Local chapter update: ACDIS welcomes a new Chapter Advisory Board

ACDIS currently has more than 40 state and local chapters as well as networking interest in the Eastern Mediterranean, Australia, the Bahamas, and elsewhere. In addition to these geographically based educational offerings, ACDIS also supports topic-focused efforts such as the CDI educators’ network and the Association of Pediatric Documentation Specialists (APDIS); in 2018, it also plans to create a network for directors and managers, as well as for physician advisors.

To support the efforts of the hundreds of volunteers across the country and internationally, another group of volunteers regularly joins the ACDIS administration—the Chapter Advisory Board (CAB). This committee has met regularly over the past five years, and this year it will enter a new phase of work with a new set of volunteers. Its core duties and responsibilities include:

• Monthly teleconference calls with CAB members and ACDIS administration
• Quarterly webinar panel discussion with CAB, ACDIS, and the chapter leadership community
• Annual review of leadership resources/toolkit
• Contribution of policies and procedures and best practices for inclusion in the toolkit
• Annual review of the formal local chapter agreement form
• Abiding by and advocating for ethical adherence to the agreement form
• Occasional mentorship to the chapter leadership community
• Contributing to the CDI Journal or ACDIS website

Please take a minute to get to know them. If you are a local chapter leader or participate in local chapter events, you’ve no doubt benefited from their efforts, so why not take a moment and shoot them an email to share your thoughts?

Incoming Chapter Advisory Board:

• Debra Dallos, Florida
• Lillian Dickey, Washington
• Karen Elmore, Missouri
• Lori Ganote, Kentucky
• Lori LaFaver, Pennsylvania
• Kerry Seekircher, New York
• Molly Seibert, Oregon
• Aimee Van Balen, Massachusetts
• Alma Yap, Arizona

Honorary past-chairs:

• Katherina Burleson, North Carolina treasurer
• Sherri Clark, current Tennessee co-lead
• Emily Emmons, current California president
• Bonnie Epps, past Georgia leader

The following is a list of upcoming events for ACDIS local chapters. If you have an upcoming event you would like to include, please email Melissa Varnavas (mvarnavas@acdis.org) and Linnea Archibald (larchibald@acdis.org).

January:

• The Central Pennsylvania ACDIS chapter meets on Friday, January 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Penn State Health-Hershey. Please RSVP by Thursday, December 14, by clicking here. For information, contact Deanne Wilk (dwilk@pennstatehealth.psu.edu).
• The Illinois ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, January 17, 12-1 p.m. CST, via webinar. For information, contact Colleen Stukenberg (cstukenberg@fhn.org).
• The Westchester/Hudson Valley ACDIS chapter meets on Thursday, January 18, 2-4 p.m. For information, contact Kerry Seekircher (kseekircher@northwell.edu).
• The Philadelphia/New Jersey/Delaware ACDIS chapter meets Thursday, January 18, 12-1 p.m., via webinar. For information, contact Debby Dallen (dallend@einstein.edu).
• The Michigan ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, January 24, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., via webinar. For information, contact Patricia Vitasinski (pvitasi2@hfhs.org).
• The California ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, January 24, 12 p.m. pacific, via webinar. For information, contact Rani Stoddard (stoddardrv@henrymayo.com).
• The Washington Evergreen ACDIS chapter meets on Friday, January 26, 10-11 a.m., via webinar. For information, contact (evergreenACDIS@gmail.com).

February:

• The Kentucky ACDIS chapter meets on Thursday, February 1, 1-4 p.m., at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown. For information, contact Leah Savage (leah.savage@nortonhealthcare.org).
• The South Carolina ACDIS chapter meets Friday, February 2, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Palmetto Baptist Health in Columbia. For information, contact Mary Hopkins (mary.hopkins@hcahealthcare.com).
• The Suffolk County Long Island ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, February 7, 2-5 p.m., at Brookhaven Memorial Medical Center in Patchogue. Please RSVP to scacdis@gmail.com by February 2. For information, contact Patti McKenna (pmckenna@bmhmc.org).
• The CDI Educator ACDIS networking group meets on Thursday, February 22, 12-1 p.m. PST, via webinar to discuss the topic of CDI educators and data. For information, contact M.E. VanGelder (me.vangelder@honorhealth.com).
• The North Carolina ACDIS chapter meets Friday, February 23, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. Please RSVP by Friday, February 16. For information, contact ncacdis@gmail.com.

Save-the-date:

• The Washington Evergreen ACDIS chapter is tentatively planning to meet on Friday, April 6, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at PeaceHealth in Vancouver. For information, contact the chapter leadership (evergreenACDIS@gmail.com).
• The South Carolina ACDIS chapter tentatively plans to meet Friday, June 8, at MUSC in Charleston. For information, contact Mary Hopkins (mary.hopkins@hcahealthcare.com).