Dear Reader,

Be sure to register now for our fall meeting, September 23-26 in Tampa Bay. Our tentative, somewhat tongue-in-cheek theme for the meeting: “Health care reform: This will only hurt a little.”

The year 2009 is shaping up to be critical to the future of health care in the U.S. Come to Tampa Bay to find out where allied health fits into the big picture and how we can help “bend the growth of the cost curve,” as the current lingo in Washington goes, and ensure access to care and patient quality.

In addition, get out your calendar and save the dates for our 2010 meetings:

• March 3-6, Washington, DC
• October 20-23, Raleigh, NC

Our DC will include an opportunity to meet with key legislators in the nation’s capitol. Stay tuned for more details…

Best regards,
HPN Board of Directors

PS Urgent reminder! The deadline to book a flight with the Tampa Bay CVB and obtain a special $250 discount is July 23. After this day all registrants will be on their own for airline reservations.

Contents

1. Registration now open for Tampa Bay meeting, September 23-26
2. Sign up now health care workforce Webinar, September 9
3. HPN membership reaches 76 institutional members
4. This month's featured profession: Dietetic technician
5. What's happening in 2009? Health events calendar now updated

1. Registration now open for Tampa Bay meeting, September 23-26

We’ve already had 10 registrants for September meeting. Why wait? Register now!

Meeting registration includes hotel arrangements for Wednesday through Friday night, all meals, and transportation to and from events. In addition, the great networking opportunities and top-notch presentations on key health care issues are all part of the package.

Be sure to register by July 23 to get a special $250 discount on airfare thanks to the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors’ Bureau. Just send an e-mail to mivory@snm.org with your first and second choices for flights from your local airport. Requests for airfare at the discounted rate are guaranteed to be no more than $250. 

2. HPN membership reaches 76 institutional members

Registration is now open for Emerging Trends in Health Care Workforce Development, a Webinar on September 9, at 2:00 PM EDT. This 60-minute presentation will provide an overview of current and emerging trends in health care workforce development, as the nation looks to increase the number of health professionals to meet current and future needs for access to patient care services.

HPN members can receive a special discount of $79 (versus the regular price of $99). Be sure to use code “HPN09” when you register.

Also, a second Webinar is in the planning stages for December, to cover the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ projections scheduled for release later this year. Stay tuned for more details.

Finally, the HPN is planning a summit on increasing the health care workforce, scheduled for spring 2010.

3. HPN membership reaches 76 institutional members

The number of organizations represented by the HPN has reached 76, with the recent approval by the HPN board of the Coordinating Council on the Clinical Laboratory Workforce.

4. This month's featured profession: Dietetic technician

This month’s featured profession on the HPN Web site is dietetic technician.

Dietetic technicians. registered (DTR) work independently or in teams with registered dietitians in a variety of employment settings, including health care, business and industry, public health, foodservice and research.

Learn more about the field of dietetic technician.

Also, be sure to consult the American Medical Association’s chart of health care career income ranges, for salary in this and other health professions fields.

To suggest another field for the Featured Health Professions site, or to make updates to existing listings, contact Linda Whaley and Leslie Dean.

5. What's happening in 2009? Health events calendar now updated

The HPN site now includes a list of annual events honoring various health professions.

Check it out now! (And let us know if we missed your profession.)

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