NEWSLETTER Vol. 22, Number Two Summer 2015

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1 NYS ID/DD NURSES ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER Vol. 22, Number Two Summer 2015 President s Message Greetings. Summer is here in most of the state, finally. Our conference committee has worked since our last conference to plan our fall conference at the Albany Marriott and they have assembled a wonderful group of presenters to address a variety of clinical issues as well as professional issues dealing with changes within our systems, changes with in healthcare and ethical dilemmas that those changes present. A valuable member of our conference planning committee. Karen Jarvis, Zone 1, recently completed her multi-faceted treatment plan for an aggressive form of breast cancer. Our last conference in Syracuse was dedicated to her and she has appreciated everyone's best wishes. This past month she was honored by her treatment center, the Richard E. Winter Cancer Treatment Center at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg NY. She was asked to give the keynote address at their Survivors Dinner. She gave what was said to be a well-organized speech that covered the nurses perspective as a patient in a variety of treatment types. This was attended by 18 family members including her father and mother, our current recording secretary Trish Potocar. We are assembling a good slate of candidates for election this year. I would like to remind everyone that the best source of candidates for office are people who have the time and are able to attend spring and fall board meetings as members of the Executive Board. Please encourage nurses you meet who are working in the field to attend our annual conference and to the Executive Board meeting. Expenses for elected attendees, which include Zone officers as well as the Board of Directors, are reimbursed. Members are always welcome and encouraged to attend when possible. Many of us began our involvement in the Association by attending an Executive Board Member Meeting. Thank you all for WEB SITE Keep checking the website ( for all the information and forms that you need for the state conference in the fall. It will be more important than ever this year as changes are made. See the photo of current officers serving on the Board of Directors on the Officers, Committee Chairpersons and Zone Officers page. Check out the What s New page for information of interest on state, zones and general medical updates. The most recent newsletter is also available for downloading. Trish Potocar, RN Annual Scholarship Due to available resources, the Association was able to award two $ Scholarships this year instead of one! In addition, attendance at the annual conference was also awarded. Awardees are: Peter Langkau, a student at the Bellanger School of Nursing in Schenectady and Direct Support Professional (DSP) from the Center for Disability Services in Glenville, NY and Evelyn C. Santos, a student in the traditional BS in Nursing program at the Wegmans School of Nursing at St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY. Congratulations to both! Please encourage eligible candidates to apply for the 2016 scholarship by 3/31/16. Information can be found and printed from the web site. Each year up to a $1,000 scholarship is awarded to an LPN or DSP who is currently matriculated in an accredited RN program in NYS, is a NYS resident and intends to work as an ID/ DD RN upon graduation. Attendance at the annual 2016 conference may also be awarded. The New York State Intellectual Disabilities/ Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association (NYSID/DDNA) was founded to promote Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Nursing as a specialty area of practice. The Association continues to support its members' activities in nursing law, education, research and practice.

2 President-Elect s Message After a long winter it looks as if the beautiful weather has finally arrived! Please take time to enjoy each day with those that surround you. The NYS ID/DD Nurses Association reminds us to make a conscious choice to stay focused on our mission to grow and evolve, becoming strong advocates, making a difference in the lives of those men and women we are privileged to support. We strive to make a difference by educating the public and expanding our reach to nurses. Most importantly, we exist to foster comradery and to support one another in our nursing specialty. Always remain mindful of, and embrace the tremendous difference you make in the lives of the men and women we support. I would continue to ask each member of the organization to proactively choose to share your gifts and talents, purposefully creating a future illuminated by capturing unprecedented solutions shared by our nursing organization. Together we continue to gain personal and professional growth by participating in the activities that are provided by the association throughout the Zones in the state, and the Annual Conference. Before you know it, we will be looking forward to your attendance at the Annual Fall Conference of the NYS ID/DD Nurses Association being held in beautiful Albany NY. The conference committee begins planning for the next year s conference at the end of the previous year s conference. This dedicated conference committee continues to work diligently finalizing the events for the upcoming Fall 2015 Conference. This year's conference will have a wide array of thought provoking topics, presented by professional, qualified speakers. As always, I look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to contact me. Kind regards, Laura Sardinia-Prager Joyce Binder Memorial Award Created The Executive board has created the Joyce Binder Memorial Award. It will be given to a member who has made significant contributions to advance the practice and support individuals with ID/DD Nursing. She demonstrated caring, compassion, advocacy, mentoring, leadership, and dedication, while supporting involvement, education and research. These are attributes that were admired and respected in Joyce's involvement in the Association. More information will be posted on our website and this will be discussed at the fall conference. This honor will be awarded in Annual Conference The 31 st Annual NYS IDDDNA Education Conference, Improving Quality Outcomes Meeting Ethical Challenges, will be held Sunday, September 27- Tuesday, September 29, 2015, at the Albany Marriott on Wolf Road. The conference committee listened to last year s comments and has worked hard to provide a variety of speakers who will meet the needs of our members. There are a variety of topics that are pertinent to both Day Hab and Residential Program nurses. In addition, there are topics that have addressed the increased role of the IDDD RN role which often includes staff supervision and administration duties. A Post-Conference session is being offered on 9/30/15 for a separate registration; Laboratory Test Interpretation for Nurses. Through lecture, PowerPoint, and case studies, Nancy Rutledge and Anne Hanson will provide a strong curriculum to increase your lab interpretation skills to aid you in your clinical practice!! A big new change will be that we are going paperless this year!! We are joining the ranks of many national organizations who are embracing technology to provide excellent nursing curricula while being fiscally responsible to our members. Full details and directions for obtaining conference materials will be provided with each conference registration receipt. This provides an opportunity for every registrant to obtain handouts in a timely manner no more empty pages in the books!!! Visit the website, for full conference information/agenda and online registration/ payment with PayPal. Conference topics include: One Agency's Journey to Attaining CQL Legal & Ethical Issues in Nursing Documentation & Supervision Laboratory Monitoring During Psychotropic Usage Bridging the Divide How Can We Implement a Plan of Hospice Care? Ethical Principles and Decision Making Fall Risk Assessment & Prevention OPWDD Update Optimum Nutrition for Diabetes Management Integrative Medicine: Fighting Back Against Our Toxic World Geriatric Pharmacology and the Individual with ID/DD Dysphagia in the ID/DD Pressure Ulcer Prevention Mental Hygiene Legal Service: Roles and Function in End of Life Decision Making Edie Smith, MSN, RN Chairperson, NYSIDDDNA Conference Committee 2

3 Zone Reports Zone 1 Zone 1 met in March, 2015 with Melinda Collins, Sleep Apnea/Asthma Educator presenting. She gave a very interesting talk on the relationship between sleep apnea and asthma and other pulmonary issues. Many attending were not aware of the possible relationship with high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, and/or weight gain. A sleep study can be arranged in a sleep lab or a home sleep study. Our June 4 th, 2015 meeting had Meghan Carnowski, Health Educator/Epilepsy Resource Coordinator, Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York, Inc. out of Albany, presenting. She spoke on categories of seizures, first aid for seizures and recognizing the need for further medical attention. This meeting was opened to other ID/DD professionals. Trish Potocar, Chairperson, Zone 1 Zone 2 For information regarding Zone 2 activities, contact Chairperson Lorna Barok [email protected]. Zone 3 Zone 3 continues to be active, hosting quarterly meetings tailored to meet the needs of attendees by rotating venues throughout the zone. All area nurses are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Our last meeting was held at the Log Jam Restaurant in Lake George, NY, with a guest speaker representing VNS Therapy. Our next scheduled meeting will be held in August 2015, to be hosted by the Zone 3 nurses from Liberty, with date, time, and speaker to be announced. Anyone wishing more information pertaining to Zone 3 activities should feel free to contact Anne Hanson at [email protected] Anne C. Hanson RN, BSN, MSN-Ed, FNP-BC, CDDN Chairperson, Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 4 continues to meet quarterly, rotating our meetings to different areas of the zone. On March 17 th we met at the Center For Disability Services for a delicious St. Patrick s Day luncheon meeting. Dr. David Lawrence from the Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany presented on Autism Research. He was well received and his information was captivating. On June 4 th, Springbrook in Oneonta hosted a lovely luncheon meeting with Mitzi Sacket, Health Promotion Specialist and Wellness Coach presenting. ARC Otsego will be hosting our next luncheon meeting on 08/12/15 at Brooks Barbeque in Oneonta, with a speaker to be determined. Our last meeting of the year is scheduled on 12/03/15 at the Century House in Latham, for our annual holiday luncheon meeting, time to be determined. Carol Krueger, RN, Co-Chairperson, Zone 4 3 Zone 5 For information on Zone 5 activities, contact Zone Representatives Sandra Mellion [email protected] or Madlyn Vaillancourt [email protected] Zone 6 Zone 6 remains very active and continues to recognize the importance of recruiting new members to the organization. We continue to encourage our members to achieve DDNA National Certification as C.D.D.N. (Certified Developmental Disabilities Nurse) to highlight our very specialized area of ID/DD Nursing and improve care to the men and women we support. Our members value and embrace the importance of continuing education in our profession. Our recent meeting in Life s Worc presented by Perry Cyprus was very informative and delicious as always. Many ideas and wonderful handouts regarding nutritional aspects and ways to handle diabetes was presented. Thank you Perry. Our upcoming meetings for the year 2015 are as follows: September 15th Family Residence & Essential Enterprises - Guest speaker will be presenting on wound care. December 1st Holiday Party Our Zone currently has 45 members and we continue to recruit new members. The Zone s mission for our meetings is to bring in informative and interesting speakers and offer educational opportunities to our members to increase the quality of services we provide to those we support. Our meetings and Zone membership serve as an opportunity for camaraderie and information sharing, facilitating a partnership in best practice, and most importantly, to have fun. Please feel free to contact any of our Zone Officers for information on Zone activities and meetings. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Albany for our annual conference. Stay Cool and Be Safe!!! Cathy Duijnisveld, RN, QDCP Corresponding Secretary, Zone 6 Zone 7 Zone 7 wants to wish everyone a happy and safe summer. We are looking forward to catching up with colleagues at the annual conference. Suggestions and recommendations for speakers, topics, meeting venues are always welcomed. Marcia Richman, RN, Zone 7

4 Zone Reports Continued Zone 8 We continue to try to improve membership. We also provide continuing education on new medications to better serve the individuals. Discussed the upcoming conference and the benefits of attendance. Always, we strive for excellence. Maureen Rivera RN, Zone 8 Representative Zone 9 &11 Zone 9 & 11 has benefited from having several agencies host zone meetings and obtain guest speakers. This has provided greater participation and networking. The zone is currently looking for someone interested in being Treasurer; if interested, contact Edie Smith [email protected] or Mary Ellen Stambersky [email protected]. Marsha Plate, from Ontario ARC, is our new zone representative! Welcome Marsha!! Our March guest speaker, Tracy Harrienger Esq, Legal Director for People s Inc., spoke on what nurses can do to protect themselves from prosecution from the Justice Center, and best practices for documentation. It was attended by over 30 nurses from the upstate area. Our zone will also hold a raffle for a full conference registration fee for one of our members. The November 11, 2015, meeting will be hosted by Ontario ARC in Canandaigua. Edie Smith MSN, RN, Zone Secretary Membership Committee Report As of June 11, 2015, our Association has 232 new or renewed members. Second notices have been sent via to those nurses who have not renewed their membership. We welcome the following new members: ZONE 1: Cathleen Manley, Claire Gates, Dawn Karleskent, Tonya Feimann, Sharon Manning, Sandra Villnave ZONE 2: Emily Adams, Amanda Aiello, Suzanne Brennan, Teena Broadbent, Amy Craven, Desiree Palmer, Christine Price, Nkechinyere Sloan, Laurie Weslowski, Connie Helmer-Jordan ZONE 3: Katelyn Hanson (student) ZONE 4: Vanessa Grener, Jo-Anne Gruning ZONE 5: Bruce Friedman, Jessica Hewitt, Danitha Lendor ZONE 6: Rosalie Bennett, Maryann Brohan, Sweelen Bullen, Danielle Mahon, Karen Motter, Chyrel Sawyers ZONE 7: Grace El-Yateem, Cathy Kass, Margaret Mammes, Margaret Martin, Karen Motter, Patricia Moule, Kathy Sullivan, Samira Vacciana, Doris Figueroa, Jasmine Bratton, Michelle Kaplan ZONE 9 & 11: Kristin Tremlett, Sara Aderman, Marsha Plate. SO GLAD THAT YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO JOIN US! Bylaws Committee At the annual meeting in September, there will be a vote on: An elected officer's term of office will be for two years which shall commence on the first of the year following the election. The term of office of the President and President Elect will be 2 years each. Maximum tenure shall be six consecutive years in any given office. The increase to two years as President-Elect and then two years as President has been trialed over the last four years, with the Executive Board deciding to recommend the continuation as a Bylaws amendment. Darlene Langkau, RN Chairperson, Bylaws Committee The continued efforts of all of our current members to network and recruit new members and encourage past members to rejoin are critical to the viability of our organization. YOU are the best messengers of our mission and can share the benefits of membership in a personal manner with other nurses. Reach out to members of your local nursing community who may touch the lives of the individuals we serve think about school nurses, nurses in office practice settings, hospitalbased nurses as well as nursing students. THANKS to all of our members for remaining committed to this specialty practice and for recognizing the value of our organization. Cathy Engel, BSN, RN, CDDN Membership Chairperson 4

5 DDNA Update The 2015 Annual DDNA Conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia in early May. One of the highlights of the Recognition Dinner was an award for our own Mary Gage! It was Mary s vision of a national organization for nurses specializing in the field of developmental disabilities that was instrumental in the development of DDNA. Although Mary was unable to attend, her letter of thanks was shared with the attendees. Audio CD s of the conference presentations are now available at with a reduced rate for conference attendees. Please visit the DDNA website ( for more information regarding the presentations that are available. Plans are currently underway for the 2016 Conference which will be held in San Diego, California at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina, April 2 4, 2016 with a Pre-Conference on April 1st. More information will be available at the DDNA website as it becomes available. The DDNA website was recently updated it is extremely user-friendly and an excellent resource for DD nurses take a look! Cathy Engel, BSN, RN, CDDN Facebook NY State ID.DD Nurses Association thank you to all those who are keeping up with the Facebook page. Even if you don t leave a comment, I see the number of viewers on my weekly reports and it encourages me to keep on. I would love to have news from you to post. Will post meeting announcements if you like. Post a like to be able to leave comments or send items to [email protected]. Go to the Facebook page monitored by Edie Smith and Mary Boisvert to see and comment on many items of interest- nysidddna. Trish Potocar, RN Nominating Committee The Nominating Committee is accepting nominations for the offices of President Elect and Recording Secretary for If interested in either of these positions, please contact a Nominating Committee member: Mary Boisvert, Carol Krueger or Roseann Hanley via [email protected]. Executive Board Meeting The April 16 & 17, 2015 meeting in Syracuse, NY was chaired by President Martin Gleeson and attendees included Sandy Mellion, Madlyn Vaillancourt, Mary Boisvert, Darlene Langkau, Julie Heneka, Carol Krueger, Lisa Mc Hugh, Anne Hanson, Teresa Deuyour, Edie Smith, Roseann Hanley, Janet Boland, Laura Sardinia Prager, Trish Potocar, Linda Cultrara, Marsha Plate, Jane Dash, and Karen Jarvis. Various officer, committee, and zone reports were received and appropriate actions taken, including: Website: Trish Potocar-Numbers have been gradually increasing on the facebook page. Newsletter-Julie Heneka. Next newsletter info due October 7 th. Newsletters being printed by NYSARC has saved the organization money Nominating-Mary Boisvert-Elections this year for President Elect Treasurer and Recording Secretary. Bylaws-Darlene Langkau-the 2008 addendum regarding term of President and President Elect will need to place in the body of bylaws, instead of an addendum-will be recommended at Annual Meeting. Scholarship-Appointments to the ad hoc committee are Laura Sardinia-Prager, Roseann Hanley, Edie Smith, Linda Cultrara. Should there be an additional scholarship-a memorial scholarship for Joyce Binder? Voted to have two $1000 scholarships plus conference fees and travel expense coverage. The board will revisit this issue every year. Suggested the memorial to Joyce Binder be in the form of an award to a nurse who exemplifies what she stood for. Set up a workgroup to set criteria with the first award to be given in Treasurers report-roseann Hanley-As of 3/31/15- Checking $49, , Savings $ , CD $35, Expenses-Since 1/1/15: Program planning, insurance, Webmaster fees, Zone reimbursements. The bulk of the expenses are later in the year with the conference. Education-Edie Smith Conference had profit, 40 more attendees than expected. Expenses for regaining our tax exempt status will pay for itself. The 2015 conference will be paperless with the flyer, confirmation letter, and handouts available online. There is a new committee to recruit exhibitors. The presenter agenda was reviewed. Registration costs-the conference fee will not increase, there will be a small increase in the post-conference fee. The total budget for conference was approved. Discussion also occurred over the 2016 conference location with a decision to return to Westchester County. Membership report: (sent in by Cathy Engel) 121 renewed so far-still early in the process of mailing renewals. Please remind zone members to renew. Scholarship committee report: 2 winners and an alternate were selected. Next meeting will be October 30 th in Syracuse starting at 9:00 AM. Printed With Pride By St. Lawrence NYSARC 5

6 NYS ID/DD Nurses Association PO Box 32 Hannawa Falls, NY RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID HANNAWA FALLS, NY PERMIT #1 6