On February 9-11, 2006, nearly 1800 individuals attended the AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly, the highest attendance yet. The interdisciplinary team was well represented with physicians, pharmacists, social workers, chaplains, and administrators. Comments after the event included the following: "best conference ever," "outstanding content," "awesome precons," and "outstanding facilities." The AAHPM/HPNA conference for next year is scheduled for February 14-17, 2007, in Salt Lake City, UT. Mark your calendars now!
The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association kicked off their 20th anniversary celebration by honoring their 11 past presidents as the "Leading the Way Award" winners. This award is the highest award bestowed by the HPNA Board of Directors. The 11 presidents honored are as follows:
Dorothy Caruso-Herman(1987-1989)
Brenda 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)
Over the past 20 years, this impressive group has established, supported, and developed an outstanding one-of-a-kind specialty nursing organization charged with the responsibility of promoting excellence in end-of-life nursing, defined by HPNA as providing nursing care to those experiencing life-limiting progressive illnesses. The end-of-life nursing trajectory of care begins at diagnosis and ends with the bereavement period. These leaders have been instrumental in making our organization grow from a mere 35 members to the more than 8000 we have today.
The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association's 20th anniversary celebration began with a fund-raising dinner held on Friday, February 10, 2006, where the Leading the Way Award winners were honored. The program, called "Then and Now," was a contrast of hospice and palliative nursing as we knew it in 1986 and as we know it now in 2006. Walking down memory lane helped all of us recognize the tremendous progress that we have made promoting excellence for the past 20 years. The wonderful evening, with more than 100 attendees, ended with a champagne toast given by Jane Kirschling, President of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation. The commemorative champagne glasses and champagne were provided by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Our gratitude to them for sharing in this special event. We had a wonderful evening.
Other Awards
Several more awards were presented at the Annual Membership Meeting.
For the third year, HPNA has sponsored the Innovation in End-of-Life Nursing Care Award. This award recognizes the work of an HPNA member in developing an innovation that has resulted in positive changes in end-of-life care. The winner this year is Hazel Jackson, APRN, BC, CHPN. With 18 years of hospice and palliative care experience, Hazel is currently employed as the Hospice and Palliative Care Team nurse for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Decatur, GA. Hazel created numerous all-inclusive contractual relationships in the Decatur area to assure access to care for uninsured veterans, allowing Decatur's VAMC to become the first VAMC to provide hospice services.
The HPNA Outstanding Research Abstract at the Annual Assembly Award goes to Mary Jo Prince-Paul, MSN, APRN, BC-PCM. Mary Jo holds a master's degree in nursing from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. She is currently a Palliative Care Advanced Practice Nurse for the Hospice of the Western Reserve. She served as an associate professor instructing nursing students at Lorain County Community College and was a project manager/nurse researcher at the University Hospitals of Cleveland Ireland Cancer Center. Currently, she is a full-time doctoral student at the Case Western Reserve University Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.
The HPNA New Investigator Award is a new award this year developed by the Research Committee. It recognizes a nurse in the beginning of his/her research career who has conducted quality research that can be a pilot or preliminary study. The candidate must be the principal investigator for a study focused on clinical care, professional development, or advancement of hospice and palliative nursing. Amy Calvin, PhD, RN, is the first winner of this award. Dr Calvin has served as the Palliative Care Nurse Researcher at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, TX, and as an assistant professor in the Department of Acute and Continuing Care at the University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston for the past several years. She collaborated with Dr Porter Storey to write the protocol for the Use of Oxycodone Hydrochloride for Dyspnea in Patients With Advanced Heart Failure and recently conducted a study titled "The Neuroscience Nurse's Experience With End-of-Life Care." She is currently leading the Palliative Care Team's study entitled "Use of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale by Patients Admitted to an Acute Palliative Care Service" and worked with Dr Laura Morrison to conduct the study "The Attitudes and Experience of Health Care Providers in Managing Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs) and Pacemakers in Patients at the End of Life."
As a result of a generous grant from Project on Death in America, the PDIA Nursing Leadership Award in Palliative Care was created. The award recognizes an individual who has advanced the field of palliative care through nursing education, training, research, the development of model service delivery programs, or policy development. The inaugural winner was Malene Davis, MSN, MBA, CHPN. Malene is the CEO and president of the Hospice Care of Arthurdale (Hospice Care, Inc) in West Virginia and has been credited with noteworthy accomplishments in each of these areas. This year, Malene Davis assumed the role of chairperson elect of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
Foundation Thanks You for Supporting The Annual Assembly Anniversary Dinner
Thanks to those of you who attended the HPNA/HPNF 20th Anniversary Dinner in Nashville to support the vital work of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation. The gala was an opportunity for everyone to commemorate the past, present, and future work of HPNA and to celebrate the continued growth and enhancement of the many programs and services that both HPNA and HPNF offer nurses and other healthcare professionals who provide end-of-life care.
In addition, HPNF is grateful to those of you who participated in the silent auction, where we had collectible items, such the HPNF Quilt, and travel packages that included a full day of fun in Disney World, overnight stays in Desert California, and travel items to pack all of your "stuff." Please look for more fabulous items next year.
Finally, HPNF provided relaxation to the many attendees of the Annual Assembly. Students from the Technical School, Nashville, provided massages for a small fee to help raise funds for the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation. It was a win-win program, where guests enjoyed a wonderful massage and the students received credit for clinical experience.
Thank you to all who participated.
20/20 Campaign
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation Honors the 20th Anniversary of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
In 2006, the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) is celebrating its 20th anniversary of providing programs and services to nurses providing end-of-life care. To honor this milestone, the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation is asking every member to donate $20 in 2006. The 20/20 program will continue through the end of 2006, so please honor HPNA by offering a $20 gift to HPNF to further its ability to provide nurses and other healthcare professionals in the field of end-of-life care the opportunity to access valuable educational and research funding.
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is part of the Alliance for Excellence in Hospice and Palliative Nursing, which includes HPNA and the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPNR(R)). Together, the organizations are leading the way in excellence in pain management and end-of-life care. Their mission is to advance the work of the HPNA.
Every gift is a valuable resource that ultimately benefits millions of Americans every year. To find out how to make a financial contribution or to become a volunteer, please call 412-787-9301 or e-mail us at [email protected].
Don't forget the June 1, 2006, deadline for all of the following:
* Certified Nurse of the Year Award Applications
* Nominations for Board of Directors and/or Examination Development Committee Members
* Certification Exam Scholarships
Please visit our Web site, http://www.nbchpn.org, or contact the National Office at 412-787-1057 for applications for Certified Nurse of the Year Awards, Nominations for the Board of Directors and/or Examination Development Committee, and Certification Exam Scholarships.
Recognition
The National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPNR(R)) hosted its 5th Annual Certification Recognition event during the AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, TN, on February 9, 2006, with more than 200 people in attendance. Bonnie Niebuhr, MS, RN, CAE, chief executive officer for the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS), was the featured speaker. Her topic was "ABNS Offers Added Value: The Power of Accreditation." More information on the importance of certification and ABNS can be found on their Web site: http://www.nursingcertifcation.org.
2007 Annual Assembly Abstracts
Scientific Research Call for Proposals is due between June 15 and July 17, 2006. For details, please visit the HPNA Web site at http://www.hpna.org.