services/membership_directory.html.
I hope all of you have a safe and fun summer. See you at the meetings or teleconference from the beach.
Reported by Chapter President Diane Hogan, RN, BA
Illinois Chapter
The next meeting of the AOHP Illinois Chapter will be August 25th from 9:30 to noon at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, IL. The Medical Science Director of Medimmune Biotech, Dr. Peter MacDonald, will be the speaker on Influenza Update. RSVP to Nancy Hopkins at nhopkins@st-johns.org. CEs applied for.
Our chapter is in the process of seeking nominations for Vice President and Treasurer. Please say yes to Lisa Clinton when she contacts you to run for an office. Your chapter needs your assistance and support.
We will be awarding one of our members some financial assistance to attend the national conference so we hope many people will attend. Come see the gift basket we will be sending to the national conference for the silent auction.
We have 3 members (Terry Grimmond, Denise Knoblauch and Dr. William Scott) presenting at the national conference so we hope several members can attend.
Reported by Chapter President Denise Knoblauch, RN, BSN, COHN-S/CM
Michigan Chapter
The AOHP Michigan Chapter members have enjoyed a variety of educational programs in 2010.
In January, we met at Huron Valley Sinai Hospital in Commerce Township Michigan, where a representative from Brighton Hospital gave a presentation entitled “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).” Brighton Hospital specializes in treatment of drug and alcohol addiction.
In March, the meeting was hosted by Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit Michigan. Attendees were able to participate in an interactive session with Joy Berent, Senior Corporate Counsel for the Henry Ford Health System. Discussion covered ADA law, the Michigan Persons with Civil Rights Act, and legal inquiries on pre-hire interviews. Members brought clothing donations for two local charities. Karen Karwowski, chapter Vice President, presented gently used business-type clothing to “Jackets for Jobs,” an organization that provides interview-appropriate attire for women entering or re-entering the workforce. Karen also presented donations to Interim House, a program that assists victims of domestic violence.
In May, members gathered at a meeting hosted by Oakwood Healthcare. Dr. James Sunstrum, Infectious Disease specialist and Director of the Wayne County TB clinic, presented the latest information on treatment of Tuberculosis, and LTBI.
Members are currently focusing on recruiting colleagues to become members of AOHP. Plans are also underway to form a study group for those pursuing ABOHN certification.
Reported by Chapter President Peggy Anderson RN, COHN/CM
Nassau Suffolk, New York Chapter
We continue to have a "lunch and learn" educational program at each meeting in addition to our business meeting. The Nassau Suffolk Chapter meets 5 times a year, usually the afternoon of the second Wednesday of the month. We also network by phone, e-mail frequently and occasionally have a dinner meeting. At our May 12th meeting, held at South Oaks, Justine Ellerman MSN, RN, ANP from NYSPAN the Statewide Peer Assistance for Nurses, joined us. Justine offered to do educational presentations in New York. Her contact info is 1-800-724-6976 ext 262 or Justine.ellerman@nysna.org. After our speaker presentation, we share educational opportunities, governmental news and our experiences. This past meeting focused on the recently updated SHEA guidelines and TB testing. Members, old and new, share topic questions and we discuss “best practice” during our roundtable. We hope to have a speaker on disability in the workplace for our September meeting. Many of our members will be attending the National Conference in Boston and look forward to meeting our “long distance” members.
Reported by Chapter President Wendy Bezko Colligan, RPA-C
New England Chapter
The New England Chapter has been gaining momentum this past year. We started holding our monthly meetings via teleconference the first Friday of each month which has allowed members from a large geographic area to participate. We use a phone number provided by Annie Wiest at the National office and pay approximately $20/month for our meetings. If other chapters are struggling to meet on a consistent basis it may be an option worth pursuing to increase member participation. (Note: contact AOHP Headquarters at 800 362-4347 or info@aohp.org for more information on the member benefit of teleconferencing.)
We are in a leadership transition. Maggie Kelley, outgoing president, is very pleased to pass the baton to Mary Letourneau. Mary is an enthusiastic AOHP member who has been on the National Conference Committee for the past three years. She is having a lot of fun coming up with our New England theme for our chapter's table at the National Conference being held in Boston this September. We hope to see huge numbers at the conference this year so we can show off our beautiful New England region.
Jason Aucoin assumed the treasurer position in January when Maryann Marciniak retired. We thank Maryann for her many years of service to our AOHP chapter and really appreciate Jason's contributions in his new role. When there is work to be done, we count on Jason to volunteer and inspire others to pitch in to help - every president's dream.
Susan Higgins is our new secretary. Susan is a relatively new member to AOHP but comes to us with eagerness to help us continue to improve collaboration through effective communication.
Our education subcommittee (Beth Stowell, Jason Aucoin, Betty Edson, Mary Letourneau and Nancy Clover) celebrated great success with 53 participants joining us in Portland, Maine in June for an all-day education event. Beth is a former president of the AOHP New England Chapter. She is currently president of Maine AAOHN. Beth worked with the MEAOHN board and Maggie Kelley worked with the AOHP New England board to sponsor this joint meeting. While we were very pleased to have members from AOHP & AAOHN participate, we were thrilled to have new colleagues from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut join us. Many took AOHP brochures with them and we hope to see some new faces join our ranks.
All of our speakers received rave reviews from conference participants. In addition to updates on Hepatitis and patient handling, we have two of our presentations coming to Boston in September. David Dickison, D.O., MPH, has practiced occupational medicine for approximately 25 years and currently serves as medical advisor and clinician for a large Maine Healthcare system. He gave an excellent overview about Fitness for Duty issues in healthcare. Tiffany Townsend, FNP-C (Director, Employee Health) and Tom LeRoy, PT (Ergonomic Specialist) shared their creative use of data to guide their injury prevention strategies at their Level I trauma center in Portland, Maine.
So, we hope to see you all in Boston in September.
Reported by Outgoing Chapter President Maggie Kelley, MSN, APRN, BC, COHN-S
North Carolina Chapter
The North Carolina Chapter of AOHP has held 2 state meetings in 2010. The first meeting was February 12 in Burgaw, NC. Speakers presented information on “Workplace Violence,” “Sweet Stuff – Diabetes Update” and “Abuse & Neglect: At Home & At Work.” The results of a survey conducted with the North Carolina (NC) state members were presented. These results indicated that travel distance and funding were the biggest obstacles affecting attendance at the state meetings. 100% of the respondents to the survey indicated the topics covered at the state meetings were relevant to their work. The majority of respondents indicated Friday is the best day of the week for state meetings.
The second meeting for the NC Chapter was a two-day conference in April held at Kitty Hawk, NC. Topics covered at this meeting included: “Building A Business Case for a Safe Patient Handling Program,” “Bugs Don’t Scare Me, Should They?”, “NC OSHA – Respiratory Protection Standard Update,” “Safety First: General Safety Practices During & After Cytotoxic Drug Administration,” and “Non Violent Crisis Intervention: A Practical Approach for Nurses.” At the business meeting, we voted to pay the registration fee for the NC Chapter president to attend the national convention on an annual basis; the chapter will award $100.00 to any member seeking certification in occupational health, and to waive registration fees for officers at the state meetings. Currently, we have awarded the “Deloris Williams Scholarship” to Sharon McLendon to cover registration fees for her to attend the National Conference in September.
We are receiving “Willingness to Serve” forms and preparing ballots for the office of president and secretary.
On June 22, when the Federal Register published the guidelines relating to seasonal flu, I sent a copy to the NC membership and asked for responses. At this point, all the responses I have received are supportive of these guidelines – especially as they relate to using Droplet Precautions instead of Airborne Precautions. Our next meeting is scheduled for August 13 in Kinston.
Reported by Chapter President Ellen M. Glover RN, COHN-S, MPH
Pennsylvania Eastern Chapter
Eastern PA continues to coordinate meetings with the local AAOHN group to encourage attendance. We are applying for continuing education and providing FOOD! We have had some excellent speakers. One of our sessions had speakers from the licensing board in Harrisburg, They talked about the Voluntary Recovery Program........they ran out of time and were so interesting, we are having them come BACK!!
We have a session in July from a Neurosurgeon and our favorite OSHA speaker returns to us in the fall for a chat about bloodborne pathogens!
We hope to have several members attending the National Conference since it is on the EAST COAST this year!!
Have a safe and HAPPY SUMMER!!
Reported by Chapter President Stephi Dillman, RN, BSN
Pacific Northwest Chapter
Well if I remember right, this time last year, we were in the midst of the H1N1 crisis. We are very happy that this summer there is a tiny reprieve from that. Our group has been very active and we are looking forward to the AOHP National conference in September!! We have several members from our chapter on the planning committee this year, so we know that there is a wonderful conference being planned. Boston is a terrific location and those of us from the West coast look forward to visiting the opposite coast this year.
One of our chapter goals this year was to expand our networking and reach out to our chapter members that are not in the Seattle area. We have set up remote access lines for those individuals to dial in to our meetings and have had a growing number of “on line” participants in the last few months as well as healthy, in person participation.
Our chapter has managed to raise some extra money in this recession era. Our goal is to support members going to the national conference, and build our chapter funds. We have been successful in this endeavor and hope to distribute a fair amount of scholarship money for the conference. Our sweatshirts were a great success at the last conference so look for an equally “cool” item this year to purchase. All the proceeds go to continuing education for our members and we are advertising for our organization at the same time.
We have some healthy competition going in our chapter as two of us are running for the Region One Director position. We are currently working on our campaign strategies!! The good news is we are alive and well in the Pacific NW and working hard towards supporting the National efforts.
Here’s wishing all of you a warm and wonderful summer …..if you do have the “warmth” please send some to the Pacific Northwest…thanks from all of us….!!
Reported by Chapter President Bev Hagar BSN, COHN-S
Wisconsin Chapter
We had the opportunity in May to have a guest speaker. Elizabeth Thompson provided the group with some insights into the future of workers’ compensation and disability in the state of Wisconsin. Many of our members have had the pleasure of having heard Liz speak in the past and I have the great joy of calling her “friend.” We all have those people in our lives who have a special gift. Liz’s is her expertise and the desire to share that knowledge with those who can benefit from it. The group came away with the knowledge that workers’ compensation is going to become more complicated as it becomes intertwined with the state and federal disability acts, as if it was not there already.
We will be soliciting members for two officer positions, treasurer and vice president. I am hopeful that the members will take the opportunity to step up and for their organization, through encouragement and support. We are all extremely busy with our professional and personal lives, but these positions provide the members with new insight into the organization and the support they need to continue to grow in their profession. We are looking forward to our July networking and potluck meeting. One of our founding chapter members continues to offer her home for this event and we could not be more grateful. Members spend the time sharing successes and pitfalls. We look forward to this meeting each year as a culmination of the previous year begin planning for the year ahead.
Reported by Chapter President Carla Cisler, RN, BSN, COHN-S/CM
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