HPNA in 2010-An Exciting Year Ahead
What an exciting time it is to serve on the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) board of directors. The fields of hospice and palliative care have been in the forefront more than ever with the emphasis on healthcare in Washington, medication safety with the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), and palliative care integration for patients as they are diagnosed with serious illnesses. Not a day goes by that I do not receive something in my e-mail about the need to provide support or communication on different issues in Washington, participate in a survey about difficulty obtaining medications that our patients need for the management of their symptoms, and read about challenges that others in our field are facing as well.
This past year has presented many opportunities, challenges, and changes for the HPNA. We have learned about communication challenges with all our members and how to communicate effectively and clearly. We have worked collaboratively with other organizations in order to present a unified voice for all of hospice and palliative care. As 2009 ends and 2010 begins, we continue to collaborate and be a national voice for hospice and palliative care.
Meg Campbell, as the 2009 HPNA board president, served as a panelist at the American Nurses Association/National Quality Forum (NQF) meeting where the six foci for quality advancement identified by the NQF, called the National Priorities Partnership, were discussed in terms of what nursing is doing or could contribute to make these priorities happen. The six priorities are the following: patient and family engagement, population health, safety, care coordination, palliative and end-of-life care, and overuse. The HPNA was able to show involvement of palliative care in all the areas, how we are involved at the national level, and how we involve all levels of nursing as well as the interdisciplinary team. It is imperative that we maintain a national presence during these changing times and that we are sought out as the experts in palliative nursing care. For more information on this initiative, visit http://www.NQF.org and read about the National Priorities Partnership.
Judy Lentz was invited to testify at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to discuss how nurses can improve quality, access, and value in the key area of end-of-life care. She offered three bold recommendations for change: (1) increase and maximize the utilization of APNs in all delivery settings, (2) standardize end-of-life education for all licensed and unlicensed nursing care providers incorporating end of life in NCLEX and on all certification examinations, and (3) allocate funding for nursing research in end-of-life care building evidence to prove the cost-effectiveness of hospice and palliative nursing. Part of the message presented discussed the fact that nurses practice in silos and that the HPNA is striving to reach out to other nursing associations and break down those silos by sharing knowledge and addressing all the domains of care. We want to improve quality access and value in the 21st century.
Judy Lentz and I represented the HPNA at the Oncology Nursing Society's summit held in December 2009 looking at collaboration as well as insight into educational and advocacy activities including other nursing associations as well.
The HPNA will continue strong involvement with the Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition and will chair this group again in 2010.
Healthcare reform continues to be a major topic in Washington, and our presence and voice will be very important during 2010 as this moves forward. Palliative care is involved in all aspects of patient care starting at the diagnosis of a life-limiting serious illness. Our voice is very important as we are involved with patients and families moving through the process of this illness from palliative care upon diagnosis all the way through hospice care during that last 6 months of life.
The HPNA has hired a new director of research, June Lunney, who will be very involved with our research agenda and our research committee as we seek to support more research in the field of hospice and palliative care. This is an exciting time to be able to provide evidence-based research that will support all nurses involved in the palliation of symptoms.
As I begin my year as president of the HPNA board of directors, it is exciting to know that we are not an exclusive group and we strive to collaborate with others and lead the way in promoting excellence in the provision of palliative nursing through leadership development, education, and the support of research in the field.
Susan Cox, RN, MSN, CHPN(R)
President, Board of Directors
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
The HPNA Continues to Be the Administrative Home of the National Consensus Project
The work of the National Consensus Project (NCP) began in 2002 and became formalized in 2003. Since that time, 10 dedicated individuals, called the NCP Task Force, representing four different organizations (AAHPM, CAPC, HPNA, and NHPCO) have been meeting monthly under the direction of chairperson, Dr Betty Ferrell, to develop, disseminate, communicate, revise, and disseminate yet again two editions of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. These guidelines have been important to the field. They have served as a foundation for the National Quality Forum Preferred Practices and have provided a framework for establishing and building the many palliative care programs that are in existence. Furthermore, these guidelines have become a hallmark within the field guiding policy makers, providers, practitioners, and consumers in understanding the principles of quality palliative care. Benefits derived from these guidelines have recently guided legislators when addressing the healthcare reform initiative led by President Obama.
While the NCP Task Force has worked diligently on this focused project, the Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition (HPCC) representing the same four organizations has been active in addressing other pertinent issues in our industry. In 2007, the NCP Task Force became a formal subcommittee of the HPCC. As with all task forces, the concentrated work of the initiative has been successfully completed to the level needed at this time, and yet, it is our belief that an NCP Task Force subcommittee will be needed once again in the future to develop the third edition of these guidelines. That being the case, we feel that it is timely to recommend to the HPCC that the current NCP Task Force be temporarily inactivated. To ensure the work of the NCP project will continue, the HPCC has agreed on the following recommendations:
* NCP guidelines update discussion will be a quarterly standing agenda item on the HPCC agenda.
* Each individual organization will be asked to ensure the NCP guidelines be discussed by each respective board on an annual basis.
* The NCP Guideline Task Force will be reactivated as a subcommittee of the HPCC no later than 2012, with the charge to revise and disseminate the guidelines in 2013.
* The NCP Web site will be retained as a responsibility of the HPCC.
* The HPNA will continue to be retained as the administrative home of the NCP to maintain the NCP Web site and guidelines and NCP records and respond to any inquiries in a timely manner.
* A portion of the NCP funds will be earmarked to maintain the NCP Web site, finance the administrative home, and ensure that funds are available for the 2012 NCP Task Force to complete the next NCP guideline revision and dissemination.
In summary, the work of the NCP will continue under the auspices of the hospice and palliative care coalition. This will allow us to continue to monitor dissemination of the guidelines and to be prepared to revise the guidelines in the future. The HPNA has been proud to serve as the administrative home for this important project.
Call for Nominations
The HPNA Board Development and Leadership Committee is seeking nominations (including self-nominations) for individuals to serve on the board of directors. The association proudly serves as the voice for members providing quality hospice and palliative care nursing. We are seeking energetic, experienced, and passionate hospice and palliative nurses who will lead the provision of palliative nursing into the future.
The HPNA Mission Statement
Leading the way to promote excellence in the provision of palliative nursing care through leadership development, education, and the support of research in the field.
One of the benefits of belonging to a professional organization such as the HPNA is the opportunity to actively participate in a leadership position and positively impact the organization's strength and direction.
Commitment and Eligibility
Applicants for the HPNA board of directors must have been an HPNA voting member for a minimum of 2 years.
Board terms are for 3 years. Director obligations include attendance at a minimum of four board meetings per year, active work on two committees, attendance at the annual assembly, and other face-to-face and/or telephone responsibilities that might be required.
Directors can expect board members to commit a minimum of one weekday (usually Friday) and two weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) for each of the four annual board meetings. Committee responsibilities usually include monthly conference calls. Board members can expect to spend a minimum of 1 hour on the conference call and additional time in preparation and reporting responsibilities.
Expenses related to board and committee participation are reimbursed. No other remuneration is provided.
Nomination Process
All applicants are required to provide the following information postmarked no later than March 1 to Chair, Nominating Committee, Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, One Penn Center West, Suite 229, Pittsburgh, PA 15276:
1. A letter stating willingness to serve on the HPNA board of directors. Included in this letter of 250 words or less (which will be viewed by the HPNA membership if applicant is slated on the ballot) must be
* involvement in all HPNA local and national activities,
* specialized skills and/or experience that the applicant expects to bring to the board of directors as these will further the mission of the HPNA, and
* previous board experience including training and leadership classes, fiscal management, and/or marketing activities related to nonprofit organizations and their boards.
2. Their professional resume, which must include applicant's current mailing address, preferred telephone number, and e-mail address, for contact related to the HPNA board application.
3. Two letters of recommendation. If currently employed, one letter of recommendation must be from applicant's employer. This letter must indicate employer's support for the applicant's participation on the board of directors and employer's specific agreement to the time commitment as outlined in the "Commitment and Eligibility" section of this information. References may be contacted by the Board Leadership and Development Committee.
Procedure for Notifying Applicants
All applicants will be notified by the chair of the Board Development and Leadership Committee regarding the status of their application once it is received and reviewed by the committee.
Procedure for Notifying Ballot-Slated Candidates
Following the election and confirmation of the ballot by the HPNA board of directors, the chair of the Board Development and Leadership Committee will contact each candidate to inform him/her of the outcome of the election.
Annual Membership Meeting Announcement
The Annual HPNA Membership Meeting will occur on Friday, March 5, 2010, from noon to 1 pm at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, Boston, MA.
Notice to Student Members
In a continuing effort to become a "greener" organization, as of January 1, 2010, new or renewing student members will no longer receive a mailed copy of the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. Student members will continue to have full access to current and archived issues of JHPN in the members-only area of the HPNA Web site.
Persons currently student members of the HPNA will continue to receive the mailed JHPN until this current membership expires. The student membership fee (for the full-time nursing student) is unchanged at $45 per year.
The HPNA State Ambassador Update
Since its inception at the 2008 AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly, the HPNA State Ambassador Program has continued to experience amazing growth. The general responsibilities of an HPNA State Ambassador include
* following and informing the Public Policy Committee about critical policy issues in your state/region,
* disseminating information about national policy issues to your constituencies, and
* assisting with policy advocacy efforts as directed by the board of directors or the Public Policy Committee.
Through interaction with the HPNA Public Policy Committee, access to breaking legislative news on the State Ambassadors e-mail Listserv, and direct participation in advocacy through specific legislative "Calls to Action," HPNA State Ambassadors are provided the opportunity to learn many different aspects of public policy at the local, state, and federal levels.
In September 2009, the HPNA board asked current State Ambassadors to help shape a message to be used in an important meeting with the Food and Drug Administration on the topic of opioid analgesics and the plans for a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for this class of medications. The State Ambassadors' responses, which included recent experiences with opioids in the hospice and palliative setting, enabled the HPNA to best represent the issues currently seen in the field. This is only one example of an HPNA State Ambassadors' "Call to Action."
Building on the success of this program to date and the increasing number of inquiries of our members, the HPNA Public Policy Committee has developed a free informational webinar introducing members to the HPNA State Ambassador Program. The PCC hopes that this webinar can serve as a welcome and introduction for HPNA members interested in public policy and legislation. To view the State Ambassador Webinar, please visit the "E-Learning" area of the HPNA Web site.
If you have any questions regarding the webinar or would like more information about the HPNA State Ambassador Program, please contact Chad Reilly at [email protected].
HPNA Chapters: Onward and Upward
43,800 Hours[horizontal ellipsis]1825 days[horizontal ellipsis]or 5 years-No matter how you say it, the HPNA Chapters Program has seen an incredible amount of change in this short amount of time. In early 2004, the HPNA Chapters Program consisted of 11 local chartered chapters. As of late 2009, there are 37 active HPNA chapters across the United States, translating to more than 700 HPNA members participating in local HPNA activities. This ground swell of excitement for the program is continuing into 2010, with an astounding 22 provisional groups currently working toward establishing an official chapter of the HPNA in their local community. This level of chapter growth is unprecedented in the history of the HPNA. The HPNA is eagerly looking forward to see what the next 5 years will bring for its local chapters!
Think you might like to make history and join the wave of incoming HPNA chapters? A local chapter of the HPNA can afford its members numerous benefits through the efforts of a strong and committed chapter executive board. Networking with mentors, peer support, and educational presentations are all common activities. The HPNA board of directors also helps to develop local leaders through its annual Leadership Weekend, which is a free educational event for chapter and provisional group leaders. Nursing team members coming together to grow, network, and learn has always been at the heart of the HPNA mission.
If you have an interest in starting or joining a local chapter of the HPNA, please visit the "Chapters" area of the HPNA Web site or contact Chad Reilly, assistant director of membership, at 412-787-9301. You can also take free chapter and provisional group related webinars, found in the "E-Learning" area of the HPNA Web site, http://www.hpna.org.