The Presidents Message

Transcription

1 Volume 33, No. 4 The Harbor Herald December, 2016 Upcoming Events In this Issue: January 13th, Annual Board Members Retreat January 29th, Bowling at Mustang Alley February 25, GBCONS February Symposium to be held at Franklin Square March Dinner Meeting, date to be announced April 8, 2017 Regional Chapter Officer Program, Baltimore May 4-7th, Join us in Denver, CO! ONS 42nd Annual Congress Jennifer Bucholtz Educational Inside Grant Application this issue: for ONS Cogress Spotlight on a Member Regional Chapter Officers Program Basket Bingo Bowling at Mustang Alley The DAISY Award 6 Dinner Meetings Photo s The Harbor Herald The Presidents Message Hello members, Ruth E. Evans RN, BA, CNOR, OCN Welcome to our Winter edition of our GBCONS newsletter. Our New Year is upon us with much to look forward to in 2017; new Board members, our annual symposium in February, a Regional Chapter Leadership meeting in April to be held in Baltimore, upcoming dinner meetings with topics important to our members and ONS Congress in May at Denver to name a few. As your President, this past year has been very rewarding and I wish to reflect on some of the accomplishments our Chapter has achieved in We started the year with our Symposium with topics of Compassion Fatigue, Proton therapy, and Oncology Care in Myanmar our feature presentations. We also showcased several chapter member s posters. In March, we received word that Christine Cascio and Ashley Jones were awarded an ONS Foundation Congress Scholarship while GBCONS awarded Congress grants to 3 members Roseann Dougherty, Amy Nahley, and Catherine Swanson. Johns Hopkins was recognized as Employer of the Year by ONS at Congress this year and several members had podium and poster presentations. This past Spring, we asked you to participate in a Survey Monkey to assist in guiding us for future dinner meeting topics and activities/events; 95 of you responded. As a direct result of this survey, our Chapter will be sponsoring a fun event in January; a 2-hour Bowling party. This survey is also assisting our Programs Chairperson, Nancy Corbitt, and our entire BOD in selecting relevant topics for our membership to be presented at upcoming dinner meetings for Speaking of dinner meetings, we held 6 this year including our annual members only crab feast and sponsored some great charities like Camp Kesem, Maryland Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, Hope Lodge and Hopewell Center. All of us should feel proud of the work we ve done this year in supporting local charities. This year also saw our Chapter involved in advocacy with Dawn Stefanik, Nancy Corbitt, and myself invited to attend the Moonshot Summit in Washington D.C. hosted by Vice President Biden. Mary Ellen McFadden was also very busy speaking with our State Legislators and advocating for our patients this past year and she and Onyinye Mkparu attended this year s Hill Day in Washington D.C. along with 98 other Oncology nurses speaking with Vice President Biden and other legislators advocating for the cancer patient. Job well done. This advocacy work will be a highlight of this year s Symposium with those of us who attended these events giving a panel discussion. Hoping you ll make plans to attend. Not to forget our OCN recognition NYC bus trip and our Basket Bingo...both were huge successes, so please plan for a repeat performance this year as well! For all those who have supported our endeavors this past year, myself and the BOD wish to THANK YOU and we re looking forward to another wonderful GBCONS Chapter year in Stay warm and safe. Advocacy Preventing a Medication Error Congratulations! 8 9 Sincerely, Ruth Evans RN, OCN President GBCONS Editors Note Newest OCN s: Congratulations! Stephanie Everitt BSN, RN, OCN University of Maryland, Samantha Persing BSN, RN, OCN University of Maryland Jaclyn Merkel-Bryant BSN, RN, OCN University of Maryland

2 2 GBCONS~ The Jennifer Bucholtz Educational Grant Reimbursement Award is the amount of the ONS Congress Early Bird Registration, and only Greater Baltimore chapter members are eligible for this grant. We really hope that you are considering going to Congress this year and have received notice from National as registration is open.. Attached you will find the link to the 2016 Education Grant Application; Eligibility: 1. No prior GBCONS educational or scholarship grant or money awards in the prior 13 months from the due date of this application 2. ONS and GBCONS membership in good standing for the last 13 months or longer 3. Submission of a brief statement ( words) of goals for attending Congress: Completed application with brief statement of goals must be postmarked by January 31st. 4. You agree to submit a brief summation ( words) of your experience at Congress: for publication in the chapter newsletter within 30 days of completion of Congress. 5. You agree to volunteer for two GBCONS sponsored events within the next 12 months after the award (examples on following page) 6. Submission of original receipts to the GBCONS treasurer within 30 days of attendance at Congress 7. Reimbursement will be made after completion of items 4 and 6. Specific requirements concerning the reimbursement process will be provided in the award certificate. Only Greater Baltimore chapter members are eligible for this grant. Hello members, This year's ONS Congress will be held in Denver, Co on May 4-7,2017. Each year, GBCONS awards 3 grants to members wishing to attend Congress. The Grant covers the cost of Early Bird Registration. We would like to encourage members to apply with applications due by the end of January. Any questions please feel free to contact: Ruth Evans Associated file: FINAL Educational Grant GBCONS 14-1.pdf Mailing address: GBCONS Educational Grant ATTN: Scholarship Fund PO Box Baltimore, MD 21236

3 3 Spotlight on a member: May Ellen McFadden, RN, MA, OCN Submitted by: Peggy Torr, RN, BSN, OCN Why Mary Ellen is this editions Spotlight: I personally have been secretly in awe of Mary Ellen, and am so pleased to say that I finally have the opportunity to work with her and reap some of the benefits of a career that has spanned decades. She truly epitomizes what is so great about today's nursing, that the opportunities are endless not only in our own education, but the places that nursing has the opportunity to go today that have not been available in the past. She really has been a pioneer in many ways. How many years has Mary Ellen dedicated her work to Oncology: Mary Ellen should be proud. This year she acknowledges her 50th Anniversary dedicated to Oncology. Not always a nurse, Mary Ellen began her career with a B.A. in Biology, and started as a research biologist in an oncology program as a research biologist with an initial focus on bone marrow protocols in the mouse model. During this time she celebrated success of only the second human transplant in the U.S.. She then transitioned to diagnostic immunology clinical studies with a focus on multiple myeloma and Waldenstrom s Macroglobulinemia identifying the diagnostic immunologic characteristics and tumor burden levels of their disease. Then what: She received an M.A. in Liberal Arts before transitioning to a second career as an RN. This was in the late 70 s and Mary Ellen returned back to school to become an RN at which time she moved from the laboratory bench to the bedside. What did her transition from the bench to Nursing look like: As a nurse Mary Ellen began at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center on a solid tumor inpatient unit, then on to the role of clinical coordinator overseeing 5 inpatient units. It was during this phase of her career that she became an active member of GBCONS becoming an early and successful candidate for OCN certification which she values and maintains to this day. What has Mary Ellen's relationship with ONS looked like: After starting her nursing career she became very involved with ONS and the local GBCONS chapter. She has served on a national ONS committee and held numerous leadership roles at GBCONS including Program Chairman, President-Elect and President, BOD member and most recently on the certification recognition committee where she has now coordinated the 13th Annual bus trip to New York City. Writing, Publishing and Presenting: Early on in her nursing career Mary Ellen received a little nudge from her Director of Nursing to expand her publication and presentation skills by enrolling in a professional writing course at Princeton University. So her publication path began. This included journal articles, textbook chapters, and patient education materials. Then their have been the many presentations for local, regional, national and international cancer symposia. Private Industry as a Clinical Nurse Specialist: Provided Mary Ellen the opportunity to integrate her research and clinical backgrounds. It was the mid 90 s when she accepted a position with Amgen. Her responsibilities in this setting were to provide education regarding the portfolio of their oncology products to healthcare professionals, corporate peers and patient groups. This position blossomed as she acquired fiscal responsibilities and expertise. and expanded sales responsibilities. While with Amgen Mary Ellen won numerous awards including Team Excellence, President s Club and Chairman s Circle. Volunteer and continued professional contributions are high on Mary Ellen s priority list: These have essentially focused on Oncology as well. Besides Mary Ellen s involvement in ONS she has been an honored member of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society s national Patient Services Committee where she served a five year tenor. Mary Ellen is Health Policy Liaison for MD and the Capital Hill Gang membership, and a member of the initial ONS Fellow class in the Leadership Development Institute. She has been a scholarship recipient for Nurse in Washington Institute, ELNEC and Chemotherapy/Biotherapy course training programs. She was selected by ONS to represent them on the Cancer Alliance Work Group. She was recently chosen as a participant in the first ONS Capital Hill Days program. She has met with both state and Congressional leaders to advocate for research funding, patient access to clinical trials and professional development programs and monies. In July, I will celebrate my 50th anniversary of a career and life focused on ensuring that quality care is provided to patients with cancer. I have been blessed to see up close the challenge and excitement of advancing scientific research from laboratory studies to the successful treatment of patients with various malignancies. I have celebrated the joy of cure and the pain of loss. Throughout my professional journey I have been encouraged by bosses mentored by peers and enriched by the numerous colleagues who share my same passion and vision for better outcomes in treating the challenging disease known as cancer. Hopefully the Moonshot Initiative and the recent Presidential signing of the Cancer Cures Act will result in today s new oncology nurses needing to seek another clinical focus before their 50th anniversary occurs!! By: Mary Ellen McFadden Mary Ellen, thank you for sharing your fantastic career that in your words has been bountiful and the relationships enriching. We hope retirement affords you plenty of time to enjoy your Bethany home away from home and use all those hotel points and frequent flyer miles that were earned in your nearly 18 year corporate tenure.

4 Regional Chapter Officer Programs (RCOP) As you may know, the Regional Chapter Officer Programs (formerly called Chapter Officer Mini- Retreats ) started about five years ago and since then ONS has held 25 RCOPs throughout the U.S. with a combined attendance totaling 668 chapter officers from over 200 different chapters and Chips. Popularity has really taken off over the past couple of years, with each RCOP averaging about attendees from neighboring chapters. So, what are the Regional Chapter Officer Programs all about? The main purpose is to provide a networking forum for chapter officers and board members to have the opportunity to get-together and share their chapter programs, successes, their challenges, and best practices. Also at each RCOP, an ONS National Board member will attend and provide a Board report, plus interact with the participants. We are very happy to announce that Baltimore has been selected as one of the eight locations for the 2017 ONS Regional Chapter Officer Programs (RCOP)! Hello Brian, GBCONS is thrilled Baltimore has been selected for the April 2017 RCOP. A large conference room as been reserved for Saturday April 8, 2017 at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center. The hospital is close to I95 and the Baltimore Beltway. The room will hold 10 round tables with seating for 8-10 people plus will have additional long tables for food set up. I can be your primary contact for this event if you'd like and look forward to working with you as this event draws closer. Ruth Evans Do you have a talent that you can share with us? Are you looking for a way to give back? Please Join Us We are an organization made up of volunteers. One of our goals this year is to increase participation from our members. We believe that we become better as a result of our combined efforts, and we are looking for renewed energy. It will take some of your time, but the reward is worth it! See one of our GBCONS Board of Directors volunteers for more information Do You Have an Interesting Topic to Share? Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing; Safety Column Safety provides readers with information on safety issues affecting patients with cancer and those caring for them. Length should be not more than 1,000 1,500 words, exclusive of tables, figures, insets, and references. If interested, contact Associate Editor Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing David G. Glenn RN, MS, at, David.glenn@umaryland.edu board

5 5 Basket Bingo 2016~ as always a Great Success Gina writes the morning after Basket Bingo~ Good Morning... It was a late night for me but well worth it. Counted ~ over 10K and only had a $4 (favorable) error in my deposits. My teller was a breast cancer survivor. She was little tearful, when I told her our basket bingo story, but as the counting continued, her smile got bigger and she must have thanked "US" 50 times for our service and all that we do for patients. Then I was tearful. Many thanks to Sally for her continued leadership and to our "steady Eddy" chapter members and family and friends, of our chapter members, who show up every year, like clockwork, to make this event a success. It was a great evening with a great turn out and fabulous baskets, purses, groovy bags and fun fillers. Food was good and everyone had a great time. I heard lots of folks, at the end of the evening, saying they would be back next year... especially our 50/50 winner and her family. It was their first time... And we booked next year. We had almost 30 less attendees so most of our revenue buckets were down a little. We ebb and flow every year and we always come out WINNERS. Not sure what the split will be for charities. WE are waiting on 8 basket sponsors to send in their money. It will be a very nice donation either way. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Gina Szymanski Bowling Anyone. Let the games begin ~ January 29th, 2-4pm Well.have you made any New Years resoulutions yet? We did. GBCONS wants to have more fun in 2017, and we re off to a great start! And if you made a resoulution to be more actice or get more healthy this year, we can help. Pleasejoin us for an afternoon of fun, networking and BOWLING!!!! That s right, we want to spend time outside of a formal eductional dinner meeting, just getting to know eachother and letting ourselves relax a bit. The holidays were busy and 2016 was quite a year, but know we are asking you to take a few hours for yourself and add this event to your calender today. We are going bowling at Mustand Alley on January 29th from 2-4 pm. You py $5. to register, and we pay the rest. For that $5., you get 2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, pizza and soft drinks. (Adult beverages are available for purchase if you choose. You pay to park as well, but plenty of cheap options nearby.) This is one way that you chapter gives back to you! In 2016, we sent out a survey to all of our members to see wha you wanted to see out of your chapter. And, we heard you! This event is one way that we will be trying out new things in 2017, and finding ways to have fun together...so don t delay! Click on the link to Paypal and register today.there are only 24 slots available due to lane rentals! And, we have another goal in mind. Let s get all the younger GBCONS members out to events, and start hearing more about what you want to et from your chapter and what you are willing to give back. Please talk to other GBCOS members you know and bring them too! Have a wonderful New Year, and we can t wait to celebrate with you! Register now to come bowling: Go to: to regiser via PayPal or credit card. Just enter your and click the button!

6 6 The DAISY Award Submitted by: Sarah Chaffee B.A.S., B.A, BSN, RN Sometimes we forget why we do what we do. Long, rough days can leave us feeling gloomy and lost. One rough encounter with a patient, and we instantly forget all thanks we ve received in the past. We are super humans that go above and beyond our means to care for our patients and sometimes we can feel forgotten or as if all our hard work means nothing. For this reason, it is important for us to stand by each other as nurses and pay our thanks and support to each other, to boost confidence, and acknowledge the hard work of our fellow nurses One very special nurse, Peggy Torr, was awarded the DAISY Award this past September for her outstanding efforts in patient care and nurse support. The DAISY Foundation partners with various healthcare organizations to honor nurses. The DAISY Award is a way to say Thank you! and to recognize extraordinary nurses. The award program for the DAISY award was created in Since its establishment, the program has created a strategic impact on nurses, affecting their job satisfaction, work retention, teamwork, pride, organized culture, and healthy work environment. DAISY stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The Daisy Award involves three elements in recognizing nurses. Those elements include on-going recognition, flexibility, and a turnkey program. The Daisy Award can be given out several times of year to nurses on any given unit to help recognize and celebrate the extraordinary efforts of nurses. The nurse who wins the DAISY Award receives a certificate proclaiming them as an Extraordinary Nurse, a DAISY Award pin, a unique, handcarved serpentine stone sculpture from Zimbabwe, entitled A Healer s Touch, and a Spotlight page on the DAISY Award website. All the nurses and staff are also treated to Cinnabon cinnamon rolls at the DAISY Award presentation. The creators of this award hope that every time you smell cinnamon rolls you will think of how special you are as a nurse. This reward is a reminder to not take for granted the hard work you put in for your patients, to remember you make a difference, and your efforts matter each and every day. Goals of the DAISY Foundation include funding research and evidence-based practice projects involving treatment of patients with auto-immune diseases and cancer, as well as complimenting the work of compassionate nurses in healthcare facilities all over the world. I had the opportunity to ask Peggy Torr a few questions regarding her experience in being a recipient of the Daisy Award. How do you get nominated for the DAISY Award? PT: I was nominated by a very special person whom I had the privilege of caring for while she was undergoing her treatments within the UMGCCC. The DAISY Award is meant to be a means of recognition of the skill, intelligence, and delivery of care of nurses to their patients. Patients, visitors, nurses, physicians or employees may nominate a deserving nurse. How do you nominate a fellow nurse for the Daisy Award? PT: The UMMC DAISY Committee chooses one nurse each month to receive the DAISY Award. Simply describe a specific situation or story with your chosen nurse and clearly demonstrate how this nurse made a meaningful impact on your care or in the care of another. There is a form to be filled out, and it can be ed to the DAISY Coordinator at DAISYnominations@umm.edu. (or at your participating organization) What does the Daisy Award mean to you? PT: It is a very clear reminder of how we impact our patients even when we don t know we are doing so, and we don t realize anyone is watching. Of course, I am very proud of the infinite recognition, very surprised, and mostly quite humbled. How will this award affect your future practice as a nurse? PT: In everything I do, our patients must come first. This relates to the care we provide, meeting the needs of our patients before they even ask, and including our patients in the care we provide. What drives you to come to work everyday? PT: I genuinely love the career choice I made. is not just a job - it is where I can impact the outcomes of this very personal patient journey on so many levels. remember a night shift early in my career. walked into a patient's room, and he asked if I was taking care of him tonight. said, yes, and he responded: "then I know it is going to be a good night." I remember thinking it was not just because it was any nurse, it was because it was me. I did not want to let him down. Do you have any suggestions for how we can celebrate other nurses on our unit? PT: Everyday say, Thank you! It seems like a little thing, but we get busy and we do not do it enough. Remember to write that little note, focus on the positives. A culture of caring starts with each of us. Do you have any suggestions for how we can celebrate other nurses on our unit? PT: Everyday say, Thank you! seems like a little thing, but we get busy and we do not do it enough. Remember to write that little note, focus on the positives. A culture of caring starts with each of us. In loving memory of Patrick Barnes. Reference: 1.

7 7 Nursing Students at our meeting: I want to say a special thank you the Exelexis and Jenny Maginnis. The night of the dinner meeting three nursing students from Carroll Community College showed up hoping to join in on our meeting. They had learned of GBCONS and the meeting through a classmate. It is a requirement for their program to attend one nursing organizational meeting and then write a reflection paper. I heard from two of the students later, Perside Epse Tatienou wrote to express my gratitude again for having me at the conference. She had been interested and very curious about the new medication Cabometyx, and Wayitu Yonas thanked us for letting her stay. She is very much interested in oncology nursing. I think that is was wonderful to be to accommodate these students and would love to see us bring someone new along more often. October Dinner Program~ Speaker: Kimberly Allman CRNP, RN Clinic Cleveland Hosted by: Jenny Maginnis, BS Account Manager Exelixis October 6, 2016, at The Valley Inn Introducing a New Oral Treatment Option for Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma After Anti- Angiogenic Therapy Summary: CABOMETYX inhibits more than the VEGF pathway. CABOMETYX inhibits key receptors including MET and AXL, which are involved in normal and pathological processes such as tumor growth, invasiveness, metastasis, and drug resistance. Recommended dose 60 mg tablet, once daily The only single agent to demonstrate significant improvement across 3 endpoints PFS, OS and ORR in advanced RCC after prior treatment. Please see imortant safety information on slides 26-30, and full prescribin information available at: GBCONS thanks Exelixis and Jenny Maginnis for this wonderful program. December 6th Holiday Program~ Location: Ruth s Chris Steak House Speaker: Joan Heller Miller, EdM Sponsored by: Seattle Genetics Title: Hello members, Distress and Healing: A story of Survivorship and the Future Joan shared her incredible Journey through her life prior to diagnosis, the cancer experience, her journaling, losing hope, psychiatric intervention, lessons learned and the importance of finding a Grief Companion. In sharing her experience she shared with us this most important component of cancer care. She raised the question for all of us, are we even aware of the depression that can come with a cancer diagnosis and do we have the resources, offer support and even know how. She stresses that From the moment a person is given a life-threatening diagnosis, counseling and mental health services should be offered and encouraged. Joan was kind enough to have an autographed copy of her book Healing Grief, A Story of Survivorship for each of us in attendance,.

8 Advocacy Corner: What an exciting month it has been for advocates is oncology. ONS has been on the forefront gathering support for the 21st Century Cures Act, which passed the Senate 94 to 5 and House of Representatives 392 to 26! President Obama s final bill signing ceremony included this important initiative that provides $6.3 billion to fund cures for cancer. Thank you to all of those ONS members who made calls to your legislators in support of this initiative. Are you interested in helping to coordinated the advocacy efforts of our chapter? We need your help! The Advocacy Committee of GBCONS will be gathering in January to plan for our 2017 activities. His cannot be done without more participation from the chapter members. Please contact me at GBCONS2014@gmail.com in order to lend a hand. We are very flexible with how you can be involved; so don t hesitate to contact us today. We hope you are planning to attend the GBCONS Symposium on February 25th. You won t want to miss the GBCONS member panel of advocates, telling you about their own experiences advocating in Washington, DC. Have a great day! Trisha Kendall, MS, RN, ONC GBCOS Legislative Liaison The 21st Century Cures Act ONS joined hundreds of stakeholder groups in supporting the 21st Century Cures Act, which President Obama signed into law in December Important provisions in this act are increased funding or NIH and authorization for the funding of Vice President Biden s Cancer Moonshot Initiative. The act also will deliver new cutting-edge medications to the market in a more efficient manner. President Obama also went on record praising the bill, saying, We are now one sep closer to ending cancer as we know it. He continued, The bipartisan passage of the 21st Century Cures Act is an example of the progress we can make when people from both parties work together to improve the health of our families friends, and neighbors this bill will make a big difference. ONS will continue to advocate for legislation and policies that support oncology nurses and their patients. To find our more about how you can advocate for your profession, visit ONS s Advocacy and Policy Page. Senate Passes 21st Century Cures Act December 9, 2016 by Chris Pirschel Identifying Medication Errors in Hospice Care By Trisha Kendall MS, RN, OCN Medication errors are difficult to quantify in home hospice care, since the patients and their families are doing most of the medication administration themselves. This is a story about how one family members inquisitive attitude and partnership with her husband s hospice nurse prevented a potentially serious medication error. The patient s pain was increasing and he d lost the ability to swallow his medications. So, the hospice nurse obtained orders from his attending physician for liquid pain medications that were to be delivered by syringe in the oral cavity. She explained this method and dosing instructions to his wife. She was eager to learn all she could to help her husband. The medication order was sent to the local pharmacy and his wife went to retrieve it later in the day. When his wife began to administer the first dose, she became curious. Why had the pharmacy given her such a small syringe if the bottle instructed her to give 2.5 ml of medication? She called her nurse to request a new syringe. Over the phone, the hospice nurse realized the error immediately and rushed to the patient s home to help. What the patient s wife discovered, alongside her hospice nurse, was that the packaging from the pharmacy was mislabeled. The correct dose of medication was 0.25 ml, not the instructed 2.5 ml. Thankfully, the syringe that was provided would ve been adequate for the correct dose, and it provided an indication that something was amiss. Medication errors can lead to devastating results for patients with advanced illness and at the end of life. In this case, administering 10 times the prescribed amount of narcotic medication would ve had grave consequences, the least of which being that this wife would have lost precious time with her husband. Catching these mistakes often takes a village. In this case, the patient s wife was not alone; her hospice nurse made an extra visit, communicated with the pharmacy, obtained the new labeling from the pharmacy, and re-educated her patient s caregiver on the correct amount of medication to administer. Thank you to all the hospice and palliative care nurses for everything you do to improve patient safety in home care. ONS CONNECT BLOG November 30,

9 9 Do you know GBCONS has an Ambassadors Program? This is a program whereby several GBCONS members will come to your place of work, classroom for nursing students, nurse internship program, and/or oncology physician office to speak with prospective members or to speak about an ONS initiative; some topic areas could be: how to become a member, how do apply for an educational grant, clarification of ILNA and certification for just a few. If you would like someone from GBCONS to come speak with your group, please contact: Ruthedevans@msn.com. Ruth E. Evans RN, BA, CNOR, OCN Congratulations to each of you~ Sue Markus RN, BSN, MS is retiring after 43 years. Starting her career in She is leaving her position as the Senior Research Nurse for The Johns Hopkins University where she will be greatly missed. Florenda (Flo) Mendoza, RN, BSN is celebrating 40 years as staff nurse on the inpatient leukemia unit at The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Katy Swanson RN, CRNP, OCN has finally retired! You have had a wonderful career most recently as a CRNP for the VA. GBCONS Board Members 2016 President Past President Secretary Ruth Evans Trisha Kendall Mary McQuaige Treasurer Directors at Large Gina Szymanski Rebekah Adams, Onyinye Mkparu, Peggy Torr And meet the rest of the board: Sallie Brovitz-Palmer, Nancy Corbitt, Lisa Malick, Mary Ellen McFadden, Sally Myers, and Barb Van de Castle, Sally Brown Board meetings: Held quarterly at Franklin Square and are open to chapter members GBCONS is entering its 34th year: I want to thank everyone for your contributions to this edition of The Harbor Herald. Mary Ellen s fantastic career made it easy for me to write the Spotlight, Sarah Chaffe did a wonderful job with The DAISY Award. If you have not yet done so take the time to investigate this wonderful foundation. Gina let us know that once again Basket Bingo was a success and we thank all of you for making this such a great event. Trisha continues to keep us up to date in the area of advocacy were we are seeking more chapter involvement. We are thrilled to have new board members this year and we welcome Mary as our new secretary, and Onyinye as a Director at Large. The chapter has celebrated many great success stories over the past year as Ruth addresses in The Presidents Message. We started 2016 with a fantastic February Symposium, have had many members of the chapter complete degree programs, publish, present, become OCN and represented us in Washington. We have traveled, retired, taken care of family members and become grandparents. Our September OCN Review was a great success. The programs committee has done an amazing job. Our final program of the year, Distress and Healing: A story of Survivorship and the Future ~ touched each of us. The speaker was fantastic, the venue perfect, the food delicious, the camaraderie and holiday cheer a really nice way to end the year. Thank you! GBCONS, as its members have requested is looking to have a little fun this year. So put on your bowling shirt, roll up your sleeves and get ready to knock down some pins. We are looking forward to a wonderful year. The best of good health, happiness and success to everyone. Editor: Peggy E. Torr RN, BSN, OC Contact me: pegtorr@comcast.net