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| Haunts and health at NCCHC |
| By Sarah Etter, News Reporter |
| Published: 10/30/2006 |
This year, things at the National Commission on Correctional Health Care's 31st Annual Conference might get a little spooky. “We do have a big party planned for Halloween night,” laughs Edward Harrison, NCCHC's president since 1993. “I have a costume all picked out, but it's a secret!” Harrison's jovial mood about the conference, which runs from October 28th to November 1st in Atlanta, Georgia, is for good reason. “People really have a great time at our conference,” he explains. “It's a chance to unwind as well as become rejuvenated about your profession. We have so much information to share among our peers, and it's an excellent networking opportunity as well.” This year's conference, Making a Difference in Correctional Health Care, is expected to attract more than 2,000 health care professionals; nurses, doctors, dentists, assistants and more will have a chance to network, participate in workshops and even join round-table discussions about health care issues that are impacting corrections. “There are many amazing moments at this conference,” Harrison adds. “I always enjoy the small group discussions, which is how we kick off the conference every year.” At these, practitioners have a chance to network in self-directed activities. Nurses have no problem yelling out “I'm a nurse from a small jail! Does anyone else work at a small jail?” to find others in similar situations who might have small jail solutions. As the practitioners pair off, information about programs, policies and procedures are discussed. “The conference is the largest gathering of correctional professionals in the world,” Harrison explains. “It provides great learning opportunities for veterans in the field, as well as anyone who is new to corrections health care. We are also excited to have so many international attendees as well.” This year, everyone will have a chance to participate in some innovative conference extras. One new feature involves a series of leadership track conferences for medical corrections veterans, which will examine different topics in-depth. “We've hand picked a variety of outstanding faculty of experienced professionals to help the veteran health care professional improve in their work,” says Harrison. Another conference bonus is this year's spotlight on chronic diseases in corrections. Harrison says that focusing on prevention and treatment of illnesses like diabetes and asthma is crucial in a correctional setting. “We have developed critical guidelines to manage these diseases because if they aren't handled in corrections, you can see a number of bad outcomes that we want to avoid,” he explains. “It's very important to highlight the ways we can cut down on those negative outcomes with proper treatment and diagnosis.” Awards will also be part of the events scheduled. NCCHC has selected a facility, which will be recognized for exceptional correctional health care, as well as a medical program that has experienced great results from its work. Both winners will be announced during the conference. “We will be honoring Dr. David Satcher, a former Surgeon General and director of the Centers for Disease Control,” says Harrison. “We will also hear a speech from keynote speaker Dr. Jaye Anno, co-founder of the NCCHC. Much behind-the-scenes work goes into creating a medical conference of this magnitude. Harrison credits early planning, great organization and passionate committees with the success of each year's conference. “We have a great group of volunteers and staff. There's a tremendous amount of work involved and it takes more than a year to plan each conference, so we're constantly working ahead,” says Harrison. “We have nearly 100 education sessions planned and each of the speakers had to submit an abstract about their project, which was reviewed by the committee. It got pretty competitive this year, so we have some top-notch sessions ready for our guests.” Bottom Line: If you cannot attend this year's conference keep your eye for our coverage in the coming weeks. |
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