2016 TMAC Board Elections Nominated Positions: President Elect Desiree Thomas, RN, MSN Trauma Program Director, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center I began my career as a critical care nurse in the surgical-trauma ICU at LAC+USC Medical Center. In this role, I was able to participate in teaching the Navy personnel that were attending the Navy Trauma Training Center. This program trained nurses, physicians, and corpsman in the care of trauma patients prior to deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. I completed my MSN in 2005, and then transitioned into a trauma education/disaster management role at Long Beach Memorial/Miller Children s Hospital. In this role, I worked extensively with physician leadership to develop a clinical response role that integrated with HICS. I was also given the opportunity to provide trauma education to the community and staff throughout the hospital. In 2011, I chaired the Los Angeles Association of Trauma Program Managers Trauma Disaster Conference. In this role I also developed and implemented numerous performance improvement projects and educational initiatives. I transitioned into the Trauma Program Director role in 2012. During that first year, the entire financial structure and process was reformatted to improve fiscal performance. In 2013, we created roles and responsibilities for every member of the trauma team involved in the resuscitation, and redesigned the physical space. Both of these projects were accomplished using Lean Methodology, and I am Lean Leader Certified. In 2014, I had a poster presentation at the STN Conference in New Orleans on the trauma room redesign and team member roles/responsibilities. In 2013, I joined the TMAC board as the Director At Large for Hospitals, and I have greatly enjoyed serving in this role. In the last year, I have led my team through a successful ACS focused review, in addition to restructuring the entire performance improvement and peer review process. These opportunities have provided me with a very broad view of trauma care and leadership. I believe that these experiences have prepared me to effectively serve in the TMAC President Elect Position. SEE NEXT PAGE FOR MORE NOMINATIONS
Secretary Debra Becker, RN, BSN Specialty Services Coordinator, Central California EMS Agency I am the Specialty Services Coordinator for the Central California EMS Agency. In this position, I coordinate, supervise, and evaluate the Trauma System and the Stemi and Stroke Programs. I have been with the EMS Agency since 1986 and have helped develop and oversee the growth and expansion of these programs within our four County Region. It has been a privilege to serve as Secretary for TMAC during the 2014 through 2015 term. I have enjoyed working with the current Board and feel the Board has developed a strong strategic plan and vision for the future of TMAC. I would be honored to continue as Secretary and help the Board implement this vision and assist in the leadership of TMAC. Katy Hadduck, RN, BSN, CFRN Trauma System Manager, Ventura County EMS Nursing is a career that offers an enormous variety of career choices and experiences. In my many (many) years as a nurse, I have provided bedside care in multiple specialty areas, worked as a fixed-wing and helicopter flight nurse, and held management positions in inpatient units, air ambulance organizations, a fire department, and most recently, for the local EMS agency. Compassion, cooperation, and collegial relationships are key to maintaining optimal quality in a trauma care continuum, from prevention to rehab. Michael De Laby, MS, RN, CCRN, SFRN, EMT-P EMS Systems and Standards Chief, Orange County EMS I am the EMS System and Standards Chief for the Orange County EMS (OCEMS) Agency. I have been with OCEMS since 2012 and am currently responsible for the Trauma system and specialty systems including Stroke, STEMI, Base Hospitals and pediatrics. I also oversee ALS systems, BLS systems, CQI, licensure and accreditation, policy and procedure and investigation and enforcement standards.
My clinical nursing background over the past 20 years has afforded me experiences in Emergency Nursing, Trauma Nursing, Cardiac Cath Lab, Flight Nursing and I maintain a current clinical practice as a trauma/emergency department nurse. I serve on the EMS coordinators group for California EMS for Children s and administer several OCEMS committees including the Regional Trauma Operations Committee and Facilities Advisory Committee. Heather Venezio, RN, MS, CEN Trauma Program Director, NorthBay Medical Center Upon completion of my Master s Degree and qualifying exams for Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and exposure to nursing care at an NICU in a Roanoke, Virginia hospital, I decided I wanted to care for children, not just observe and measure their behavior. Upon completion of my BSN at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, I was offered the opportunity to work in the Emergency Department and there I have remained (Louisiana to California) until February of 2011. I was fortunate to make the move to building and running a Level III, and as of May 2014 Level II ACS-COT verified trauma center at NorthBay Medical Center. SEE NEXT PAGE FOR MORE NOMINATIONS
Director at Large- Hospital Melinda Case, RN, BSN Trauma Program Manager, Palomar Medical Center I have been a Trauma Program Manager in both Arizona and Nevada prior to coming to Palomar Medical Center in October of 2014. I have been involved in trauma care for over 30 years. I am a proud member of the Society of Trauma Nurses for over 15 years; I am a past Board member, serving several terms in various positions. I am active in the Southern California Trauma System and the Regional Trauma Task Force. I am a current member of the STN s Trauma Certification Prep Course Committee and was one of the privileged invited participants to sit on the original development team for the Trauma Nurse Certification Course. Eileen Hoover, RN, MSN Trauma Program Manager, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center I have been a nurse for 35 years in critical care, emergency and trauma nursing at community and non-profit hospitals in IL and CA. Since 1990 I have been working at SCVMC, a publicly owned tertiary care hospital, ACS verified Level I Adult, Level II Pediatric, and ACS Verified Burn Center, with a Comprehensive ED and paramedic base station. As a clinical nurse I was involved in multiple patient education, safety and quality projects and committees and received an award for my work in Safety and Security. In 2005 I left the bedside to work half time as an Injury Prevention Coordinator until 2012 when I assumed the Trauma Program Manager position. As the TPM I have increased my staff from 4.5 to 14 FTE (311%) and survived EPIC implementation in 2013. Our trauma program participates in both Adult and Pediatric TQIP. I currently serve on the CA PIPS Committee. In recent years I have also been involved in injury prevention and trauma research studies including my masters research on Emergency Nurses Attitudes for Patients that Consume Alcohol, Non-Traffic Injuries to Children, site coordinator for a multi-institutional SBIRT Study and the ProTECT Study; clinical drug trial for TBI. For several years I was a very active ENA member at the local and state level holding elected offices included a CAL ENA Director at Large, served as a national delegate, and founded a local Emergency Nurses Care Chapter. For the last ten years I have been a member of the Trauma Education Consortium (TEC), a consortium of Bay Area TPMs and educators providing trauma education. The year I served as TEC President we hosted over 400 participants at our 25th Annual Totally Trauma Conference. I am also a TNCC instructor and ATLS Coordinator. In my personal life I founded a Girl Scout Troop and also owned a direct sales scrapbooking business for seven years until I assumed my current TPM role. I
believe my experience demonstrates I am a well-rounded candidate with a demonstrated commitment to professional organizations and leadership roles. It would be my pleasure and honor to serve as TMAC Director at Large. Michele Williams, RN Trauma Program Coordinator, Marshall Medical Center I currently manage the Trauma program at Marshall Medical Center in Placerville, California, where I have been for the last 8 years. We became the 2nd ACS verified level III trauma center in our state in 2011. I wear a few different but complimentary hats at our community hospital. I am also the pre-hospital coordinator and disaster control facility supervisor, and work closely with EMS including providing an annual training conference and sitting on multiple EMS advisory committees including quality improvement. I manage the Critical Care Transport RN s and MICN s and MICN training program at Marshall. Prior to coming to Marshall I was a flight nurse and clinical specialist with REACH in Concord, CA and Airlift Northwest at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. I participate on the North RTCC and Sacramento Regional Trauma Review Committees. I am a member of ENA and TMAC and a site surveyor for the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS).