Since “going local” in July 2011, we have had great appreciation for the 63 local members who have supported this transition to a Chapter With Walls.  On December 1st, we hosted a networking and local member appreciation gathering.  Each local member was also encouraged to bring a nurse colleague or two!  

Overall, we had almost 20 nurses join the festivities that included light appetizers and a cash bar.   A visit from Mary Stahl, a local GKCC member and our AACN National President was a nice surprise.

Kay Luft introduced our “Show Me…We Care” Fundraising Campaign for Joplin, Missouri.  Angie Foster led the drawing for 1-day free registration at the 2012 Visions Symposium.  Devin Bowers, Children’s Mercy PICU Nurse Manager, was our lucky winner!  Janell Huskey from North Kansas City Hospital was the lucky recipient of the AACN President’s Theme Ornament “Together, Stronger, Bolder”.  Congratulations, ladies!

Thank you to each and every local and national member for supporting the Greater Kansas City Chapter.  We wish you a Blessed Holiday Season.  Stay safe, and we look forward to reaching out to you again in 2012!

In addition, the Greater Kansas City AACN Chapter coordinates the Certification Review Course for CCRN and PCCN twice a year.   The Education Chair and Chair-Elects coordinate this offering.  Local expertise is utilized for speakers/presenters.

The fall review course was offered on November 14th and 21st and hosted by St. Joseph Medical Center.  We had 32 participants.  We would like to thank the following individuals for your time and effort.

Tammy Carroll, Education Chair
Caryl Goodyear-Bruch, Education Co-Chair Elect
Heather Nelson, Education Co-Chair Elect
JoAnn Jenkins, Site Coordinator for Day 1

NOVEMBER SPEAKERS
Maria Fox
Marci Ebberts
Kay Luft
JoAnn Jenkins
Jim Waterman
Akiko Kubo
Amanda Gartner 

Twice a year, the Greater Kansas City Critical Care Consortium Hospitals plan the entry level Critical Care/Progressive Care Courses (CCC/PCC), attended by nurses with a minimum of 3 months experience in critical care or progressive care.  There is no cost for attendees from hospitals that are part of the consortium.  In return, the expectation is for each hospital to contribute resources towards the classes. 

Many nurses from the consortium group of hospitals volunteer their time and resources to make this happen.  In addition, the speakers are locally identified from within the consortium with no expectation of compensation for their preparation and presentation time.   We would like to recognize the following individuals for making the 2011 CCC/PCC successful. 

SPRING 2011 Planning Committee & Site Coordinators
Ashley Peacock (coordinator), Shalan Stroud (coordinator), Willa Carroll, Joey Barton, Vivian Porter, Sandra Merritt, Cheryl Buntz, Barb Flakus, Armida Torres, Polly McNeece

SPRING 2011 Speakers
Juli Hogan (NKCH), JoAnn Jenkins (KCVA), Mary Benson (NKCH), Stephanie Lininger (SMMC), Cheryl Rader (Saint Luke’s), Jim Waterman (KUH), Tammy Brown (SMMC), Kay Carpenter (SJMC), Karen Luken (SMMC), Polly McNeece (Research), April Kimball (NKCH), Jen McKenna (OMH), Maria Fox (KUH), Ben Wano (KUH), Jana Braklow (OMC), Craig Shipley (KUH), Mellissa Ott (MTN), Akiko Kubo (KUH), Amanda Gartner (KUH)

 FALL 2011 Planning Committee & Site Coordinators
Ashley Peacock (coordinator), Shalan Stroud (coordinator), Barb Flakus (coordinator), Willa Carroll, Joey Barton, Vivian Porter, Shalan Stroud, Laura Barnes, Cassandra Showalter, Cheryl Edwards, Alisha Studer

FALL 2011 Speakers
Karna Stuchlik (SLELS), JoAnn Jenkins (KCVA), Mary Benson (NKCH), Stephanie Lininger (SMMC), Kristen Sollars (Saint Luke’s), Cheryl Rader (Saint Luke’s), Tammy Brown (SMMC), Kathleen Henderson (SJMC), Michael Ballinger (Saint Luke’s), Polly McNeece & Cheryl Edwards (Research), April Kimball (NKCH), Jen McKenna (OMC), Susan Hanson (Saint Luke’s), Dianne Studer (NKCH), Mellissa Ott (MTN), Jana Braklow (OMC), Jane Dunham (CTMC)

The Visions Committee is hard at work again, securing speakers, negotiating fees, planning details, etc. for the 2012 Visions Symposium on March 8-9, 2012 at Ritz Charles in Overland Park, Kansas. 

You may already recognize that putting on a large event costs dollars.  We make every attempt to secure sponsorship from vendors and educational grants to limit the cost passed on to the participants without compromising the quality of the offerings and venue. 

In the spirit of transparency, we thought it would be interesting for our membership base to see “where your registration dollars for Visions go.”   The $22,000 cost for ~130 participants was distributed as follows.  Note that the food represents 50% of the cost.  It is very limiting to us that many venues will not allow outside catering; thus, the food cost is largely nonnegotiable.  This chart also does not include the additional $7000 in educational grants and/or sponsorship received, as well as the additional printing costs covered by a vendor.

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After the EF5 tornado hit Joplin, Missouri on May 22nd, 2011, many of us probably shared the same desire to help not only the Joplin community, but also to find a way to help our fellow nursing colleagues who selflessly cared for those in need, despite their own personal experiences with the devastation.

The Greater Kansas City Chapter wishes to recognize and honor these nursing heroes by sending several St. John’s Hospital critical care and progressive care nurses to the AACN National Teaching Institute (NTI) in Orlando, Florida May 20-24, 2012. By attending NTI, we hope these nurses will be uplifted, rejuvenated, and empowered to continue with their important work.  Nominations are being accepted in Joplin and the selection process will be handled through the GKCC Board.  Announcements will be made at the next 2012 Visions Symposium in Overland Park, Kansas.

Our Chapter has already pledged $5,000 towards this effort.  We are presenting a challenge to individuals, other Missouri AACN Chapters, and all regional critical care and progressive care units to match our pledge with another $5,000 for a total of $10,000 in funds!  We appreciate your efforts in getting the word out.

To donate, please visit the Chapter website (www.aacngkcc.org) “Help Joplin” tab.  Donations can be made securely online via PayPal or via check or money order to the Chapter’s mailing address: PO Box 10113, Kansas City, MO 64171.  Donations are being accepted through Friday, March 9th, 2012.   Visit our website frequently to find out about our progress!

For all local and national members affiliated with the Greater Kansas City Chapter, you should have received an e-copy of the latest Winter 2011 GKCC Newsletter.  If we missed you, please contact aacn.gkcc@gmail.com to receive a copy.