As each January arrives in the United States, we are informed of the State of the Union. As this January arrives, I thought it would be interesting to report on the State of the Association. The executive board and the numerous volunteer leaders of the association have been active with the completion of many of the goals that were set by the strategic plan all while adhering to the theme of "Partnering for Growth."
Entering into 2006, NAON remains an association that is fiscally strong. The final audit from the calendar year will be presented at the annual business meeting at Congress in May. The executive board approved a balanced budget for the 2006 calendar year at the fall board meeting, which will allow us to be able to develop new programs and put new task forces in place.
The Chapter Restructuring is one of these new groups. This task force has been selected, and it has begun its work toward evaluating the association's current chapter composition and structure; this will continue under the guidance of Director Jan Foecke. The membership task force is also new and consists of past local and national leaders. They will be developing ideas regarding recruitment and retention of members and will be led by former board member Marj Kulesa.
Our work on advocacy continues as we have continued to support legislation against all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use for children under 16 years. Through various NAON contacts, we have communicated with the ANA regarding furthering the work of the Handle With Care Campaign. We have also made an impact in visibility through our work with the Bone and Joint Decade. The incorporation of some of our OPTIONS program points with their current Protect Your Bone and Joints (PB & J) program and continued appointments on their board by former Director, Andrea McConville, and currently, Director Cindy Howe, have been essential in our sustained relationship with them. In fact, this past October, out of five physician groups that answered an AAA questionnaire related to the elderly and automobile safety, NAON had 39% of the total percentage of respondents, the greatest amount of all the groups!! We look forward to further integrating visibility of both of our program goals at the grassroots level in the future.
In terms of leadership succession, the Nominating Committee and the mentoring task force have been hard at work since Congress, identifying potential leaders and assisting them in determining the best way that they can serve the organization. This will be evidenced by the 2006-2007 ballot, which reveals a slate of promising leaders that will continue to grow NAON. The Leadership Fellows Program (LFP) is also being launched. This program will support the novice leader in learning from mentors about the leadership process in a formalized environment. As this new program begins, we encourage members to apply for this honor as they seek the assistance of the invaluable past local and national leaders that have facilitated the association's expansion during the past 26 years. Look for further information on the NAON Web site regarding this exciting new program.
Our NAON Foundation has completed reorganizing and has also been busy with several new fundraising efforts. The first fundraising walk will be held at Congress in Boston, and we hope this event is successful enough to continue in the years to come. The ONCB has also completed the first Advanced Practice examination and will be piloting this at both the AAOS and NAON Congress meetings this year.
Under the direction of our Director of Research, Mary Nelson, and our research committee, we have been fortunate to receive the Nurse Competence in Aging grant through the John Hartford Foundation Through this grant, we will be able to partner with groups such as the National Gerontologic Nurses Association to educate both orthopaedic and gerontologic nurses on musculoskeletal issues that affect the elderly. Additional prospects to develop educational partnering opportunities were discussed with the leaders of our fellow associations that participated in the annual Nursing Organizations Alliance in San Antonio this past November. Not only were we jointly educated about the friendly competition that can be encountered by organizations, but we were also able to discuss how joint ventures can develop among associations. This can then lead to coalitions that benefit all involved as we collaborate on a specific issue.
Finally, look for updated productions of the Core Curriculum and the Orthopaedic Competencies in the near future. Jack Yensen, Director of Education, has also been working hard with our AAOS coordinators and Congress Education committee to provide some fantastic educational offerings this year, and our local affairs committee has been instrumental in bringing some wonderful aspects of Boston to Congress. Keep an eye on the NAON Web site as we launch Web-based education as well!!
As you can see, the board, our NAON employees, and our volunteers have been working hard for you, the members. Our association is strong, and we are well on our way to continued growth!! I encourage you to watch out for all the new initiatives that will be offered. Consider becoming a volunteer serving on a committee, a special interest group (SIG), or reviewing education. It is truly an exciting time to be a NAON member; if you know of someone who is not currently a member, persuade him or her to learn more about us. Your voice is the best endorsement that NAON can obtain. I look forward to additional encouraging news about the association, and thank you for your support thus far.