• The November 3, 2004 Wednesday Full Council meeting of the Allied Health in North Carolina began at approximately 9:37 a.m.
• Tom Bacon greeted council members, presenters Anita Brown and Linda Horton, and announced and introduced new council members Sharon Grubb, Leslie Jarema and Audrey Godwin. (Audrey Godwin was unable to attend the meeting).
• Bacon proceeded to have all the attendees briefly introduce themselves. The attendees stated their names and provided their titles and affiliations.
• Marge Ottofy was presented with a framed certificate of appreciation and thanked for her work as a former Council member.
• Bacon referenced the September 1, 2004 meeting’s minutes, requested the Council’s approval of these minutes, and upon receiving the Council’s approval, introduced Dr. Anita Brown and Linda Horton who both gave PowerPoint presentations.

1. Dr. Anita Brown, Chancellor of Cabarrus College of Health Sciences gave her presentation on “Allied Heath Programs at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences.”
   
   She presented a PowerPoint presentation about the College from its beginnings in 1942 in Concord, North Carolina as a private nursing school consisting of only fifteen nursing students. Brown added that Cabarrus is part of the American Health Science Consortium.
   
   Dr. Brown described the history of the school and its beginnings in 1942 from an immediate need for nurses due to World War II. By 1945, the first diploma students graduated from the college and in 1963 it became a nationally accredited institution. In 1966 the college (reduced need to check this out) its’ program and in1973 it became the first two year hospital related diploma program in the state of North Carolina. In 1989 Cabarrus became the first hospital related school to grant associate degrees by the authority of the North Carolina General Assembly. By 1992 the school changed its name to the Louise Harkey School of Nursing. In 1996 the school changed names again to the Cabarrus College of Health Science and added an allied health division to its curriculum.
   
   In 2004 the College relocated from its old site to a new 68,000 square foot facility. In July of 2004, the North Carolina General Assembly granted Cabarrus the authority to award advanced degrees. Dr. Brown indicated that Cabarrus pursued offering advanced degree programs anticipating the future need for these graduates in the workforce.
   
   Cabarrus is equipped with state of the art classrooms and is a 100% commuter campus. Current programs include: nursing skills, special topics, continuing education and smart tag programs with medical assisting labs. All the programs have current and national program accreditation.
   
   Brown stated that the school is concentrating on their nursing curriculum, allied health care programs and the possibility of creating an OTA program. A CT/MRI program is starting with the possibility of developing into a baccalaureate degree in the near future. Brown added that Cabarrus is looking for programs that will be able to generate faculty for allied health programs to teach in Community Colleges.
   
   Brown added that the college focused on employment upon graduation and felt that graduates should be able to obtain a job in their particular area of study. Cabarrus scrutinizes the needs of the marketplace for programs they will concentrate on developing.
   
   Dr. Yoder noted the school’s impressive graduation rate and the fact that the students were receiving financial aid to help them complete their studies. Yoder added that this was commendable since older students with families and other personal concerns often incur financial debts, making financial aid necessary to finish their degree programs. Dr. Brown indicated that 85% of the students attending the college are on financial aid.
   
   Dr. Brown distributed literature on the Cabarrus College of Health Science for further reference.
   
2. Linda Horton, NCHA, Coordinator of Workforce Initiatives, presented the NCHA Clinical Site Focus Group Report”.
   
   Horton indicated the report evolved from a request by the Policy and Development Committee of NCHA to form a Focus Group to look at issues related to clinical training sites. The group, comprised of representatives from eleven participating hospitals and representative of all NCHA districts, was convened to clarify training site issues referenced by the IOM Nursing Task Force, and to develop a best practice model for hosting clinical training sites.
   
   Horton reported seven trends were identified by the group that serve to enhance or impede effective site coordination. These include training schedule flexibility; maintaining sensitivity to student, instructor, preceptor and unit staff needs; student/faculty’s hospital introduction/orientation; expectancy of unit staff to support clinical experiences for students; creative scheduling for BSN staff to serve as Adjunct Faculty when possible; standardization of contracts and site management processes and improved working relationship between hospital and training staff.
   
   The best practice model for hosting clinical training sites included eight recommendations consisting of: increasing the use of evening and weekend shifts for clinical training; fostering relationships between faculty and hospital as well as building faculty and unit staff relationship; surveying the clinical team and assessing satisfaction with clinical experience; recognition of hospital staff/units that excel in providing the best clinical training experiences for students; designating an individual to oversee all clinical site coordination; standardization of all contracts and coordination processes and having the CNE serve on the Advisory Boards of programs for clinical planning.
   
   Bill Croft stated that while designating an individual to oversee all clinical site coordination was a good idea, unfortunately most community colleges do not have the monetary means to staff people for such a role, and that most hospitals do not recognize the need for an individual to be used in that particular capacity. Croft elaborated that in the Community College an individual might be assigned the responsibility of the coordination duty, but not given any monetary compensation for this extra responsibility. Without the monetary compensation, the desired cohesiveness between the individual and the task in most likelihood will not exist.
   
   Horton added that the Board of Nursing and AHEC had been in touch with her to express the desire to participate in clinical site discussions. The Focus Group’s report provides the perspective of hospitals and will hopefully provide assistance in further clinical site planning and discussion. Bacon stated that the report was a very progressive step and the plan would improve clinical training with time. Bacon added that hospitals have to have real resources in order to implement clinical teachers and without the monetary assistance, will have difficulty in trying to sustain such a model as demonstrated in Horton’s presentation. Kathy Heilig concurred and said that incentives must be created in order to bring in faculty staff to work in the evenings and weekends. Croft questioned the payment source of such staff working at the hospital and Horton said that the salary for such individuals varies from hospital to hospital. Franklin-Griffin questioned if adjunct faculty were working in the hospitals in such a model. Croft answered that in his Community College there are adjunct faculty working in hospitals in such a model but that they are not being paid.
   
   Dr. Brown indicated that a model such as the one in Horton’s presentation requires a relationship between the faculty person and the hospital. That you can have one teacher to ten students, but ideally to make such a model work, you need more clinical sites and a lower student-teacher ratio. She said that Cabarrus had created an education program, which prepares students to be a new employer and serve as a mentor. These persons wear nametags in their new environment in order for hospital personnel and students to recognize them as the go-to person for questions and problem situations.
   
   Bacon indicated that ideally in order to get such a model implemented there would have to be a standardization of contracts existing between teaching facilities and hospitals.

• David Yoder addressed the issue of the proposed Council Statement on Non-endorsement of licensure bills for allied health professions. Yoder read the Draft of the Council’s policy(s) that was distributed to the Council members for review prior to the meeting.
  
  Bacon said that the Council should have a non-endorsement policy of licensure. He requested that such a motion be made in which Ned Fowler seconded the motion. Council members gave a unanimous consent to the non-endorsement policy on licensure.
  
• Yoder directed the Council’s attention of the Allied Health Reinvestment Act. He informed the Council that their letter supporting Senate bill, 2491 and House Bill 4016 had been sent both to senators and eleven representatives. Both David Price and John Edwards had responded and acknowledged the Council’s letter.
  
  Yoder stated that he would like to arrange to speak with David Price about the Allied Health Reinvestment Act due to Price pursuing a similar bill in the area of education. He asked the Council whether any individuals had an issue with his discussing the Act with Price. Yoder said that when the new congress convenes in 2005 the reinvestment act will need to be reintroduced. At that time another letter of support from the Council will be sent to the NC senators and representatives.

Tom Bacon turned the discussion to the induction of new members to the Council. He introduced Karen Luken as Chair of the Membership Taskforce to present the five prospective professions seeking membership to the Council. Luken addressed the Council and explained that letters and invitations to various allied health professions had been sent out and that five groups responded with the wish for membership. Each professional group had provided information about their respective profession as indicated by the Council Guidelines.

These groups included:

American Massage Therapy Association – NC – Rachel Mann;
Association of Surgical Technologists – NC Assembly – Linda Harrison who did not attend this meeting;
Art Therapy Association of NC – Sue Ethridge who did not attend this meeting;
Music Therapy Association of NC – Laura De Loye;
EMS Administration Association – Tom Cooke who did not attend this meeting.

Luken asked for a motion requesting the Council to extended membership to the five groups. Tom Bacon made the motion and Bill Croft seconded it. The Council then affirmed the motion and the five organizations were welcomed and extended membership.

Luken stated that the group would be placed into one of the six groups within the Council’s organization scheme. The Art Therapy Association and the Music Therapy Association were placed in Group 1 (Counseling and Recreation Sciences), the American Massage Therapy Association was placed in Group 2 (Rehabilitation Sciences).The EMS Administration Association and the Association of Surgical Technologists were placed in Group 6 (Medical Sciences). Bacon asked for a motion from the Council agreeing to these group designations. Croft seconded the motion and the Council affirmed the motion.

Karen Luken stated that she believed her Membership Task Force had completed their responsibilities and asked that the current committee be sun set. The Council Chair will appoint a new membership task force when needed.

• David Yoder announced that the office for the Council for Allied Health in North Carolina moved from Trailer 48 to Trailer 46 on September 8. Caroline Irish joined the Council on October 24, 2004 as the administrative assistant for the Council for Allied Health and the Center for Literary and Disabilities Studies. Sara Rodgers, the former administrative assistant for the Council took a position with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Wilson Library.
  
• David Yoder stated that he met with NC Blood Bankers Association on 9/14. He met with the NC Recreation Association on 10/12. The MAHEC meeting scheduled for 10/15 was cancelled due to low registration. Yoder attended the Conference of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professionals in Tampa, Florida 10/20-23. He presented information about the Council in a session attended by between fifty to sixty individuals. Representatives at the conference questioned Yoder on how they should go about starting a council of allied health professions in their particular states. Tom Elwood, Executive Directors of the ASAHP said that he sees North Carolina as the leading state for good initiatives in allied health advocacy and policy development.
  
• Alan Brown took the Council for Allied Health Professions display to the state AHEC meeting in New Berne on 10/5-7. Because of the current concern related to the need for criminal background checks for students doing clinical rotations in hospitals and other medically related sites, Yoder sent out an e-mail to academic program directors of allied health professions questioning what are the current practices and procedures of establishing criminal background checks on students in their programs. The issue of criminal background checks of students is becoming a major issue among training programs and licensure of various health professions. The new Respiratory Therapy licensure bill requires CBCs. Rachel Mann added that massage therapists were voicing the same concerns. Cathy Griffin-Franklin and Kathy Heilig said that on November 16, 2004 they both were attending a meeting of the NC Board of Nursing that is convening a workgroup to identify and address issues related to DBD for students in clinical settings. David Yoder has also been invited to attend this meeting.
  
  Yoder stated that the Council will have a panel at the January 5, 2005 Council meeting to address this issue. The panel will be composed of persons representing the UNC, Community College systems and the private training institutions. We will also have discussion on the issue of CBC as a requirement for professional licensure .
  
• As a follow up to Joy Renner’s presentation at the September meeting regarding the proposed BS degree consortium in radiologic sciences, Yoder presented a statement from Renner: “I have met with UNC-C, WCU and ECU on their campuses with their deans, vice-chancellors, and a variety of other folks in their distance education departments. We are moving forward. I have proposed a curriculum to them and they are now investigating how that curriculum could be implemented on their campus and the resources required to make this happen. I would say all three meetings were positive and productive.
  
• November 7-13, 2004 was announced as National Allied Health Professions Week. Yoder distributed a November 1, 2004 News Release on Allied Health Professions Week that he wrote with Porter and Bacon. Bacon encouraged Council members to circulate and modify the press release in order to make it more appropriate to their local communities primarily be altering the release’s first paragraph.
  

• Bill Croft indicated that the number of respiratory therapists requiring punitive action on their licensure had tripled since last year which stresses the need for professional licensure. Croft added that the current AMA newsletter contained a Physician’s statement on the allied health professions. That the ultimate goal of this statement was to thwart some allied health practitioners by blocking legislation expanding their practice. Croft noted that the statement included dentists and occupational therapists as professions that should have legislation for advancement of their professions marginalized. He felt that physician assistants and nursing assistants were the targeted professions of the statement. Croft stated that the statement seemed primarily trying to attack those allied health practitioners who can operate independently from the supervision of a doctor.
  
• Cathy Franklin-Griffin said that Deans of Health Science were devising a system definition of nutrient. (SP?)
  
• Diane Groff announced that the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) is pursuing regulatory and statutory changes in Medicare that would recognize recreation therapy in all inpatient health care settings. The North Carolina Recreation Therapy Association has contributed to this campaign in hopes of furthering these legislative efforts.
  
• Martha Taylor said that there was a publication put forth by dental hygienists providing a rating scale of the quality of care received from a dental hygienist. She said that if Council members wish to view this ranking publication, she would provide Yoder with a copy for review.
  
  
• Carolyn Mayo distributed copies of the North Carolina Senior Care Pamphlet for the Council’s review. She requested an update at the January 5 Council meeting on the General Baptist State Convention Health Careers Project--a faith-based initiative in collaboration with the NC Hospital Foundation, NC-HCAP and NC-AHEC. Anita Holmes, Director and Carissa Dixon, Outreach Coordinator are spearheading this initiative. She also provided the website ( HYPERLINK "http://www.sullivancommission.org" www.sullivancommission.org) for The (Lou) Sullivan Commission Report titled "Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions: A Report of the Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce". She pointed out that Duke University was intricately involved in the Commission's work and resulting published report to the public through funding they received from the WK Kellogg Foundation.
  
• Alan Brown said that AHEC had nothing new to report. Bill Croft acknowledged gratitude for AHEC’s distribution of the Health Careers Manuals on health professions to local high schools and other organizations . Bacon indicated that a website version of this manual will be available shortly and that some remaining hard copies of the manuals were still available by contacting the regional AHEC offices. Yoder requested that the Council of Allied Health in North Carolina website be linked to this AHEC web site version of the manual.
  
• Tom Bacon concluded the meeting by thanking Anita Brown and Linda Horton for their presentations and announced the next Council meeting as being scheduled for Wednesday, January 5, 2005.
  
• Jim Sadler invited Council members to meet with him after the meeting in an alternative location at the General Administration Building to discuss the proposal for establishing a baccalaureate program in Respiratory Care at one of the UNC systems campuses.

The meeting adjourned at 12:00 p.m.

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