WOCN-PCR Vice President Report
April 2006

General information

• No new information

UOAA (United Ostomy Association of America)

A Message From the President

April 2006

Thoughts of our March PCR education and membership meeting:

• Another extremely successful program has been completed in the beautiful seaside community of Carmel, CA. The program was held at the LaPlaya Hotel, a quaint cozy hotel nestled in a residential community about 1 block from the ocean. Some unexpected thunder showers accompanied by hail were not enough to dampen the spirit of the 65 people who participated.
  
  
• Marie Ward, our Education Coordinator, selected a great group of presenters. Topics ranged from legal aspects of wound care, CMS F tags and the importance of the proper continuum of care across settings, the effects of Diabetes on wound care, and an alternative method of dealing with stress and difficult situations.
  
  
• The ballot measure changing when some of our officers are elected to office passed overwhelmingly. Starting Jan. 2007, we will have staggered offices of President and Vice President. That means the President will be elected in even years and the Vice President will be elected in odd years. In order to balance the rest of the Board of Directors, it was also voted on that the Secretary will be voted into office on the even year and Treasurer on the odd year.
  
  
• Nominations for the offices of President, Secretary, Education Coordinator and Communications Coordinator were held and we have an excellent slate of officers to present to you for our Fall election. You will be getting ballots in the mail 30 days prior to our October meeting.
  
  
• Our Ways and Means committee of Jan Wacker and Verena Esparza were very successful at this meeting. A 50/50 raffle, along with a variety of gifts and the sale of PCR watches brought additional monies to our PCR Treasury. These monies will be used to contribute to educational speakers as well as other projects.
  
  
• An important part of preliminary work by our BOD prior to this Spring meeting was a strategic planning meeting held the day before the conference. The Board is looking into the long-range mission, vision, and goals of our organization to take us as an organization into the next 5 years. This is a work in progress and will hopefully be completed by our October meeting, so it can be presented to our general membership.
  
  
• Last, but not least, a trip to 2 local wineries gave us the opportunity to sample a variety of local wines along with history of wine making in the region and relax with friends and colleagues for an evening.

To all of you who were unable to attend this Spring conference, we are sorry you missed an invigorating program held in a beautiful restful location. Be sure to join us for our fall conference, to be held in Costa Mesa, CA, at the Hilton Hotel, October 12 - 14th. The hotel is located close to the world famous South Coast Plaza shopping center.

Be sure to read my next Presidents message when the subject of the WOCN June conference will be the main topic and how you can join us by participating in our PCR booth during exhibit hours and attend our annual PCR get together just prior to the conference.

Until then, enjoy your Spring.

Judy Papen,
PCR President

Update on the Spring Meeting in Carmel, CA

April 20, 2006

We had a wonderful meeting in Carmel-By-The-Sea on March 2-3, 2006. There were 65 WOCN nurses present. The La Playa Hotel was charming. It is situated 1 block from the ocean which provided a restful setting for the meeting.

James Spahn MD, spoke on "Understanding the Complexity of Pressure Ulcers" as it relates to the continuum of care. He emphasized the importance of creating an individualized care plan addressing each risk factor. Jill Sprout, sponsored by Healthpoint, addressed the group on the care of the burn patient while Hollister sponsored Marilyn-Lu-Webb who spoke on incontinence. Charles Lee MD, from California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, spoke to us regarding "Flap Reconstruction for Pressure Ulcers".

We are grateful to Smith and Nephew for Dr. Lee's lecture.

Our own Donna Lockhart (PCR treasurer) did an outstanding lecture on the "Legal Implications of Pressure Ulcer development". We were reminded of the importance of providing ongoing and accurate assessment, seeking nutritional consults, providing pressure reducing devices and most important accurate charting. Pamela Kershner MD, from Kaiser Hospital, Walnut Creek, and Ca. gave a stimulating and informative discussion on Diabetes and the importance of perioperative blood sugar control in determining surgical site infections. To round out the program we heard about mist ultrasound in the treatment of chronic wounds by David Bremseth of Celleration and Rev. David McArthur who taught us a technique for reducing our stress.

A group of us, 34 in total, visited 2 wineries in the Carmel Valley. We tasted wines from Chateau Julien and Heller Estates and shared food and friendship.

The Education Committee is looking forward to seeing you at the fall conference in Costa Mesa, October 12-14, 2006. The event will be held at the Hilton. Please email with your speaker suggestions or any ideas for entertainment and fun. Let me know if you can help!

Thank you,
Marie Ward RN MSN CWOCN, Education Coordinator