Dear AHVAP Members and Affiliates,
The challenges and stressors we are experiencing today are very different and even more complex than yesterday – and arguably less challenging than tomorrow. AHVAP deeply recognizes the resilience and steadfast dedication of all healthcare colleagues, organizations and communities across the globe that are once again dealing with a rising surge of COVID-19 cases. I had the honor of working two booster clinics and two eight-hour shifts on a nursing unit to help them out as an extra set of hands this past week. Instantly, I was reminded of the physically and emotionally demanding work that our healthcare team members perform every day. What I also witnessed was a strong, empathetic team with an optimistic attitude and an unrelenting desire to provide the best patient care possible with grace and dignity. Those experiences reminded me of a recent article I read in Becker’s Hospital Review where nurses describe the latest surge using words like complicated, challenging, eerie, mind-blowing and exhausting. One Nurse Manager in an ED stated, “Strength is what you see in the heart of the healthcare workers who show up every day to work with their chin up, willing to take on the next challenge of the day.” We will get through this surge and get through it together! Thank you, Healthcare Heroes!
The exciting momentum and teamwork continue into 2022! We started the year off by welcoming three new AHVAP Board Members: Terri Nelson as the Central Region Director and Boyd (BJ) McCluskey as the Southeast Region Director. Together, they join Gloria Graham in the Northeast and Suzanne Smith in the West. This team is all set to accomplish Value Analysis networking and professional development events in their regions and districts this year in collaboration with our affiliate members. We also welcomed Karen Niven to the Board as President-Elect, and she and Barbara Strain, our Strategic Board Liaison, have amazing ideas for the annual conference committee. The kickoff meeting is this week!
The podcast series and webinars are being scheduled, so be on the lookout for those upcoming event registrations. Have you heard? The AHVAP Website is “under construction,” and we cannot wait to show you all the new enhancements. Thank you to the Website Task Force and to all the AHVAP committee work being performed by these teams. Thank you for your dedication, commitment and continued support to AHVAP, and know that we are here for each other during these trying times.
Please feel free to contact me with recommendations on how we can increase the value of the organization for our members, requests to share experiences or resources, or just to talk. You can reach me by email at Eisenberg.Elizabeth@scrippshealth.org.
Kind Regards,
Elizabeth Eisenberg MSN, RN CVAHP
2022 AHVAP President