News - WOUND OSTOMY CONTINENCE NURSES SOCIETY

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BYLAWS HAVE BEEN CHANGED:
The Vice President will serve as President-Elect.
In order to allow for a more orderly transition the election of Officers
will be alternated. The Secretary, President and President-Elect will
be done in 2011. The Treasurer will be done in 2010. Then the President
President-Elect and Secretary will be elected in 2012. The Bylaws can
be viewed from this website under "Bylaws" link from the menu.

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Irene Jankowski from the Metro NY Affiliate was selected to be the first Joint Commission Resource Safety Scholar in Residence.
This position is supported by a grant from Hillrom. Irene will be in the position for the next year and will have the expertise available to her from the Joint Commission Resources to design a bedside focused initiative for pressure ulcer prevention.
There is a blog that will be available on the Joint Commission Resource website, www.jcrinc.com , under the Nurse Scholar area that will allow interactive communication about the project.
She stated she is looking forward to tapping into all of the brains that are part of the NER group.
Please go to the blog and share your expertise.

The Reading Hospital Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Center hosted Jongkolporn Wongviseskarn RN APN.

She is a Captain in the Army of Thailand and a Certified WOC nurse through the World Counsel of ET Nurses. She has been published and lectures on Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment in Thailand.

Photo: Left to Right: Kelly Klucsarits CWOCN, Cheryl Bealer CWOCN, Ms. "Apple" Wongviseskarn, Lindsay Clauser RN (WOC student), Emilee Bartolo CWOCN. Let me know if you have any questions.

The Sixth Annual Colon Cancer Challenge was held March 22, 2009 - Central Park - NYC

The New York Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation and the New York Road Runners teamed up again for the 2009 Remembrance & Prevention Run and Walk.

The 2009 Challenge was a great success. We had over 1000 walkers and folks participated from over 42 states and D.C.

CHIEF SPONSORS OF THE COLON CANCER CHALLENGE

WOCN's RETURN FROM GERMANY

Area WOCN's from the South Central Affiliate were among ten nurses from MD and PA who recently visited Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany and the surrounding area for a week. Lynn DeMartyn, Cindy Keith, Leslie Wilson, and Phyllis Green enjoyed learning about differences in German culture and medical care. A highlight of the trip was a joint Wound Care Symposium, led by Birgit Trierweiler-Hauke, wound care specialist in the surgical clinic at Heidelberg University. Lynn, with input from Cindy, Leslie and Phyllis, presented a lecture on "Selecting a Wound Treatment" which was translated into German for the 85 attendees.

Ms. Cecile Windisch, a friend of Phyllis', organized the trip. Cozy accommodations complete with German style bathrooms and bedding were provided in the International Guest House for doctors and nurses. Hearty meals including an afternoon coffee with German desserts and a delightful dinner at the Restaurant Olive, were enjoyed by all. We quickly learned to specify water with gas (Seltzer Water) or without and realized that the light coke is regular coke mixed with gas water, not diet coke. We were impressed with the scores of people riding bicycles, and with how the Germans conserve their resources.

Our hosts greeted us warmly, starting with a "Meet and Greet" led by Mr. Edgar Reisch, Senior Director of Nursing. Our agenda included lively interactions with hospital staff, tours of the many clinics on the University campus,educational lectures from University faculty, and a meeting with faculty and students at the Nursing Academy. We were guests at the surgical grand rounds where the program was graciously done in English so that we could understand it. We found some variances in medical care compared to ours, but we found many more similarities than differences as they also cope with staffing issues, and medical staff who are not knowledgeable about wound care. Lidia Garner, Mid Atlantic Region President, proudly presented Mr. Reisch with the WOCN wound care guideline series for their Medical Library.

We wrapped up our week with a day trip to Rothenberg, the oldest city in Germany, led by Ursula Reinhart, delightful mother of Cecile. The night before our departure we celebrated with a farewell dinner at an authentic German restaurant, Zum Goldenen Lowen, in Eppelheim. After-wards, Cecile and her family invited us to their home for a champagne toast and we noticed that our compassion fatigue was gone.

We made many international friends during our stay and we are working toward reciprocating with an exchange to the USA next year. We received many nice gifts and we will wear our Heidelberg University shirts with pride.

Participants include Mid Atlantic president Lidia Garner. Also attending from the Baltimore Affiliate are, Lou Ann Rau, affiliate chairman, Harriet Pilert, Brenda Hensley Paula Murphy, and Phyllis Keys. Representing the South Central PA Affiliate are Lynn DeMartyn, affiliate president, Cynthia Keith, Leslie Wilson, and Phyllis Green.