Dear Reader,

At its recent meeting in Phoenix, the Health Professions Network (HPN) took the historic step of formally incorporating, approving bylaws, and electing a board of directors.

The HPN is evolving and growing to meet head-on the many challenges in allied health. Although the HPN has been “formalized,” we remain committed to maintaining the all-inclusive collaboration (clamor, even!) of allied health voices that is so unique to our organization.

Please join us as we welcome this exciting chapter in the history of allied health!

Best regards,
HPN Board of Directors (formerly the HPN Coordinating Team)

Contents

1. It’s official: HPN is formally incorporated
2. Patient safety focus of Health Professions Network fall meeting
3. HPN committees working behind the scenes
4. Celebrate Allied Health Professions Week!
5. Save the date: April 26-29 in Minneapolis
6. Orthotics and prosthetics is "Allied Health Profession of the Month"
7. Ads for labs: A unique way to promote an allied health profession
8. Athletic trainers support bill to increase access to care

1. It’s official: HPN is formally incorporated

As noted above, the Health Professions Network (HPN) is now formally incorporated, as a 501c3 so that we can contract with other agencies, apply for and receive funding, and move forward as an organization. Articles of Incorporation were submitted in Virginia, by-laws were drafted and voted on at the September meeting, and a Board of Directors was elected by the HPN membership. Please take a moment to view the bylaws and the Board of Directors. Work has been started on the next step—development of the policies and procedures.

2. Patient safety focus of Health Professions Network fall meeting

Patient safety was a key focus of the fall 2006 meeting in Phoenix, AZ, titled “Reaching Across the Professions to Support Quality Care Initiatives.” Speakers representing the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Patient Safety Foundation, and the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association's Safe and Sound initiative gave insightful and often passionate accounts of the importance of reducing system errors in health care.

In addition, attendees heard about the American Physical Therapy Association’s ambitious Vision 2020 plan, and learned how the Michigan Center for Health Professions is addressing critical state-wide issues of recruitment, education, and retention of health professionals.

Finally, as is always the case at HPN meetings, there was a little (okay, a lot) of time for fun! We have the photos to prove it…

3. HPN committees working behind the scenes

The work of HPN does not end when its twice-annual meetings are over. Several committees are established within HPN to continue pursuing the goals of the organization between meetings.

The committees include Consumer Awareness, Membership/Outreach, Advocacy, Program Development, and Data, in addition to the Board of Directors (formerly the Coordinating Team). Other activities such as finance, media, governance, and the Coalition for Allied Health Leadership (CAHL) will be task force activities under the Board of Directors.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to get involved with committee work. Click on the committee to read about what each is working on, and e-mail the team leaders if you want to help:

Consumer Awareness (pdf), Judy Simpson
Membership/Outreach (pdf), Fred Lenhoff
Advocacy (pdf), Theresa Green
Program (pdf), Don Richards
Data, Mary Ann Kelly
Board of Directors (pdf), Virginia Pappas

The Consumer Awareness Committee, for example, is working to increase recognition of allied health professions among consumers, employers, and potential students:

• Communicating with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to ensure that approximately 30 HPN professions are included in the NIH’s Lifeworks Web site, an interactive career exploration site for middle and high school students.
• Collaborating with the Health Occupations Student Association (HOSA) for its Leadership Conference, June 20-23, 2007, Orlando, FL, to ensure staffing of an HPN exhibit hall display and an HPN representative to present a popular session on health professions careers. HPN organizations will have an opportunity to submit publicity materials for distribution through the HPN exhibit table. In addition, depending upon donations received, HPN will provide scholarship funding to the HOSA chapter that demonstrates outstanding allied health education activity.

4. Celebrate Allied Health Professions Week!

It was just after Halloween, and just as fun: Allied Health Professions Week (AHPW), November 5-11, 2006! E-mail us and tell us how you celebrated!

AHPW sponsors -- the HPN, Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP), and National Network of Health Career Programs in Two Year Colleges (NN2) -- invite you to use this annual opportunity to educate your community about the crucial contributions allied health providers make to quality health care.

Don't miss your chance to highlight career options, acknowledge allied health's important role in patient care, and promote the collaborative spirit inherent in the allied health disciplines.

Download the handbook for celebrating AHPW now (Adobe Reader required), and start preparing for next years celebration!

Also, see the AHPW brochure (two targeted versions, one for health professionals, one for students).

5. Save the date: April 26-29 in Minneapolis

Enlightening presentations, valuable networking opportunities, discussions of up-to-the-minute allied health issues, and fabulous entertainment are on tap for the following Health Professions Network meetings:

- April 26-29, 2007, Minneapolis, MN

Registration information for the meetings will be available online.

6. Orthotics and prosthetics is "Allied Health Profession of the Month"

Orthotics and prosthetics is now featured on the HPN Web site as the "Allied Health Profession of the Month."

E-mail HealthProNet.org to request that HPN feature your health profession in the future.

7. Ads for labs: A unique way to promote an allied health profession

An eye-catching series of advertisements recently appeared on numerous bus stop shelters in Chicago:

Because of me, 117 men are delighted to have heartburn.
(I run tests to help diagnose heart attacks)

Because of me, 23 killers were caught early.
(I run prostate cancer tests)

Because of me, 16 lawyers know the difference between good and bad.
(I run tests for cholesterol)

I’m a laboratory professional.

The ads, funded by Abbott Diagnostics Division, refer viewers to LabsAreVital.com, an online resource for laboratory professionals and those interested in the profession. This is a great example of a creative, public-private partnership that furthers awareness of a key allied health profession.

LabsAreVital Public site

LabsAreVital Private site, for lab professionals and others

8. Athletic trainers support bill to increase access to care

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) has announced its support for the Access to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services Improvement Act of 2006 (S. 3963), which has three goals:

1. Ensure that Medicare patients have access to medically appropriate health professionals and that physicians will receive payment for covered services delivered under the physician’s supervision
2. Allow physicians to decide which state-authorized or certified health professionals have the requisite education and training to provide physical medicine and rehabilitation services to their patients
3. Reduce expenses to the Medicare system by providing services in the most cost-effective manner