Dear Reader,

Ever been to an HPN meeting? The unique mix of educational sessions, networking, and social events make these meetings truly unique. In this issue, we offer a synopsis of our recent Baltimore meeting.

If you've never attended an HPN meeting, why not make the St Louis meeting your first? Mark you calendar now to join us under the Arch, October 8-11.

Best regards,
HPN Board of Directors

What happens at an Health Professions Network meeting?

For those who were not able to make it to April 2-5 HPN meeting in Baltimore, aka "Charm City" (which was charmingly hosted by the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, or BACVA), here are a few highlights:

Also, be sure to check the HPN Web site for all presentations from the meeting and some pictures as well.

Wednesday, April 5
Following the HPN board meeting, a well-attended HPN "newbie" orientation kicked off the official events. Individuals attending HPN for the first time included:

• Valarie Coyle
  Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals
• Cathy Malchiodi
  American Art Therapy Association
• Kathy Cilia
  American Medical Technologists
• Rebecca Smith
  American Music Therapy Association
• Cheryl McCarus
  American Othoptic Council
• Cynthia (Cindy) Parrish
  American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
• Teresa Harris, MT(ASCP) SBB, CQA, CQIA (ASQ)
  American Society for Clinical Pathology
• John H. Ganoe, CAE
  Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists
• Julia To Dutka
  CGFNS International
• Anne Loochtan
  Cincinnati State Technical & Community College
• Kristen Davidson
  HOSA
• Kimberly A. Watson
  Mercy College of Northwest Ohio
• Ron Waetzman
  Michigan Health Council
• Mark Wallenmeyer, MBA, CNMT, RT(N)
  SNMTS
• George Berdejo
  Society for Vascular Ultrasound

Then, at 6:00, buses picked up attendees at the three host hotels—Baltimore Marriott Waterfront (or "BMW," as the locals call it), Sheraton Inner Harbor, and Renaissance Hotel—and enjoyed a reception and dinner in the B&O (Baltimore and Ohio) Railroad Museum, surrounded by numerous historic train engines and coaches.

Thursday, April 3
Browns, clowns, and locomotives…
After a continental breakfast at the Sheraton City Center, the meeting began with introductions among the nearly 50 attendees, including a personal tidbit. Without mentioning any names ("What happens at HPN stays at HPN"), some of the fun items shared included:

• Loves the great outdoors
• Practices indiscriminate hugging
• Fan of Cleveland Browns
• Into fusion cooking
• Graduate of clown college (stage name: "Lady Bug")
• Volunteers with National Museum of Nuclear Science and History
• Cans vegetables and fruits from home garden
• Three attendees planning summer trips to Italy…Great Barrier Reef … and Russia (the latter as part of health professions delegation)
• Appeared on the Donohue show to explain ultrasound
• Taking up kayaking
• Recently shot a par 3 on the notorious 17th hole at Sawgrass
• Owns 600-acre nature preserve
• Plays ice hockey
• Coaches girls' softball team
• Recently earned CAE designation
• Working on restoring old locomotive

Achieving cultural competence
Next, the attendees took part in an interactive discussion on achieving cultural competence, presented by Donna Skurzak of the Cleveland Clinic, which covered:

• The impact of globalization on health care practice and education, and patient safety
• The difference between cultural sensitivity and cultural competence
• The "principle of staying dumb" (that is, remaining open to multiple realities, and seeing the whole picture, or pictures, as the case may be)
• Message intent vs. message impact

The diversity quiz offered some surprising statistics, and the wide-ranging discussion took participants from inner-city Cleveland to Abu Dhabi, with real-life examples of cultural competence (or lack thereof) when treating patients from African-American, Hispanic, and Amish communities.

HPN business meeting
HPN board members presented several items, most notably the Health Professions Awareness Campaign (HPAC), towards which several HPN member organizations have donated $19,000 in seed money. HPAC will seek to increase awareness of health professions among the public and policy makers.

HPN membership has grown to 69 member organizations (with 92 individual representatives), including the following:

American Dental Education Association

• Gina Luke, Director of Legislative Policy
• Ann Wells, Associate Executive Director

American Society for Clinical Pathology

• Teresa Y. Herris, MT
• Cynthia S. Perrish

Henry Ford Community College (Dearborn, MI)

• Rob Bodurka, Dean
• Debra Szymanski, Program Director

National AHEC Organization

• Judy Lyle, Manager
• Susan Moreland, Executive Director

School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Stephen N. Collier, PhD, Director
• Harold P. Jones, PhD, Dean

University of Alaska Southeast

• Sarah Harvey, Program Coordinator

An historic lunch
Lunch was held at the Grand Marble Room in the Tremont Plaza Hotel, after which attendees were given a guided tour of this historic and lovingly restored edifice (formerly a Masonic lodge), with stained-glass windows chandeliers, Corinthian columns, and a library with artwork by Rembrandt.

Health care without harm – improving the health care environment
Cecilia DeLoach of Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) described the many environmental threats posed by the health care sector and hospitals and their at-times toxic effects both on patient outcomes and employee recruitment and retention. Mercury, dioxin, disposal of medical waste, pharmaceuticals in the water supply, and single-use disposable products, not to mention profligate use of energy, paper, and water, are just some of the sobering issues facing all organizations in health care.

Restoring federal funding to the health professions training programs
Representing the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Tannaz Rasouli described the current challenges for Title VII funding of health professions education and training, with the current proposed federal budget eliminating all allied health funding.

Yachting and sporting (and yes, eating)
After committee meetings and free time, attendees enjoyed an onboard reception and boat tour of the Inner Harbor, thanks to Pintail Yachts, followed by dinner (mini-cheesburgers, anyone?) at ESPN Zone and the opportunity to burn a few calories at the Zone's many games.

Friday, April 4, 2008
Education, accreditation, patient safety, and more
Meeting at the Baltimore Convention Center, attendees enjoyed breakfast and heard Kristen Davidson of HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) describe the high-energy and dynamic nature of this organization, which has grown 20% in the past five years, to 95,000 members, including a minority membership rate of 45%.

Next, professional facilitator Paul Gaston, PhD, from Kent State University, offered a droll commentary on the recent history of federal involvement (or "intrusion," as some would say) in higher education accreditation through the Spellings Commission and other activities. One untoward trend in recent years, noted Gaston, is the shift from conceiving of higher education as a public good to an individual entitlement (reflected in referring to students as "consumers" or "clients").

Finally, Christine Goeschel of Johns Hopkins University described her leadership role in a nationally acclaimed project in Michigan to reduce central line catheter infections among hospitalized patients. Over the initiative's first 18 months, $175 million and more than 1,500 lives were saved—all thanks to a "stupid little checklist," as described by Atul Gawande, MD, in his December 10 New Yorker article.

Lunch at Camden Yards
After committee reports and final wrap-up discussions, attendees adjourned to Camden Yards, home of baseball's Orioles, to enjoy lunch in a club room overlooking the diamond. There they learned of the imminent completion (August 2008) of a new 752-room Hilton directly opposite the ballpark, which will be linked to the Convention Center via a sky bridge.

Museums, and more
BACVA staff supplied VIP passes to all attendees to allow them to explore the cultural, artistic, and scientific riches in the city's many museums in the afternoon. Others strolled around the harbor to take in the sights.

Closing dinner
That evening, an unassuming restaurant in the Little Italy neighborhood, La Tavola ("The Table"), hosted HPN. From bruschetta to veal to tiramisu, Chef Carlo Vignotto, Venice born and bred, delighted every palate with his freshly prepared creations.

About us

The Health Professions Network (HPN) includes provider organizations, educators, accreditors, credentialing agencies, and administrators. The group works together in a cooperative and interactive manner on issues relevant to workforce development and the delivery of health care in the United States.

Identity Statement

The HPN is a volunteer-run association representing health care professional associations and other organizations interested in interdisciplinary communication, discussion, and collaboration. Participants meet at least annually to discuss issues relating to health care and to serve as a conduit for interdisciplinary problem solving and preparation for future health care delivery.

Vision

The HPN is the premier network of health care professions working to positively influence the delivery of quality health care.

Mission

The HPN provides a forum for collaboration among health care professions on issues of common interest. The HPN will accomplish this mission through:

• Identifying issues of common interest
• Communicating these issues to all participants
• Seeking consensus and facilitating responses
• Advocating on behalf of health care professionals to the public, professional associations, and federal and state policy makers

Values

The HPN affirms that effective collaboration among health care professions is based on the values of:

• Commitment to the HPN
• Cooperation
• Integrity
• Accountability
• Diversity
• Respect