PLEASE JOIN US: Managing Care of the Advanced Heart Failure Patient with a Left Ventricular Assist Device

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1 American Association of Critical Care Nurses - Northwest Chicago Area Chapter - P.O. Box Arlington Heights, IL nwcac.aacn@gmail.com PRESIDENTS MESSAGE Happy June to everyone! It did seem like summer took a long time to get to us this year but I think it has finally arrived. I know the official start to summer is a few weeks away but the lush green on the trees and the explosion of flowers I see everywhere keeps me smiling all day long. This time of year it is not a hardship to get up early for work: the sun is already coming up and the birds are chirping loudly in the backyard when I let the dog out. Boy, do I wish I could bottle this time of year up and let it out again next January! I had the pleasure of attending NTI again in May. Once again AACN has done a superb job with this conference. The Leadership Development Workshop (LDW) that I attended on Sunday just keeps getting better and better with so much great information for chapter leaders. As always the conference presents a dilemma with every class session because there are so many interesting selections that it becomes difficult to chose which one to attend. I was also able to attend the Beacon Award ceremony. It was really inspiring to see so many critical care units rewarded for their excellence, including several from the Chicago area. As June draws to a close it is also the end of my year as chapter president. I have always been very proud of this chapter and all that it does with this year being no exception. Thanks to a great board of directors and many dedicated chapter members we accomplished a lot this year. In addition to 8 monthly meetings that offered continuing education for the nursing community we also held a very successful 2-day Midwest Conference. Again this year MWC was well attended and our chapter received much positive feedback about the speakers, the topics, the venue, etc. As always I am amazed at the dedication and hard work that our MWC volunteers give to making this conference a success. NWCAC also gave back to our local community by holding a food and clothing drive this year in conjunction with our monthly meetings. The silent auction held during the MWC raised over $600 for Juvenile Diabetes Research. I think the aspect of being president that I most enjoyed this past year was being able to be a part of this chapter as it celebrated its 40 th anniversary. There are very few chapters that can claim this distinction! It was so much fun

2 to travel down Memory Lane as I searched through the archives to learn more of our chapter s history. At our anniversary dinner in December we were able to have 22 of our 40 presidents attend. Many of our early chapter leaders are still involved with the chapter today. While we did spend time looking at our past I am also excited about the upcoming year. Leslie Collins, our incoming president, will do an amazing job as always. We again have a great board of directors covering various aspects of chapter leadership. And this year we are very lucky to have 3 new Board Learning Partners in Jim Zolnowski, Kirsten Howe, and Linda Smith. These 3 nurses will attend chapter board meetings, learn about the various board roles, and will hopefully become board members next year. Along with our current board they bring a variety of critical care expertise and leadership skills to the table so I can t wait to see what this next year brings. A heartfelt thank you to my board, to all of the great chapter volunteers who do so much to make this chapter a success, and a big thank you to all of our members for your dedication to critical care nursing and your patients. Have a wonderful summer! Sincerely, Jodi Gunther, RN MS CCRN NWCAC-AACN President NWCAC-AACN Board of Directors for President: Leslie Collins Past-President: Jodi Gunther President-Elect: TBA Treasurer: Julie Shurba Treasurer-Elect: Kathy Voss Secretary: Cynthia Bender Marketing/Health Policy: Jenny Zaker Program: Charlene Cioe Membership: Linda Lokun Newsletter: RoseMary Pieniazek Hospitality: Rosina Grande Board Learning Partners: Jim Zolnowski, Kirsten Howe, and Linda Smith 2

3 PLEASE JOIN US: Managing Care of the Advanced Heart Failure Patient with a Left Ventricular Assist Device Presented by Brett Deubner, APN, VAD Coordinator at Loyola University Medical Center Program designed to inform clinicians about the treatment of advanced heart failure with the mechanical assist device: the HeartMate II. Program affiliated with Northwest Chicago Area Chapter AACN Wednesday, June 19th Registration 6:00 6:30 p.m. Dinner program begins promptly at 6:30 p.m. Maggianos Little Italy 1901 E. Woodfield Rd Schaumburg, IL Abriola Room Please RSVP by June 12 th To Joyce Maly, MSN maly.joyce801@gmail.com 3

4 Northwest Chicago Area of AACN Monthly Programs Wednesday, June 19, 2013 Managing Care of the Advanced Heart Failure Patient With a Left Ventricular Assist Device Brett Deubner, APN, VAD Coordinator at Loyola University Medical Center Location: Maggianos Little Italy Abriola Room 1901 E. Woodfield Rd Schaumberg, IL RSVP required by June 12th to Joyce Maly, MSN (mally.joyce@gmail.com) July & August Summer Vacation No programs Wednesday, September 18, 2013 Delirium Prevention Patti Gessner, RN, DNP Location: Alexian Brothers Medical Center -Brock Conference Center Wednesday, October 16, 2013 Alcohol withdrawal Sydrome Laura Padrone, RN, BSN Location: Northwest Community Hospital Wednesday, November 20, 2013 A Comprehensive Neuro Assessment: It s Easier Than You Think Daria C. Ruffolo RN DNP CCRN ACNP-BC Location: Northwest Community Hospital CEUs Awarded No cost for parking. Light refreshments served at meetings. 4

5 BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS NWCAC CHAPTER OFFICERS Jodi Gunther, RN, MS, APN- CNS, CCRN, CSC, CMC PRESIDENT Leslie Collins, APN-CNS, CCRN-CSC, CCNS PRESIDENT-ELECT Phyllis Cerone, RN, MS, CCRN PAST PRESIDENT Cynthia E. Bender, APN-CNP SECRETARY Julie Shurba, RN, MHA, CCRN TREASURER Kathy Voss, RN, BSN, MHA, TNS, CCRN COMMITTEE CHAIRS Donna Kruse, RN, MS, CCRN- CMC-CSC CONFERENCE CHAIR Joyce Maly, RN, BSN, MSN CONFERENCE CHAIR ELECT Charlene Cioe, MSN, APN- CNS PROGRAM Linda Lokun, RN, ADA MEMBERSHIP Jenny Zaker, RNC, EdM, APN MARKETING/HEALTH POLICY /LEGISLATION 5 COMMITTEE CHAIRS (cont) RoseMary Pieniazek, RN, BSN MEDIA RELATIONS NEWSLETTER Rosina Grande, RN, MS, CCRN, CGRN, CMSRN HOSPITALITY Web Site: nwcac.aacn@gmail.com