October, 2009
Happy Fall MidEast Region!
WOW! What a GREAT conference we had in Dayton this past weekend! The Dayton planning committee did a wonderful job and put on a fun, educational, and classy meeting these past several days. We learned so much about the Bariatric patient, and even heard first hand from some with life experiences and medical experiences relating to this area. We now have the “Wright” stuff to care for and be sensitive to those with Bariatric issues.
At the fall conference, several awards were presented:
Deanna Hartnett, MER Manufacturer Representative of the Year 2009
Bobbi Micale, MER Manufacturer Representative Lifetime Achievement Award
Dorothy Benz, MER Professional Educator of the Year 2009
Kim Duff, MER Shining Star Award 2009
Bonnie Black, MER WOC Nurse of the Year 2009
Joy Pittman, MER Excellence in Writing Award 2009
Lisa Kirk, MER Advanced Practice Scholarship
Rachel Henshaw, Jeff Bish Scholarship
Sue Kohl, President’s Award, 2009
What a fantastic group of winners!
We also installed a new Board. Newly elected Board members include:
Cecilia Krusling, President-Elect
Terri Ross, Treasurer
Sharon Lepper, Trustee #1
Monica Koch, Trustee #2
Shannon Smith, Trustee #4
Because Cecilia Krusling was the Secretary, and now will serve one year as President-Elect, the Secretary’s job was vacant. Mary Arnold Long, who of course was Immediate Past President, has graciously agreed to serve as Secretary for the 2009-10 term. Thank you, Mary.
Shortly, on the webpage, each Board member’s photo will appear on the page, so you can link a face and name together.
Congratulations to each award winner, and to each Board member.
Looking forward, we are going to have advertisements on our website. We are also going to have the opportunity to make our membership list available for purchase to certain organizations/entities that have a focus like ours. We will have guidelines in place to ensure that ads are appropriately linked to our profession in some way. Mary Arnold Long is spearheading this effort for the organization.
Be sure to save the date of September 23-25, 2010! That’s when everyone is invited to Indianapolis for the MER Regional Conference. Yes, we going back to Indiana, and we are going to have a BLAST! More details will be forthcoming on our website.
We are really looking for Kentucky to kick off their conference planning activities. We will be visiting our old Kentucky home in 2011….okay, contact Monica Koch to tell her where we’ll be going!
We already know that in 2012 we’ll be in Grand Rapids Michigan! A new place to visit, and a group of WOCs and colleagues that are just very nice and very hospitable folks. I’m excited to visit there, too!!
So, happy Fall!! I hope you enjoy the colors, the activities, and the anticipation of this season.
Sincerely,
Dea
Dea J. Kent RN, MSN, NP-C, CWOCN
President
MidEast Region WOCNS
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