It is hard to believe that we are already one month into 2014. As we start out the new year I wanted to reach out to you (once again) as your American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) Board of Directors’ Liaison. In this role I hope to share with you the activities and discussion that the Board is engaged in and also serve as a sounding board for you in your role asstate coordinating body leader. If you are having difficulty getting an issue addressed, or if you believe that an emerging issue requires Board attention, please do not hesitate to contact me.
The AADE Board of Directors held its first meeting of the year on January 25. I have outlined the major issues discussed and decisions made by the Board. If you have any questions about any of the information, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I also encourage you to share this update with the members in your state.
The Board discussed several issues including:
Establishment of the agenda of topics and issues that will require Board attention in 2014. This should assist us in thoughtfully considering the myriad of issues facing diabetes educators in this time of dynamic change.
Since much of healthcare reform is predicated on the establishment of pilot-tested models of care delivery, the Boardalso established a work group to develop a set of diabetes education-specific quality measures. A standard set of measures will assist AADE liaisons who are participating on healthcare reform issues in articulating a consistent message
The Board approved a revised process for the establishment of new communities of interest. Watch for information fromAADE’s Member and Volunteer Engagement staff on this revised process. And, since our affiliate model, MY AADE NETWORK, recently celebrated its second birthday, staff will be evaluating the progress we have made, where we continue to see our members struggle and opportunities to build on our success. We recognize that many coordinating bodies, local networking groups and communities of interest have had great success. However, it is also clear that there are areas for improvement. We look forward to engaging you in that dialogue.
The Board also reviewed and approved a Distance Learning and Publications Plan. The plan is designed to ensure we have a professional development function that is actively scanning theenvironment for emerging issues and topics so we can provide you with the most relevant educational opportunities. We are also looking to develop content in multiple formats so that you can learn in your preferred learning style.
We also approved a new white paper on health literacy, which is available on our website at http://www.diabeteseducator.org/ProfessionalResources/position/White_Papers.html I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the various practice documents (policy statements, practice alerts and white papers) that are available to you.
The Board Planning and Development Committee discussed a proposal for the development of a knowledge center to make access to AADE’s extensive resources available to members more easily. As part of a complete website redesign, the knowledge center will be positioned to assist you in navigating and quickly locating the resource that will be of greatest assistance to you.
The Board invited Kellie Rodriguez, MSN, CPT, CDE, president of the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators to be with us for part of the meeting in order to provide us with an update on NCBDE activities. As a key stakeholder, NCBDE wasalso invited to provide input into proposed changes to AADE’s practice documents. More information on this and an opportunity for member input into the documents will be forthcoming.
We received a preliminary 2013 financial report which indicated that the AADE will have a positive financial year and make a modest contribution to reserves. A final report will be provided following our annual financial audit.
The 2014 awards process was initiated and the Board received a report from the Nominating Committee in preparation for the 2014 leadership elections.
Thank you for your time. I welcome your thoughts, comments and questions.
Deb Greenwood