• Approved

• Dr. Lew W. Stringer: Bioterrorism = WMD and Public Health Emergencies
  • Special Operations Response Team (SORT)
  • State Medical Response Plan (SMRS)
  • Unified Incident Command System (ICS)
  • http://www.sortteam.org
  • 121 Polo Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27105
• NC Association Presidents' short presentations
  1. Martha Taylor, NC Dental Hygiene Association
     • “Give Kids a Smile” – success
     • Joined with Community Colleges to push through licensures
     • Joined w/ Dental Society and State Board, increase fees for licensure
     • Major concern: Increase in # of Dental Hygiene schools in NC, graduates can’t find jobs
  2. Wayne Foster, NC Speech, Hearing & Language Association
     • 50th Anniversary of the Association
     • Handout
     • Licensure must reflect level of training
     • Changes in Medicaid are a concern
     • Poor and at-risk children: achievement gap grows early and over time
     • State budget woes having negative effects
     • No Child Left Behind – clinicians asked to address disorders and weave into course of study
     • SLP’s must be able to diagnose and treat more disorders than before. Audiologists must have knowledge in electronics and digital technology.
     • Continuing Education will soon become mandatory for SLP & A.
     • Workforce study can be found at Council's website.
  3. Eileen Watkins, NC Physical Therapy Association
     • Handout
     • Presenting at APTA meeting in June
     • Advocate K-12 Physical Education needs
     • http://www.ncpt.org
  4. David Lewis, NC Academy of Physician Assistants
     • 60% of PA’s work in primary care or rural health
     • Close relationships with NC Medical Board and Medical Society
     • Continuing Education conferences raise funds
     • 4 PA programs in state (ECU, Duke, Wake Forest, Methodist) – offer Masters. Duke has started a Surgical Residency program
     • 80 hour limit on residents could lead to shortage
     • Diverse classes – Duke’s class is 80% female
     • Job growth is strong
  5. Valrie Hopkins, NC Society of Radiologic Technologists
     • CARE bill – penalty for non-compliance
     • Handout – mission statement
     • “RT’s in DC” –encourage state legislators to get agenda on Federal level
     • Contact Valrie, Frances Apple, or central office for more information
  6. Ron Walker, NC Nuclear Medicine Technologists
     • Problems with reimbursement for procedures
     • New procedure: Miraluma – used to detect breast cancer, quicker, less painful, less radiation than mammogram, can pick up cancer on cellular level instead of waiting for a cyst/tumor, no side effects
  7. Rebecca Bullock, NC Association of Blood Bankers
     • http://www.ncabb.org
     • Presentation
     • Annual fall meeting: 2-day event
     • Spring Workshop: April 1
     • Incredible shortage of trained staff: loss of schools of medical technology, programs for specialist in blood banking, aging of med tech’s, blood bankers leaving field for more money and prestige
     • Increase in regulatory issues: AABB Accreditation, FDA Code of Federal Regulations; require resources and time, smaller facilities drop accreditation due to staff shortages
     • Creation of independent blood centers: political/financial approach, blood bankers caught in middle
     • Concerns: financial support for continuing ed of blood bank tech’s, time constraints for continuing education of blood bank tech’s, difficulty in finding volunteers
  8. Cornelia McClure, NC Health Information Management Association
     • AHIMA board recently worked on refining strategic plan: develop goals in focus areas, how to ensure success for HIM professionals
     • Need to promote value of profession
     • EHIM: Electronic HIM – develop tools to create new jobs, learn new schools for transition to electronic means of coding.
     • NCHIMA goals: work with findings from task force study – disparity between criteria to become credentialed coder among organizations
     • Developed CHP credential for HIPAA officers
  9. Pam Horton, NC Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
     • Associate/Bachelor degrees offer higher salaries
     • Workforce shortage
  10. Beth Sheppard, NC Histopathology Technologists Association
      • No educational opportunities, only 22 programs in USA
      • Publicity problem, “CSI” helped
  11. Carolyn Taylor, Clinical Laboratory Management Association, Blue Ridge Chapter
      • Handout
      • Eastern NC, Coastal Carolina chapters
      • Work collaboratively with other organizations
      • Efficient use of electronic media (http://www.clma.org)
      • Put upcoming meetings on website
      • Lab networks putting online ordering to the test
      • Labs find success by being first to implement best practices
      • Managing mergers
      • Reimbursement issues, delivery of services including form, workforce
  12. Tom Williams, NC Society for Respiratory Care
      • Handout
      • Need for specific documentation of care, draft format
      • Education: all NC programs are Associate level, national push for registry status to be BS degree, no 4-year programs in NC
  13. Sharon Wertz, NC Ultrasound Society
      • 7 school programs
  14. Lynn Losada, NC Occupational Therapy Association
      • Cherie Conroy-Harman, president-elect
      • http://www.ncota.com
      • Reimbursement issues, Medicaid and State Health Plan.
      • Monitoring DHHS efforts to make sure cuts don’t hurt patients by denying services or having providers back out due to red tape.
      • Continuing Education: contact hours requirements, Spring and Fall conferences
      • Professional networking, advocacy promoted
      • Work with national association on caps

A. Announcements

• March 18-20, NC AHEC 2003 Workshop/Conference in Winston-Salem, Adams Mark Hotel. National and State speakers.

B. Discussion and Action

• Revisiting a “best fit” for professional association groups. Task Force led by Karen Luken. Pam Horton reported in Luken's absence.
  • There is a need for greater clarity on role of group representatives. The representative will not always be an association president. Group sizes have changed over the years. Because the functions of some professional groups have changed, the titles of groups may no longer relate to the associations they represent.
  • Suggestions included 2 representatives per group, and written procedure for representative assignments and placement of new members.

1. Data Committee Report - Alan Brown

• Cassina Hunt: There are shortages in almost every profession. Sheps studies provide tools to determine how to address shortages. Challenges include motivating members to get involved and take additional time.
• Radiation Science panel meets March 13.
• Future of Data Committee: moving away from discipline studies and moving toward survey approach. The method for the survey approach will be put together this summer, and will be implemented in the fall.
• Past reports are on Sheps Center website.
• Sheps has applied to become a national health research center, and is awaiting a reply.

2. Activity of the Executive Director - David Yoder

• Communication is top priority. Dr. Yoder has been invited to represent the Council at panel meetings across the state. He will also be on a panel at the AHEC meeting.
• Advisory Board: Structure will be announced at May’s meeting. Board should be in place by fall.
• Dr. Yoder has been in touch with lobbyists across the state to raise money. Workforce and distribution issues justify asking for money in this tough time.
• Eastern AHEC’s hosting workforce summit on April 14. The Council and the Workforce Data Committee will both have posters on display at the meeting being held at the Sunspree Resort at Wrightsville Beach.

• Next Council Meeting – May 7, 9:30am-12:30pm
  • Elizabeth Isler will be discussing issues at the community college level.
  • The meeting will return to the General Administration board room.
• Gregory Cooper – NC HCAP
  • March 27 – Spring 2003 Health Professions forum (handout)
  • Career Fair

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