New England Region WOC Nurses Society Members:
RENEWAL
September is here. I always think of Fall as the time of renewal instead of Spring. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our New England Region Wound Ostomy Continence Nurses Society fall conference “Creating Change Together.” It will be held at the DoubleTree Hilton Manchester Downtown October 18th & 19th. Please visit the newenglandwocn.org website for full details about the conference. If you attend I hope you feel a sense of renewal after listening to our keynote speaker Priscilla Poirier’s presentation: Wellness – How Taking Care of Yourself Can Improve Your Patient Outcomes. Priscilla will also be offering several Yoga classes during the conference for a $5.00 fee that will go towards the Youth Rally.
Here are some important deadlines to be aware of:
Early Bird Full conference discounted registration rate of $250.00/Single Day Rate Early Bird of $150.00 if registered before September 13th.
DoubleTree group rate of $159.00 per night available until September 17th or until the block is full. Ask for New England Region of the WOCN conference rate when registering. Call the hotel @ 603-625-1000 and ask for in-house reservations.
Outstanding Nurse of the Year Award nominations are due September 15th. See website newenglandwocn.org for nomination information.
YOUTH RALLY AUCTION
Support our shining stars. With your generous support, eleven campers from the New England Region attended Youth Rally in Seattle in July. Your donations enabled adolescents to face medical and physical challenges in a safe and structured environment. Please continue your support by donating an item to the silent auction to be held at Fall Conference. Jewelry, Coffee, Liquor, Wine, Homemade goods, and Gift Cards are a few suggestions. All items are greatly appreciated. Contact Marian Barry-Ravagni with questions: marianrn8@comcast.net.
VOTING
Shortly you will receive an invitation from Mary Harris, our nomination chair, to vote for our next President-Elect and Treasurer positions for the New England Region WOC Nurses Society Board. Please vote and let your voice be heard.
NETWORKING
This year during conference, board members will be reaching out to region members to share information about the Board Member’s duties and responsibilities. Please take time to talk with us and learn how you can become involved in region activities. We want to encourage members to join us on committees and conference planning. You will make new friendships and learn new skills. We look forward to talking with you.
WOCTalk
Diane Bryant and I have participated in the WOCTalk podcast hosted by Jody Scardillo, Director of the WOCN Society’s Board of Directors. We had fun and laughed a lot. The title of the podcast is “Collecting Data to Advocate for Additional WOC Nurse Resources – You Can Do It.” We shared the outcome of a needs assessment and survey of WOC nurses and talked about the poster we presented at WOCNext in Nashville in June. You can find the podcast on WOCN.org under the resources tab – WOCTalk.
GOODBYE
This will be my last time attending conference as your President. Lisa Orowson will take over as your new President at the end of conference. I have enjoyed serving the region and representing the New England Region Wound Ostomy Continence Nurses Society at the national level of WOCN. I have been enriched and renewed by my interactions with each of you. See you in October.
Sincerely,
Mary Willis, President