Happy First Quarter 2010

I hope that the first quarter of 2010 has been a smooth one for all of you.  As we begin to forge ahead for a year of activity and challenges it is with regret that I inform you that I will need to step down as the Region 8 consultant.  This is due to both personal and pressing work commitments that would prevent me from representing you, Region 8, and ASHHRA  adequately.   However, this does open an opportunity to Region 8 members who may be interested in being more involved with ASHHRA and in representing our region.  If you do have an interest as a Representative for Region 8 please contact Karmen Reid, ried.karmen@mayo.edu.

In the meantime during this transition period please contact ASHHRA directly at ashhra@aha.org or 312-422-3720.

Important Dates

Chapter Management – All individual awards are due May 7th and the Chapter management Binders are due May 21st to ASHHRA.  The Chapter Management year has changed to the calendar year so anything submitted for the 2010 book should be any and all events, activities or items that qualify which occurred in 2009.  Chapter Management is a great way to showcase your chapter and the important work you are doing with your area Human Resources professionals.

ASHHRA Annual Conference – Save the dates September 25-28 in Tampa, Florida.   Please make every effort to attend.  This is an excellent opportunity to not only build your knowledge and skills but to network with other HR Leaders across the country.

Chapter Leadership Conference – I have been keeping you posted along the way regarding the dates and activities for the Leadership Conference in Chicago.  The conference will be held at the Knickerbocker Hotel right in the heart of downtown Chicago. Please save the dates June 3rd for a full day and June 4th for a half day.  It is highly recommended that the President-Elect attend or the President (if you have never attended).  This will be an opportunity to hear best practices and this year our own Region 8, New Mexico Chapter Management submission will be one of the items to showcase.  Cheryl Ebner, President of the New Mexico Healthcare Human Resources Association has provided for you her take-away from her Leadership conference experience;

ASHHRA 2009 Chapter Leadership Conference Report
By Cheryl Ebner, President-Elect 2009 & President 2010, New Mexico Healthcare Human Resources Association

I was fortunate to attend the ASHHRA Chapter Leadership Conference in Chicago on May 6 and 7, 2009. One officer from each local ASHHRA chapter is sponsored jointly to attend by ASHHRA and the participating chapter.  NMHHRA typically sends the President-Elect each year, dependent on budgeted funds, to help prepare her/him to assume the presidency the following year and bring new ideas back to the chapter.

The Chapter Leadership Conference provides opportunities for ASHHRA leaders from all over the country to discuss hot topics in Human Resources that are specifically related to healthcare.  Numerous Human Resources professionals holding various elected chapter officer titles from across the country meet to learn leadership skills, discuss ideas, and form working relationships to help them successfully lead their local chapters through the coming year.  It is also a forum for chapters to give ASHHRA feedback on how ASHHRA can continue to best support its chapters. 

This year, about sixty chapter leaders attended the conference.  The participants were assigned seats by region so as to allow for plenty of time for the officers within each region to get to know each other and collaborate.  New Mexico is in Region 8 and we are fortunate to have an excellent Region 8 Representative, John Ostrom.  (John Ostrom attended NMHHRA’s December 2007 meeting so was able to meet many of our chapter members at that event.)  The states that make up Region 8 are Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.  The Region covers a wide and varied geographical area as well as a large array of population densities.  Most chapters in Region 8 represent their entire state, as NMHHRA does for New Mexico.  One commonality of this group was that most of the chapter memberships were comparatively small for the large land areas represented.  The Region 8 table was a lively group full of committed leaders very willing to share innovative ideas and creative solutions.

Hot topics at the conference of particular interest to the leaders were improvements to "My ASHHRA" website, a new point and scoring structure for the Chapter Management program, and the difficulty shared by all chapters in maintaining and recruiting members.  Of particular interest was a session conducted by a professional job coach discussing how Human Resources professionals need to stop and focus on taking care of themselves.

The ASHHRA Chapter Leadership Conference was an invaluable learning opportunity.  Meeting lots of wonderful people eager to share their experiences, ideas and suggestions to improve chapter management helps make for smooth leadership transitions between incoming and outgoing chapter officers.  Because of this conference, I look forward to leading my chapter to new heights in the upcoming year.

Once again I would like to extend my heartfelt wishes to a successful year for all of the Region 8 Chapters and I hope to again serve in some capacity in the future for ASHHRA in the promotion of our Human Resources profession and the excellent programs and opportunities our professional organization has to offer.

Sincerely,

Gary L. Pastore

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April 2009

Dear ASHHRA colleagues,

I hope that this message finds you and your health care organizations doing well in this rough economy.  These days the challenges that Human Resources professionals are facing are among the most difficult.  I sincerely wish you the best and remain available as a resource to you, as needed.

In difficult times, it becomes more important that we rely on each other.  For that reason, I am appreciative of the willingness of many of you to utilize our regional email distribution to obtain best practice, policy and other feedback from your colleagues.  I am glad to pass those questions and surveys sent to me along to other Region 8 Chapter members and hope that their responses to your inquiries are beneficial.

On a national level, there is a lot of work that is being done right now, including:

• Significant advocacy efforts are underway in Washington D.C., as ASHHA and AHA lobby congress regarding the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), among other issues.
• Preparations are underway for the ASHHRA 45th Annual Conference & Exhibition on October 31st through November 3rd in Chicago, IL.  Register by March 31st and receive a $50 early bird discount off of your registration.
• On May 7th & 8th is the ASHHRA Chapter Leadership Conference.  Among the exciting announcements, I will be presenting a revised ASHHRA Chapter Management Awards program that will now be points based.  The new program places greater emphasis on recognizing chapters for value added and creative activities that support chapters, members and the community.

• Upcoming Webinars:
o FMLA Check-Up , Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 10:00 a.m. PT, 11:00 a.m. MT, 12:00 p.m. CT, 1:00 p.m. ET

COMING SOON!  - The ASHHRA Online Community
The ASHHRA Online Community is a form of social media where ASHHRA members and non-members can join together for conversations, sharing resources, and networking on various issues in health care HR. It will replace the ASHHRA Online Discussion Board (ODB) and provides a several benefits that were not available on the ODB. 
The benefits ASHHRA Online Community are:
• Share resources and best practices
• Hold conversations with colleagues on industry hot topics
• Receive updates on health care HR issues with a direct link to online community
• Post announcements about chapter events
• Be seen by your profession when featured for outstanding work performed
• Joint special interest groups to chat with various HR groups on topics that are of specific interest to you.

The online community will be available in April 2009.  However, if you have health care HR questions or comments that you’d like to discuss in the interim, please e-mail ASHHRA board member, Karmen R. Reid, CCP, PHR at reid.karmen@mayo.edu.

More detailed information is available on all of these activities and events at the ashhra.org website.

As always, I wish you continued success and thank you for the countless hours of service you commit to your ASHHRA Chapters.  If I can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me at 801/442-2859.

Best Regards,

John W. Ostrom,
ASHHRA Region 8 Consultant 

August 2008

Dear ASHHRA Colleagues,

It has been a very busy time with my ASHHRA involvement. On July 10 and 11, I met with the ASHHRA Regional, Chapter & Member Services Committee of which I am a member, and we reviewed all Chapter and Leadership Award nominations. I am excited to announce the following Region 8 submissions:

Four chapters have applied for Chapter Management Recognition:
• Montana Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration
• Arizona Healthcare Human Resources Administration
• New Mexico Healthcare Human Resources Association
• Colorado Healthcare Association for Human Resource Management

Outstanding Chapter Achievement Award:
• Gini Adams, Colorado Healthcare Association for Human Resources
• Becky Falance, New Mexico Healthcare Human Resource Association
• Hillarry Hilstrom, Arizona Healthcare Human Resources Administration

Outstanding Chapter Officer Award:
• Susan Catt, Montana Society for Healthcare Human Resource Administrators
• Alisa Rathbun, Colorado Healthcare Association for Human Resource Management
• Dina Steinberg, Arizona Healthcare Human Resources Association
• Heather Thomas, New Mexico Healthcare Human Resources Association
• Darren Walker, Utah Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration

ASHHRA 44th Annual Conference & Exhibition (Reminder)
October 12th through 14th will mark the 44th Annual ASHHRA Conference & Exhibition, “Leading with Passion & Purpose” in Austin, Texas at the Austin Convention Center. You can register now online at the ASHHRA Web site. I look forward to seeing you there!

Share Your Most Valued Resources
As I mentioned last quarter, ASHHRA continues to actively encourage its members to contribute best practices, policies, and white papers that can be placed on the ASHHRA Web site resources section. This is one way that members can share their most valued resources and contribute to the professional development of their colleagues. The topics and submission deadlines for the proximate future are as follows:

Note: All submissions should be in the form of white papers, processes and/or forms, and submitted in MSWORD or .PDF format. If you are interested in submitting white paper, please contact Stephanie H. Drake, Associate Executive Director – ASHHRA, by phone at 312-422-3723 or by email at sdrake@aha.org.

Region 8 – Chapter Leadership Conference Calls – 2008 Schedule
Chapter Leaders in Region 8 please mark your calendars for these dates. This is our opportunity to establish regular communication between chapters on a quarterly basis for sharing best practices, networking, and strengthening our chapters. Consequently, I would like to extend an invitation to our Region 8 Chapter Leaders to participate in the following conference calls:

Once the ASHHRA office has set up the conference call and provided instructions, I will forward those details to your chapter leaders. Individual chapter members should feel comfortable asking their chapter leaders to bring topics to this meeting for discussion, including resources that we share to can help one another.

News from… Arizona Healthcare Human Resources Association
(http://www.ahhra.org)

Chapter Recognition
Arizona Healthcare Human Resources Association is proud to announce that two of our members are being recognized by ASHHRA for outstanding contributions. Dina Steinberg, CHRO, Banner Estella Medical Center has been selected to receive the ASHHRA 2008 Outstanding Chapter Officer Award. Hillary Hilstrom, senior recruiter, Scottsdale Healthcare, has been selected to receive the ASHHRA 2008 Outstanding Achievement Award. Both individuals have been very involved with the accomplishments of AHHRA during the past several years. We extend our congratulations to both.
 
See What You Missed!
Greetings to everyone and welcome to summer! If you were unable to join us for the Annual Conference May 2, we wanted to share with you some of the great information that was made available to the over 50 members and 25+ exhibitors who participated in the event. 

The conference offered something for just about every area in human resources, from the development of workforce pipelines and working with the community educational programs through life long learning and labor law as well as cutting edge recruitment and retention programs. Rounding off the agenda was a focus on the 2010 ASHHRA Strategic Plan with an overview of the HR Leader Model competencies. It was a fun filled day with many networking opportunities for all of those in attendance. It was certainly a sampling of what you might expect to see at the ASHHRA conference scheduled for October 2008 in Austin, Texas.  

Mark your calendars for next year’s conference that is scheduled for May 8, 2009 at the Chaparral Suites, Scottsdale, Ariz.  Don’t forget about the educational program on September 26 being held at Jobing.com.  We have a program lined up with the Arizona State Board of Nursing Update and a new focus on Labor Relations.

• November 6 - 7, 2008 - Fall CHAHRM Conference at the Inverness Hotel, Denver
• October 12 - 14, 2008 - ASHHRA 44th Annual Conference & Exhibition, Austin Convention Center

MSHHRA INVITES YOU TO . . . MHA Annual Convention & Trade Show
Creative Collaborations, Creating a Culture of Caring is the theme of the MHA Annual Convention & Trade Show: September 24 – 26, 2008 Billings, Mont. at the Holiday Inn Convention Center. 

The Education Committee has been hard at work preparing for the MHA fall convention. MSHHRA has arranged an impressive group of speakers; just log on to mshhra.com to find more information about the speakers:
• “Words that Lead” Carlos R Arce
• “Workforce Development Programs in Montana”  Renee Harris, Lisa Benzel
• “Are my Applicants Really Drug Free?” David Michaelsen, MS, RP
• “Generations at Work” Jeanene Martin.

We will once again apply for continuing education credits for our sessions through HRCI for SPHR, PHR and GPHR certification. We will also be holding our fall MSHHRA business meeting on Thursday morning during the Billings MHA convention. The Education, By-Laws, Membership, Communication and Legislative subcommittees will be presenting their objectives for the year. The Executive Committee will be presenting chapter objectives for approval. We would like to officially invite you to come and meet some of your HR counterparts.

Mark your calendar with these NMHHRA regular membership meeting dates for 2008:

Friday September 19, 2008, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Kay Jensen, Principal, Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, Inc.
Trends in Nursing Compensation SPECIAL MEETING: INVITE YOUR CNO TO ATTEND AS YOUR GUEST FOR FREE!
  
Friday December 19, 2008, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
State & National Legislative Update
 
The location for all 2008 meetings is the MCM Elegante Hotel at 2020 Menaul Blvd NE on the southeast corner of Menaul and University.

There are many new and great things going on in USHHRA! First, there is a newly created Web site for USHHRA members and visitors. This Web site will allow USHHRA members to remain connected throughout the year. The features you will find on the Web site include:
• Calendar of Events
• Legal Updates
• HR Advocacy Information
• Online membership enrollment and renewal

Other features that are coming soon for USHHRA members to enjoy include:
• Job Board
• Ask a Board Member
• Membership Directory
• Members Forum

In addition to the Web site USHHRA has organized itself to run as a non-profit organization. This transition has lead to the development of a Board of Directors. We have identified several individuals that have agreed to serve on the board and oversee the operations of the society. Our newly appointed USHHRA board members include:
• Randall Bennett, director of Human Resources - Uintah Basin Medical Center
• John Ostrom, director of Human Resources - Intermountain Medical Group
• Paul Jackson, assistant VP of Human Resources - Intermountain Healthcare

The Board of Directors and the officers of USHHRA are committed to making your experience and membership in USHHRA of value to you in your respective HR profession.

On June 27, we had the opportunity at the USHHRA Summer Business Luncheon to hear from Mark Knold. Mark is the senior economist for the Utah Department of Workforce Services. Mark provided insight to what is happening in the economy and how that is affecting the healthcare market today. In addition to our meeting in June, we hope to provide several more opportunities this year that will enhance your HR skills and knowledge.

Thanks, Darren K. Walker, President – USHHRA

There are so many great things happening in Region 8. As always, I wish you continued success within your organizations and the demands of your everyday job, and thank you for the countless hours of service you commit to your ASHHRA chapters. If I can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me at 801-442-2859.

Best Regards,

John W. Ostrom,
ASHHRA Region 8 Consultant  
Human Resources Director
Intermountain Medical Group
36 S. State Street, Suite 2100
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Office 801-442-2859
FAX 801-442-2868

April 2008

Dear ASHHRA Colleagues:

Spring is finally here …everyone is working on new 2008 operational goals…and hopefully enjoying the change in weather to start thinking about getting back on that mountain bike, hiking trails (without snow shoes), starting your garden, enjoying the sunshine, etc.  Whatever you like to do in the summer…I hope you fully enjoy it!

Let me tell you about a few things that are going on with ASHHRA:

• ASHHRA  44th Annual Conference & Exhibition (Reminder)

October 12 through 14 will mark the ASHHRA 44^th Annual Conference & Exhibition, “Leading with Passion & Purpose,” in Austin, Texas, at the Austin Convention Center.  You can register now online at the ASHHRA Web site and save $40- $50 if you register by May 15.  I look forward to seeing you there!

• Ask a Board Member (Reminder)

I would encourage you to participate in the ASHHRA Discussion Board.  This month, Lisa Schott will answer your questions.  To access the discussion board, click on the link located on the ASHHRA Web home page.

• Solicitation of White Papers (New)

ASHHRA is actively encouraging its members to contribute white papers that can be placed on the ASHHRA Web site.  This is one way that members can share best practices and contribute to the professional development of their colleagues.  The topics and submission deadlines for the foreseeable future are as follows:

Note: All submissions should be in the form of white papers, processes and/or forms, and submitted in MSWORD or .PDF format. If you are interested in submitting white paper, please contact Stephanie H. Drake, associate executive director – ASHHRA, by phone at 312-422-3723 or by e-mail at sdrake@aha.org.

• AHA Solutions – Speakers for Chapter Meetings (New Chapter Benefit)

AHA Solutions is a sister organization of ASHHRA and works collaboratively with ASHHRA to sponsor events, provide education, and to gather continuous input into the development of the human resources portfolio of products and services.

The American Hospital Association currently endorses a comprehensive set of HR solutions including performance management, succession planning, employee engagement surveys and consulting, exit survey services, pre-employment behavioral assessments, wellness coaching and EAP, leave administration, background screening and drug testing services, retirement services, and voluntary employee benefits.

Opportunities/Resources:

Organizations that have products and services endorsed by AHA are excited about the opportunity to work with the local ASHHRA chapters in several capacities, including

• Provide educational content in venues such as conferences, dinners, roundtables, panel discussions, etc.
• Provide thought leadership/consulting that could be used as newsletter content and as a source of data, trends and statistics.
  

The following is a list of some speaking topics that you can utilize as your chapter plans your educational programming.

Sample speaking topics include:

• Beyond Psychiatric Disabilities: Recognizing the Behavioral Aspects of all Disabilities, Magellan
• Behavioral Health Considerations in Consumer Centric Health Care, Magellan
• Create, Advance & Sustain a Culture of Wellness: Behavioral Change Models; A Behavioral Health Perspective, Magellan
• Behavioral Coaching for High cost, High Risk Employees, Magellan
• Depression within the Human Lifecycle: Working Adults, Magellan
• Hospital Employee – Cost or Asset; Optimizing Human Potential in the Workplace, Magellan
• The Evolution of Disease Management (Discusses the stages of DM up to current approach of wellness coaching and changing behaviors), Magellan
• Eliminating legal and paperwork nightmares of absence/leave administration, Absentys
• Background Screening of Healthcare Personnel: Understanding the Interplay of Laws, Certiphi
• Closing the Gap in Applicant Screening, Certiphi
• Drug Testing in Healthcare, Certiphi
• Automating High Performance Workforce, Halogen
• Modernization of Performance Evaluation System Saves Money, Halogen
• Using Technology to Support Performance Evaluations, Halogen
• How to Retain and Engage Mature Healthcare Workers, HR Solutions
• The Linkage Between Employee Engagement, Diversity and Satisfaction, HR Solutions
• Creating a ‘Magnetic Culture’ at Your Organization: Recruiting, Engaging and Retaining Top Performers, HR Solutions
• Strategic Alignment Through SuccessfulEmployee Engagement & Brand Building, HR Solutions
• Goodbye to Paper Personnel Files, Hyland
• Engaging and Retaining Top Talent, Pilat
• Surviving the Labor Shortage, Pilat
  

If you have an interest in working with any of the AHA Solutions partner organizations or are aware of any upcoming meetings where AHA Solutions may be able to assist, please contact Amy Goble at AHA Solutions, Inc. (a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association) by phone at 312-895-2528, or by e-mail at agobel@aha.org.

• Region 8 – Chapter Leadership Conference Calls – 2008 Schedule

There has been an expressed desire to share best practices, network, and strengthen our chapters in Region 8 by establishing regular communication between chapters on a quarterly basis.  Consequently, I would like to extend an invitation to our Region 8 chapter leadership to participate in the following conference calls:

Once the ASHHRA office has set up the conference call and provided instructions, I will forward those details to your chapter leadership. Individual chapter members should feel comfortable asking their chapter leaders to bring topics to this meeting for discussion, including resources that we can share to help one another.

I wish you continued success within your organizations and ASHHRA chapters. If I can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me at 801-442-2859.

Best Regards,

John W. Ostrom,

ASHHRA Region 8 Consultant   
John.Ostrom@imail.org

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Events

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ASHHRA - 155 North Wacker, Suite 400 - Chicago, Illinois, 60606
Phone: 312.422.3720 | Fax: 312.422.4577 | Email:ashhra@aha.org