Greetings from the 2006 Annual Assembly sponsored by HPNA and AAHPM,

now in progress at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.

There are more than 2,000 participants taking advantage of the many pre-conference workshops and educational sessions currently in progress.  

Attendees at the HPNA Annual Membership Meeting today had the pleasure of witnessing Janet Snapp, HPNA President-Elect, present several HPNA awards:

???For the third year, HPNA has sponsored the Innovation in End of Life Nursing Care Award. This award recognizes the work of an HPNA member in developing an innovation that has resulted in positive changes in end-of-life care.  The winner this year is Hazel Jackson, APRN, BC, CHPN.  With 18 years of hospice and palliative care experience, Hazel is currently employed as the Hospice and Palliative Care Team nurse for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Decatur, GA.  Hazel created numerous all-inclusive contractual relationships in the Decatur area to assure access to care for uninsured veterans allowing Decatur??™s VAMC to become the first VAMC to provide hospice services. 

The HPNA Outstanding Research Abstract at the Annual Assembly award goes to Mary Jo Prince-Paul, MSN, APRN, BC-PCM.  Mary Jo holds a master??™s degree in nursing from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.  She is currently the Palliative Care Advanced Practice Nurse for Hospice of the Western Reserve.  She has served as Associate Professor instructing nursing students at Lorain county Community College and was a Project Manager/Nurse Researcher at the University Hospitals of Cleveland Ireland Cancer Center.  Currently, she is a full time doctoral student at the Case Western Reserve University Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.

The HPNA New Investigator Award is a new award this year developed by the Research Committee.   It recognizes a nurse in the beginning of his/her research career who has done quality research which can be a pilot or preliminary study.  The candidate must be the principle investigator for a study focused on clinical care, professional development or advancement of hospice and palliative nursing.  Amy Calvin, PhD, RN is the first winner of this award.  Dr. Calvin has served as the Palliative Care Nurse Researcher at St. Luke??™s Episcopal Hospital in Houston, TX as well as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Acute and Continuing Care at the University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston for the past several years.  She collaborated with Dr. Porter Storey to write the protocol for the Use of Oxycodone Hydrochloride for Dyspnea in patients with Advanced Heart Failure and recently conducted a study titled ???The Neuroscience Nurses??™s Experience with End-of-Life Care.???  She is currently leading the Palliative Care Team??™s study entitled ???Use of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale by Patients Admitted to an Acute Palliative Care Service??? and worked with Dr. Laura Morrison to conduct the study ???The Attitudes and Experience of Health Care Providers in Managing Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs) and Pacemakers in Patients at the End of Life??? Please join me in congratulating Dr. Amy Calvin.

As a result of a generous grant from Project on Death in America, for the next 12 years, we will be awarding the PDIA Nursing Leadership Award in Palliative Care. The award recognizes and individual who has advanced the field of palliative care through nursing education, training, research, the development of model service delivery programs or policy development.  The inaugural winner is Malene Davis, MSN, MBA, CHPN.  Malene is the CEO and President of Hospice Care of Arthurdale (Hospice Care, Inc.) in West Virginia who has been credited with noteworthy accomplishments in each of these areas.  Robin Shepard, Long Term Care Coordinator of Hospice Care, Inc. stated ???Through Hospice Care, Inc. and her own professional dedication to the specialty, Ms. Davis is dismantling stubborn barriers to precious end-of-life care regardless of a patient??™s ability to pay or unique care needs.  We are humbled by her work and grateful for her many significant contributions that will benefit people across this nation; perhaps even the world.???  This year, Malene Davis assumed the role of President of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.   Please join me in congratulating her on becoming the FIRST PDIA Nursing Leadership in Palliative Care Award winner. 

Finally, in celebration of HPNA??™s 20^th Anniversary, Bridget Montana, President of HPNA Board of Directors will be presenting HPNA??™s most prestigious award, the Leading the Way Award, to the 11 Past Presidents. These individuals will be formally recognized this evening, with over 70 other guests, at the 20^th Anniversary dinner.  With pride and honor, we continue to celebrate their leadership today.

The 11 HPNA Past Presidents who are being recognized are:

DOROTHY CARUSO ??“ HERMAN    1987-1989

            As our first president, Dorothy assumed the responsibility of planting the seeds for growth.  With several strong colleagues, Dorothy established the roots of who we are today. 1988 WAS THE First hospice nursing conference, ???Hospice Nurses:  Fanning Professional Development??? sponsored entirely by HNA in Phoenix, AZ

BRENDA YEADON CLARKSON   1990-1991

As President, Brenda and her board led the national needs assessment for the establishment of a hospice nurses' certification project.  The membership had a significant growth now reaching 275 members with representation from over 30 states.

VIRGINIA SHUBERT   1992

            During Ginny??™s term, the HNA board initiated the hospice nurses??™ certification project with appointment of an ad hoc certification committee.  Not only did Ginny Shubert lead HNA but then later became a very active leader for what became our sister organization, the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses, the certification body for our specialty. 

MICHELE (MICKE) TUBBS   1993 -1995

             Micke was a gifted leader who helped us establish the need for professional management and hired Madalon Amenta as our first Executive Director establishing the first National Office with paid staff.  During Micke??™s term, HNA funded the Hospice Nurses Spiritual Care Attitudes and Practices research project, appointed the first NBCHN board, published the first position statement on Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide, doubled the membership, published the Standards of Hospice Nursing Practice and Professional Performance and established the annual CRNH of the Year Award.

KEN ZERI   1996

            Ken has been a solid leader for many leaders serving as one of the original leaders.  His Hawaiian influence has brought sunshine and fun from the Aloha land.  During Ken??™s term, we published the first clinical monograph:  Hospice and Palliative Care Clinical Practice Protocol:  Dyspnea, established the office guidelines for chartered regional groups, grew the membership to over 2500, established the web page on the internet and moved the National Office to commercial space.

SUSAN MANN   1997-1998

            In 1997, Susan led the expansion of the mission and name to support hospice and palliative care nursing in all end of life settings to become Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, published the second clinical monograph on Terminal Restlessness, established the HPNA Review Course, developed and implemented a computerized data management system, and chartered 8 regional groups.  In 1998, membership grew to nearly 3000 with representation from all 50 states and three international countries.  Under Susan leadership, the Foundation was formed.  In 1998, the third monograph was published:  Nausea and Vomiting.  Most significant during this year was the establishment of the official journal: the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing (JHPN).    Susan also led the organization??™s management leadership transition by hiring Marty Ayers Barber when Madalon retired due to health reasons.

ELIZABETH PITORAK   1999

            I have had the wonderful privilege of working with Elizabeth for many years at the Hospice of the Western Reserve.  Elizabeth??™s leadership in HPNA has been a continuation of her commitment to the many years of hospice leadership demonstrated locally, regionally and nationally.  During Elizabeth??™s term of office, the Practice Review Audiotapes were produced, a webmaster was hired, the 2^nd annual Educational Conference titled ???The Future is Now??? was held and planning began for a collaborate conference to be held with AAHPM and NHO titled ???Expanding the Horizons of Hospice:  Palliative Care in the Next Millennium???

MOLLY POLETO   2000 ??“ 2001

            Molly has been a great leader in the state of New York as well as on the national scene.  During Molly??™s two consecutive terms of office, rotational memberships were initiated, an e-newsletter was initiated, the first joint conference was held with AAHPM and NHPCO, and a new Director of Membership/PR/Marketing was hired.  In 2001, HPNA celebrated it??™s 15^th Anniversary, we changed publishers for JHPN and established a wonderful relationship with Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins and our journal editor, Leslie Nicoll, increased the membership by 33%, established a new membership level for Nursing Assistants, established the Speaker??™s Bureau, established a Research Task Force, developed the Innovations in EOL Care Award, revised the Scope and Standards and developed five new clinical publications.  Through Molly??™s leadership, we were able to activate the Foundation and redesign the chapter structure.  With the growth of the organization came the expansion of work, responsibilities and commitments.

JANE MARIE KIRSCHLING   2002-2003

            In 2002, membership topped 5,000, numerous educational products were released, web/teleconferences were established, new position statements were developed, the National Consensus Project began, the Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition was established between AAHPM, NHPCO and HPNA along with many other collaborative relationships.   Through Jane??™s excellent leadership and visionary skills, HPNA began dialogue about the need to establish an umbrella organization to encompass HPNA, NBCHPN and HPNF and therefore the Alliance for Excellence in Hospice and Palliative Nursing was born.   Five new position statements were developed, the first Leadership Weekend was held for Chapter leaders, District leaders and the Chapters Committee were established, 3 Special Interest Groups were established, membership topped 6500, we held our first Annual Assembly with AAHPM, we received a 3 year PDIA grant to conduct ELNEC courses through our chapters, new educational products were developed and the Volunteer Appreciation Program was initiated.

CONNIE DAHLIN   2004

            Connie, as the consummate educator, led the organization through an explosion of educational products and services through the years as a board member.  During her presidency, the organization grew to over 7,000 members, 3 new chapters were chartered, 3 new position statements were added, Patient Teaching Sheets were developed, a Diversity Task Force was established, another grant was received from Hartford Foundation to promote geriatric education with our membership, a collaborative relationship was established with Mary Ersek to develop a computerized education module for nursing assistants that will be released later this year, a research plan was established, we recognized 120 volunteers, and presented numerous awards, 2 additional Special Interest Groups were added, CD ROMs of the teleconferences were made available and the website was expanded.   It was a very busy year!!

LINDA GORMAN    2005

            Linda, HPNA??™s immediate past president, has guided HPNA through the restructuring designed by her predecessors.  The organization under Linda??™s leadership has continued to grow, with the membership topping out at 8034 in July, 2005.  13 Educational Products are in various stages of development, 50% of which have been published.  Numerous other educational services have been added.  The journal is now issued 6 times per year.  The strategic plan for 2006-2009 was developed.  The highlights for Linda??™s year are detailed in your handout and will be published in the 2005 Annual Report due out next month.  Linda continues to serve on the HPNA board of directors as an ex-officio member.

Please join us in congratulating this wonderful group of nursing leaders who have ???led our way??? over the past 20 years!!???