President's
Message
The Virginia Association for Healthcare Quality is excited
to announce the launch of the redesigned Virginia Association
for Healthcare Quality website! The redesigned site includes
features that will allow VAHQ members to more easily contact
the Board of Directors, stay updated on Association news,
and obtain information about educational and job opportunities.
We've also added some new features that we think will
enhance services to our membership:
•
Join or renew membership on-line
•
Register for annual fall education conference on-line
•
Manage your own profile and password
We welcome your suggestions as we move forward with
the redesigned website. If have ideas that you think
will
improve the site, or if you find new links that would
be helpful
to the membership, please contact us, by using the “Contact
Us” link on the website.
The VAHQ is 165 members strong! Wow, we’re
off to a great start this year! The Fall Conference was
terrific
and it was so nice to see everyone again. I especially
enjoyed hearing the Past Presidents share their memories
about the early days of the Association and their time
on the board. We enjoyed celebrating 30 years of accomplishments
with all our members during the conference. We also
had the most successful CPHQ Review Class to date with
30
participants.
The Board has been working diligently to make 2008 even
more successful! We started a little differently this
year by holding a Strategic Planning retreat in November.
We set two goals for ourselves that day; first to review
and reflect on the 2007 Educational Conference, assessing
the positives and identifying the improvements that we
could make in future conferences. Secondly, we conducted
the planning session, establishing both short and long
term goals for the VAHQ. I’m proud to report that
the board is amazing and worked very hard that day. We
have met twice since then to finalize the planning and
set objectives, timelines and responsibilities for each
goal.
One of our goals is to highlight the VAHQ in other venues.
We had an opportunity to meet some of our members during
the VHQC Learning Session in Richmond in December. We
look to attend more events such as this throughout the
coming year.
I am happy to report that with your support and input,
the work on our new and improved website is underway!
The Board has chosen a vendor for the web redesign and
in conjunction with them we are building a site that
will not only have a great new look, but will offer many
more features than our current site. Our goal is to improve
communication with our present and future members. We
anticipate the new website to be up and running by April
2008.
One way you as a member can help the organization is
to participate in the activities of the VAHQ. There are
many avenues from which to choose. One opportunity is
to serve on a committee such as Education, Membership,
Newsletter or Website. Most of these committees meet
via conference call. This is a great way to get involved
with the organization and get to know other members at
the same time.
If you are unable to commit at that level, consider
writing an article for the newsletter. Members sharing
great ideas, successes and lessons learned enrich the
organization for all. We love to celebrate and learn
from each other!
If neither of these choices are your cup of tea, you
can still be an active VAHQ member. Stay abreast of VAHQ
news, and contribute to the Board agendas with items
that you would like to see discussed. Another participation
opportunity is to respond to the surveys sent out by
the Board. Aside from the Annual Meeting, this is often
the only way we can know what the “membership” is
thinking. The surveys provide valuable feedback to us.
True to our profession, we need “data” to
make informed decisions.
I appreciate the opportunity to serve as your President
this year, and I look forward to hearing from you. Ongoing
updates will be sent via the Newsletters and Email Info
Blasts. Remember to save the date for our Fall Conference
on October 2-3, 2008 at Wintergreen.
Sincerely,
Susan C. Pace
2007-2008 VAHQ President
