HPNA'S COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVES
Over the past 6 months, HPNA has been invited to collaborate in many venues. We are proud of hospice/palliative nursing and want to be at as many tables as possible. Our voice is strong and getting stronger. Our most recent activity has been with the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC).
C-TAC is a nonpartisan group of patient and consumer advocacy groups, healthcare professionals and providers, private sector stakeholders, faith-based organizations, and healthcare payers. Led by Myra Christopher (Center for Practical Bioethics), Bill Novelli (McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University), and Tom Koutsoumpas (Mintz Levin Center for Health Law and Policy), C-TAC's mission is "to transform advanced illness care by empowering consumers, changing the healthcare delivery system, improving public and private policies, and enhancing provider capacity."
The charge for this diverse group of more than 80 stakeholders is to
* develop a multifaceted, integrated national public engagement and educational campaign to empower consumers to make informed choices and demand change in the delivery system;
* develop and promote the implementation of care delivery models based on best practices to ensure high-quality, coordinated care, regardless of setting;
* support healthcare professionals serving those with advanced illness through curricula reform, continuing education, and other means; and
* Advocate for federal and state legislative, regulatory, judicial, and administrative action and private policies to improve healthcare outcomes for those with advanced illness.
It is a daunting initiative, but one clearly needed to ensure that all Americans with advanced illness, especially the sickest and most vulnerable, will receive comprehensive, high-quality care that is consistent with their goals and values and honors their dignity. As stated earlier, our voice is strong and getting stronger!
HPNA'S 25th ANNIVERSARY: 1986-2011
Election of the first "Hospice Nursing Association, A National Organization" Board occurred in January 1987; the first board meeting was held in Berkeley, CA, on April 25, 1987. Our first Boards did ALL of the work of the association: incorporation papers filed; FANFARE Newsletter written, printed, and mailed; membership fees collected; and rosters maintained.
In 2011, the HPNA Board of Directors accomplishes its work toward the Strategic Plan through the support of five Board Committees; six Standing Association Committee Chairs and their membership; a national office staff of 18 led by a chief executive officer; Executive Boards of 47 Chapters; 32 Fellows in Palliative Care Nursing; 850 HPNA Approved Educators; 24 State Ambassadors; and HPNA member volunteers.
HPNA's 16 esteemed past presidents were lauded at the opening ceremony of the AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly in Vancouver, BC, Canada, in February. These leaders, having dedicated their service to advancing our organization with at least 3 years-and many with 6 or more years of tenure-are well deserving of our thanks and appreciation for their collective vision in "leading the way" in the hospice and palliative nursing specialty.
* Dorothy Caruso-Herman (1987-1989)
* Brenda Yeadon Clarkson (1990-1991)
* Virginia Shubert (1992)
* Michele Tubbs (1993-1995)
* Ken Zeri (1996)
* Susan Mann (1997-1998)
* Elizabeth Pitorak (1999)
* Molly Poleto (2000-2001)
* Jane Kirschling (2002-2003)
* Connie Dahlin (2004)
* Linda Gorman (2005)
* Bridget Montana (2006)
* Janet Snapp (2007)
* Jane Sidwell (2008)
* Meg Campbell (2009)
* Susan Cox (2010)
Please visit our dedicated 25th Anniversary Web page at http://www.hpna.org/anniversary for much more information about our association's history.
NEW OUTSTANDING RESEARCH POSTER AWARD
The inaugural HPNA Outstanding Research Poster Awards were given at the 2011 AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly in February 2011. The two recipients included Brenda Cothren, RN (first author) with Ruth Powazki; Mellar Davis; Declan Walsh, MSc, FACP, FRCP (Edin); Diana Karius; Gloria Morgan, RcpN, BN, MPC; Julie Fetto; Lisa Rybicki, MS; for their poster entitled, "Capability and Comfort Level of Nurses Caring for the Actively Dying." The second awardee was Sanghee Kim, PhD, RN (first author) with Mi-Ra Lee, PhD, RN; Jihyoun An, MSN(c), RN; Won-Hee Lee, PhD, RN, for the poster entitled, "Development and Psychometric Properties of a Korean Grief Reaction Scale (KGRS) for Families."
2011 FELLOWS OF THE HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE NURSES ASSOCIATION
In support of HPNA's mission of "Leading the Way in Promoting Excellence[horizontal ellipsis]," the HPNA Board initiated the Fellows in Palliative Care Nursing (FPCN) recognition intended for our members who are nursing leaders in education, management, advanced practice, and research. The following individuals have recently earned the designation FPCN:
* Barbara Head, PhD, RN, CHPN, ACSW, FPCN
* Margaret L. Campbell, PhD, RN, FPCN
* Lyn Ceronsky, DNP, GNP, CHPCA, FPCN
* Patricia Murphy, PhD, APN, FAAN, FPCN
* Jane C. Sidwell, MSW, RN, CHPN, FPCN
Further information and the full listing of the 32 FPCN are located under the "leadership" menu of the HPNA Web site, http://www.hpna.org.
MEMBERSHIP FEES FOR 2012
As is done every 3 years, the HPNA Board has asked the Membership Committee to review the current membership fees that have remained unchanged since 2006. Deliberative discussions included the current economic climate specific to salary freezes, a desire to keep fees affordable to grow membership both at the national and the chapter levels, and the increased membership benefits over the past 5 years (a partial listing includes: a second official journal [JPM online], E-Learning courses, "live chats," more publications, "presence in Washington, DC," Research Scholars Program, initiation of the Clinical Practice Forum conferences, and free CE-tracking professional portfolio). The Membership Committee has provided proposed recommendations to the Planning and Resources Committee of the HPNA Board. The HPNA Board will be evaluating these recommendations during the 2012 budget planning to occur later this year, and a final determination of the 2012 fee structure will be made and announced in October 2011.
HPNA WELCOMES NEWLY CHARTERED CHAPTERS
HPNA formally recognized 8 newly formed Chapters during the 2011 HPNA Annual Membership Meeting in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The 8 newly chartered Chapters include Phoenix (AZ), Los Angeles Regional (CA), Hawaiian Islands, Lake City-Gainesville (FL), Oklahoma City (OK), Greater Palm Beach-Treasure Coast (FL), East Central Iowa (IA), and River City HOPE-Columbus (GA). Each new Chapter will receive an official certificate of Chapter Charter during the 2011 HPNA Leadership Weekend, being held July 15-17 in Pittsburgh, PA. This brings the total number of chapters to 47! Congratulations to each new local Chapter on this wonderful achievement.
For a full listing of HPNA Chapters, please visit HPNA Chapters Area of the HPNA Web site. If you have an interest in starting a Chapter of HPNA in your area, please visit the "How to Start a Chapter" area of the HPNA Web site.
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
HPNA is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2011 Member Appreciation Certificates, which honor HPNA members who have gone "above and beyond" in assisting HPNA in association-related activities during the previous year. The following members were acknowledged at the 2011 HPNA Annual Membership Meeting in Vancouver, BC, Canada:
* Sandy Chen Stokes, MSN, RN
* Linda Gorman, MN, RN, PMH, CNS-BC, CHPN, OCN, FPCN
* Sandra Muchka, RN, ACHPN
* Rhonda Perrin Oakes, RN, CHPN
* Sylvette Tiradocrespo, MS, LPN
Over the previous year, these individual members have each contributed to HPNA in a variety of ways, including foreign-language translation of HPNA educational products, legislative advocacy on the state and national levels, numerous committee leadership positions, representation at national educational conferences, newsletter article writing, and educational product development. In total, nearly 300 HPNA members donated more than 5000 hours to the work of the association throughout 2010.
NEW BOOK TITLES FROM HPNA AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR SPECIALTY SHOPPE AT www.hpna.org
Compendium of Treatment of End Stage Non-cancer Diagnoses: Heart Failure
The second edition of the Compendium of Treatment of End Stage Non-cancer Diagnoses: Heart Failure written by Beth B. Fahlberg, PhD, RN, and Joan T. Panke, MA, RN, ACHPN, is available. Edited by Patrick Coyne, MSN, APRN, ACHPN, ACNS-BC, FAAN, FPCN, the Heart Failure Compendium is one of a series of seven books designed to serve a resource in constructing an appropriate plan of care for individuals and their families experiencing these diseases. New in the second edition are expanded sections on pathophysiology, assessment, and interventions that reflect the current advances in care. Compendium of Treatment of End Stage Non-cancer Diagnoses: Heart Failure is available as a hard-copy book and as an e-book.
Core Curriculum for the Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Nurse
Edited by Gina Santucci, MSN APRN-BC, the Core Curriculum for the Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Nurse addresses pediatric palliative, end of life, and bereavement care, as well as the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the child and family. Although the concepts and goals of adult and pediatric palliative end-of-life care are similar, the differences are undeniable, thus the need for a book specific to pediatric palliative care.
This first edition has been written by experts in the care of children with life-limiting illnesses and their families.
TWO NEW HPNA E-LEARNING COURSES ABOUT CULTURE
"It isn't just about religion and culture[horizontal ellipsis]" was presented by Pamela M. Dalinis, MA, BSN, RN. This program looks at the many aspects of a person that go beyond their religion and culture and how nurses can work toward meeting the person's needs at the end of life.
Stepping Toward Culturally Congruent Clinical Practice was presented by Stephanie Myers Schim, PhD, RN. The goal of this Web course is to give nurses tools that can be used in providing culturally congruent care.
Both of these 1-hour programs are from presentations videotaped at HPNA Clinical Practice Forum: Caring for People Who Are Not Like Me. The Web courses are approved for 1 contact hour each and are free for HPNA Members in the Members Only section of http://www.HPNA.org under E-Learning. Nonmembers can access the course at http://www.hpna.org/DisplayPage.aspx?Title=E-Learning for $30 each. The HPNA is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses 10th Annual Certification Recognition Event
The National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses held its 10th Annual Certification Recognition Event on February 17, 2011, in Vancouver, BC, Canada during the AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly.
The recognition event was very well received and provided a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge certified nurses, nursing assistants, administrators, and the employers who support certification. Many interested noncertified individuals attended to familiarize themselves with hospice and palliative specialty certification and the value that it holds.
More than 150 individuals attended the recognition luncheon event this year. The recognition event agenda included the introduction of the NBCHPN Board of Directors; a presentation by Karen Kehl, PhD, RN, ACHPN, and assistant professor at UW-Madison in the School of Nursing. Her presentation entitled, "The 5 Ws of Preparing Families for Death," looked at the differences between certified and noncertified nurses. This was followed by recognition of the 2011 NBCHPN Certificant of the Year Award recipients as well as the 2011 Employer of the Year Award recipient. The program was concluded with a prize drawing in which reimbursement vouchers for the certification examination application fee were given to five lucky individuals attending the luncheon.
NBCHPN 2011 Certificant of the Year Awards
M. Michelle Porthouse, NP-C, ACHPN, was the 2011 recipient of the Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse of the Year Award (ACHPN). Ms Porthouse has worked in the Mary Washington Hospital Palliative Care Program in Fredericksburg, VA, for the past 6 years. She has a background as a family nurse practitioner and as a family nurse practitioner specializing in geriatrics. Michelle is an ELNEC trainer and was codeveloper of a palliative sedation policy, which was selected for a poster presentation at national conference in 2008. She is a speaker, authored several hospital procedures and protocols, and has published professionally.
Debi Bach Clancy, BSN, RN, CHPN, was the 2011 recipient of the Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse of the Year Award (CHPN). Mrs Clancy works as a case manager for Vitas Innovative Hospice in Walnut Creek, CA. She has been a hospice nurse in three different states over the last 18 years. She is an HPNA Approved Educator and teaches the clinical review to her coworkers. Debi is an ELNEC trainer and established the first HPNA San Francisco East Bay Chapter and also volunteers for many different organizations.
Dana Goodwin, CHPNA, was the 2011 recipient of the Certified Hospice and Palliative Nursing Assistant of the Year Award (CHPNA). Dana Goodwin has worked for VistaCare in Temple, TX, for 16 years. She has been certified since 2003. She precepts new employees and was employee of the month in 2008. She has been recognized for outstanding patient care in the Temple Daily Telegram, Rockdale Reporter, and Cameron Herald. She enjoys speaking and educating others about hospice and palliative care.
NBCHPN 2011 Employer of the Year Award
NBCHPN was pleased to announce York Hospital WellSpan Health of York, PA, as the recipient of the NBCHPN 2011 Employer of the Year Award and thanks them for their continued support of certification.
York Hospital WellSpan Health recognizes NBCHPN certificants in several ways. They reimburse those who pass the examination, pay for educational materials and classes, provide paid time off for taking the examination, and pay differential for those who pass the certification examination. Those who pass the certification examination are eligible to be in a rotation to attend the AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly, all expenses covered. The hospital also supports community activities and specialty professional development activities on the local, state, and national levels.
A visual display of certificants is available at the hospital on a hallway plaque. Certificants are recognized internally through a hospital newsletter, a display of credentials on name tags, conversations with patients and staff about certification, and certification pins on palliative care lanyards.
NBCHPN thanks all certificants and all employers for their support of certification.