Stay up to date with messages from the Leadership Team, event reminders and more!
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Dear Chapter Members,
I am so excited and humbled to be writing this message as your Chapter President for the second year in a row. I have to say, it’s been an interesting and rewarding year to lead the SFBA HPNA Chapter and Leadership Team.
I’m proud of what our Leadership Team has accomplished during another tough year and I'm eager to look ahead and plan for a bright future in 2022. The theme for last year was 'support', for our Chapter Members and we did just that. So, I celebrate with you what our Leadership Team has done on your behalf.
We agreed on the importance of a shared Leadership Team goal to 'Increase Membership Through Innovative Outreach and Interdisciplinary Education' and in keeping with the National HPNA message we agreed on a shared chapter message; 'Transforming the Care and Culture of Serious Illness Through Education and Collaboration'.
We got comfortable with zoom meetings and our new website and phone app. We hosted over 70 HPNA, ELNEC, Death Cafe’s, and Speaker Series on our website calendar. We offered CE education and chapter meetings featuring, hospice pioneer, Barbara Karnes RN on the importance of self-care. We welcomed the staff at the UCSF ALS Center who walked us through how to care for our patients with ALS. We learned from the staff at the Palo Alto VA Hospital on Managing GI Symptoms and rocked with Praba Koomson, NP on defining Nurse Leadership.
We launched our first Nurses Together support group. We Initiated the Champion of Nursing Award and Community Conversations to highlight one of our distinguished Chapter Members. We received recognition from National HPNA for the most members in attendance at the National Clinical Forum and we were congratulated again for having the largest number of Chapter Members in the country. We also did some housecleaning. We dusted off, updated, and organized the SFBA Chapter documents, defined our leadership roles and responsibilities and we remain financially stable.
We welcomed new Leadership Team Members and said goodbye to others. We cannot forget the origins of this Chapter, specifically the original founding members, Debi Bach-Davin and Kim Carroll whose hard work and leadership started our Chapter. Our Leadership Team includes Dihuyen Ho and me who have remained since 2013. We welcomed new Team Members, Kiran Dhesi, Michelle Davis, Christine Stewart, Renita Vinluan-Fan, Andrew Holland, and Kelly Kurl-Merz. We thanked Amanda Harris, Caitanya Min, Thalia DeWolf, Julie Kestersen, and Deborah Szeto for their valuable contributions.
As 2022 begins, we are at a time where the need for palliative care is growing fast. As we continue to deliver palliative care in a world with COVID-19, we face new challenges including isolation, uncertainty, and fear.
Nurses have been delivering palliative care long before its recognition as a specialty or the development of fellowship programs. The need for a community to bring voices together in a safe space is needed more than ever to overcome burnout and maintain resilience. Regardless of one’s clinical or academic experience, hospice and palliative care nurses share the same understanding of human vulnerability.
I believe this chapter can continue to build a strong community of hospice and palliative care nurses, provide education about high-quality, evidence-based palliative care, and promote professional development and mentorship.
We have an exciting year ahead full of opportunities! First up is our 10th Annual Clinical Review which will be held in person at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek on February 26. 'Diagnosis to Death' Clinical Review is a comprehensive, interactive program developed for the hospice and palliative care clinician and CHPN candidates. Nurses earn 10 CEs. Details and reservations are on our website event page. Other interesting CE credited sessions for the year, including social events for networking, will be announced shortly.
Our meetings offer everyone an opportunity to share and learn updates in the literature and best practice, while also offering a chance to connect with your nursing colleagues.
I hope you will attend our programs and bring friends!
I'm looking forward to working with each one of you to continue to grow our Chapter over the next year. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or other members of the Leadership Team if you have any questions or suggestions.
Happy New Year!
Colleen Baker, BSN, RN, CHPN, LNC,
President
HPNA National offers Resources Guides to Members
Nursing Resource Guides (NRGs) offer HPNA members a quick reference on a variety of symptoms and topics, and include an overview of the symptom, common causes, and nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventional strategies. As a member, you must log into your HPNA account to access the full NRG library.
Recently added to the NRG library:
President's Message, Colleen R. Baker, RN, BSN, CHPN
On behalf of the SFBA HPNA Leadership Team, I'd like to welcome you to our Online Community. We are excited to share the different features which will bring you opportunities to network, share ideas and participate in events.
If you aren't already a member, please consider joining. There are at least 8 great reasons to join and they are listed on our Membership page. You don't have to live in the Bay Area or be a nurse to join us; we welcome all Hospice and Palliative Care Healthcare Professionals from all areas of the county. If you are a member, please take a moment to update your member profile and password. You can update your profile and password by locating the small icon on the top right portion of this page.
What we're pondering... Bronnie Ware's, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying
Who we're following... Dr. Samantha Boardman's Positive Prescription
What we're reading... The Beauty in Breaking, A Memoir by Michele Harper, MD
What we're listening to... Reiki Meditative Sounds
What we're watching... "Friends Reunion"
What we're talking about... Mental Health. "The Me You Can't See"
What we're creating... When life gives you lemons..use them. Check out these 67 lemon recipes.
Congratulations! The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter is a winner in HPNA’s Clinical Practice Forum Chapter Challenge. There was a tie with the Metro New York Chapter. Each had four members in attendance at the CPF, and both chapters have been declared the winners!
The prize is a waiving of the chapter renewal fee for 2022!
Again – congratulations!
