2001 - 15th Annual Conference
LEADERSHIP THROUGH CONSENSUS
PRESENTED BY JOSIE STONE, CONFERENCE CHAIR
15TH ANNUAL NAVAN Conference Report
January 19-22, 2002
Alexandria, Virginia
It was with the enormous cooperation of our host hotel, The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, our speakers, exhibitors and registrants that we were able to reschedule the 15th NAVAN Annual Conference from September 2001 to January 2002. Amazingly that time passed very quickly and we were soon on our way to the East Coast.
Once in Alexandria the NAVAN organization, under the expert leadership of Mary Lea Nations and Lory Schantz, jumped into action and functioned like a well-oiled machine as the vast amount of supplies required to register 500 attendees and exhibitors were unpacked and assembled. Somehow, Lory had a room full of boxes opened in minutes with everything rapidly in place, from paper clips and signage to computers and printers! Everybody pitched in and memorable moments are of Darnell Roth and Karen Hawkins on the floor cutting and stapling enormous stacks of papers as well as the “all important drink tickets,” and Lynn Hadaway, with other Board members endlessly circling a table with all the syllabus supplies assembling those bright red Conference bags! A task well worthy of factory assembly-line union rates! Preparation complete, we were ready for our registrants on Friday, January 18th and what joy to reacquaint with old friends and colleagues, meet new ones and generally “catch up” on the previous year.
A well attended pre-conference was underway with Sue Masoorli and Darnell Roth that same day and in addition Josie Stone accompanied five of the British registrants on a tour of the National Institutes of Health facility arranged by Donna Jo Mayo. This was a very special treat and a fascinating glimpse into the world of clinical research.
Saturday, our first Conference day, dawned rather cold and grey but the forecast for snow seemed unlikely. Our Conference sessions began with an eloquent introduction from our 2000- 2001 President Lynn Hadaway, and the feeling of gratitude and thankfulness for finally being all together was palpable. Despite a very crowded room our speakers enthralled us with their expertise. Dr. P. J. Maddox from George Mason University, our Keynote Speaker, delivered an excellent overview of current and impending US Health Policy Issues, setting the tone for our entire Conference and providing much food for thought. Ever popular Suzanne Herbst, the NAVAN founder, followed with her talk on VAD Related Thrombosis and Clinical Management, a topic that never fails to give rise to much debate and interest! A special moment was to see her Mum sitting at the back of the room watching with immense pride! An even more poignant moment also followed as Darnell Roth, our current NAVAN President, came forward to announce the “Suzanne Herbst Award of Excellence” that will be awarded on an annual basis at our National Conference to an indi-vidual who best exemplifies the criteria determined by our Board and recently announced to our members.
Our third speaker for the morning, back by popular demand, was Sue Masoorli, Legal Nurse Consultant whose animated talk “After the Needle Stick Law, Now What?” left us checking the status of our liability coverage with great haste! By then it was time for lunch and to everybody’s amazement as we left the room, we were greeted with the most wonderful “Winter Wonderland” outside the hotel as snow fell quietly and persistently. A special treat for those of us from the West Coast! A brief break for lunch was followed by a multitude of choices with the Breakout and Exhibitor Theatre sessions. There was something for everybody, ranging from specialty patient management and care, pharmacology, research, writing for publication, legal issues, technical trends and more. Nobody appeared to have idle time! Meanwhile our exhibitors had been hard at work all day preparing their displays and it was with much enthusiasm that the reception in the Exhibit Hall opened that evening. More opportunity to network with old friends and colleagues as well as a great time to become acquainted with the latest in technology and design. We would like to take this opportunity to welcome seven new exhibitors this year! Sunday dawned with an early start for those who took the opportunity to combine breakfast and the BD Exhibitor Workshop to hear an interesting review of how one facility initiated a Safety Sharps Device program. Concurrent sessions followed and the choice was difficult! Dr. Robert Schelper never fails to keep us entertained with his trademark droll sense of humour and superb analysis of the effects on our patients of IV devices.
At the same time Darnell Roth gave an insightful view of Legal Nurse Consulting and all its ramifications for those of us who might be looking for an interesting career change. This was followed by more difficult choices between topics on compiling and using a CVC Database, and Current Antiseptics and their application for practice. These sessions over, we were once again off to our Exhibitor Displays and Poster sessions. No lack of participation at both, and once again the famous boxed lunches were a huge hit! During this time brisk sales of Resource Guides, T-shirts and other NAVAN items kept our very efficient and cheerful registration crew very busy! Mary Lea and Lory never missed a beat, and everything was running smoothly so far.
The following morning saw brave souls head out into the early morning dark to the shores of the Potomac for the B. Braun sponsored Third Annual Fun Run/Walk, although it might have been a bit difficult at that moment to see where the “fun” part came from! However those that participated were treated to a beautiful, crisp morning and a gorgeous sunrise over the river and views of our Capitol city. The competitors were serious and committed, with a photo finish in the Walk category. Many thanks to Louise Baran and Michael Connelly with B. Braun for their continued support of this event. Each participant received a race T-shirt with the famous “running mouse.” The DC theme was prevalent on the back of the shirt with Republicans and Democrats well represented too! The overall “Run” winner, Barbara Bell, turned in a great time of 21.46 minutes with Michael Connolly as 1st male runner at 26.55. Ann Williams our own Board member received 1st place walker in 37.46 minutes. The Network Breakfast which was to follow this event had the very organized Mary Lea shepherdingus all back for warm showers and another busy day.
The Monday morning “blahs”didn’t keep a record crowd away from this Network Breakfast sponsored in part by Pall Life Sciences. Over 160 people were in attendance, a far cry from the 16 that met for the first such program several years ago! Networks were invited to report on their year’s activities and Chairperson Nancy Bagnall did an excellent job of summation, rewarded by an enormous show of hands for those interested in starting a Network in their region. Start-up packets were distributed and we sincerely hope that many of those come to fruition during the year.
By now, well fed and ready for the day, we were treated to two superb pre-sentations, once more requiring difficult choices! Marcia Ryder, PhDc dazzled a large crowd with the latest information on “Biofilm and the Mystery of Catheter-Related Infections,” while a panel of experts under the guidance of Ann Zonderman, RN, JD, looked at the very timely topic, “Legal Issues Surrounding Product Liability,” from different clinical perspectives.
The morning passed so quickly and once more it was time to visit the exhibitors and review the posters, unbelievably for the last time. The afternoon arrived much too soon and once more we were all scurrying to the Conference rooms to learn about “State of the Art: A Radiologist’s Perspective” from Dan Picus, MD, or “Venous Access Design from an Engineering Perspective" with Brett Haraala, an expert in this field, before the much awaited “Free Afternoon - Enjoy Virginia!”
Certainly no shortage of things to do in our venue this year! This free time also included an opportunity for invited individuals to meet at Focus Groups, previously arranged by interested Manufacturer/Exhibitors, looking for clinical feedback to new or existing projects. This is yet another way that AVA tries to maximize opportunities for industry at our conference. Tuesday morning arrived, and as always on our final day we started off with the Annual Business Meeting and Breakfast, a time for meeting and hearing from the people who make our organization run. Lynn Hadaway as President for this 15th annual conference recognized the committee chairs, and a brochure describing their activities through the year was distributed. Karen Hawkins as Treasurer gave a financial report and Darnell Roth 2001-2002 President addressed the assembly and introduced Executive Director Mary Lea Nations who had been so instrumental in the planning and success of this Conference. The official Presidential gavel exchange had occurred earlier in the year but Lynn was presented with a beautiful ring as a memento for her term of office.
A concurrent workshop “Practical Approach to Clinical Research” with Denise Macklin, RN, BSN, and Jeanette Adams, RN, PhD, also proved very popular and an interesting option. Lunch on this day was “on your own” and a great networking opportunity for new and old friendships alike. It was also a time for the various committees to meet and explore their direction. This was followed by one of our most popular presenters and as always Dr. Dennis Maki did not disappoint!
It is very poignant to think that his topic, so very timely now after the events of last September, was actually suggested by him many months before. “The Coming Plague: Bio-Terrorism” had us all glued to our seats and really reminded us how tenuous and fragile life can be. It renewed our resolve, and reinforced our need, to be part of an organization like NAVAN that helps us grow professionally and personally and encompasses all facets of this Vascular Access Device industry that ultimately helps the lives of our patients. By now it was time to say our “good-byes” and although exhausted we felt that this must surely have been one of the best Conferences that AVA has offered. It is important to note that a conference can only be as good as its attendees allow it to be, with their interest, support and participation. These were surely received in great measure and further endorsed by the number of people who took advantage of the post-conference with Nancy Moreau the following day. Our gratitude is extended to all of our speakers, our registrants, our Conference Committee, our Board of Directors and our truly dedicated conference staff, all of whom contributed to making this such a great event. Now on to September in San Diego.
