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President’s Message – August, 2011

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I am happy to report that the ASHHRA presence at the American Hospital Association Leadership Summit in San Diego was quite impressive and worthy of note this year! On Sunday morning, ASHHRA Executive Director Stephanie Drake and I were quite fortunate to be invited guests at the AHA Board meeting. It was a great experience to meet with leaders of this distinguished group and to observe their board proceedings.

Congratulations to Immediate Past President Jeff Payne, Past President Dan Zuhlke, and Corey Heller, VP, CHRO for Baptist Health South Florida, as they gave an early morning three-hour workshop on "Culture of Health – Transformative Models of Wellness in Health Care Institutions." The room was full and the information and presentation were well received. That afternoon we were treated to some great opening keynote presentations—in what I can only describe as a "powerhouse afternoon"—from former TV news anchor Tom Brokaw and legendary Duke University Head Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski. There were many great takeaways, and, Tom Brokaw, in discussing the social media and Twitter, asked all of us to remember that "a tweet will never replace a kiss!" Too funny, but true!

Congratulations also to Past ASHHRA President Dan Zuhlke for his presentation with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) Past President Theresa Zimmerman on the topic of "Insidious Intimidation: The Underestimated Threat to Patient Safety," which was also well received. Jeff and Dan joined members of our Executive Committee, including Treasurer Joe Miccucci, President-Elect Irma Pye, and yours truly on Monday from noon to 3 p.m. as we participated in our Fifth Annual Thought Leader Forum entitled "Health Reform Engagement" with moderator Larry Walker and members from the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) of the American Hospital Association. This program was in partnership with Buck Consulting.

The entire experience at the Summit was amazing. Our plates were full at this meeting and ASHHRA was well represented. Special kudos to Stephanie Drake and Sharon Allen who made it all possible! Your efforts and hard work are truly appreciated.

Upon leaving the Summit, I was pleased to visit the Region 5 ASHHRA Conference in Indianapolis where I delivered the opening keynote address, "Why I Dislike Those Who Hate HR," and thanks to Carol Bank’s initiative and ability to procure an acoustic guitar, I was actually able to sing a few HR tunes, including "On the Cover of the HR Pulse" to the Dr. Hook song, "On the Cover of the Rolling Stone," and "Gonna Get Sued," to the tune of "Gonna Get Drunk" by Willie Nelson. Thanks Carol and Region 5 for having me again.
As I left Indianapolis headed for the airport, my next stop was to my son’s freshman college orientation weekend in Kentucky. That’s when I was able to collect my thoughts and remember some famous and accurate advice given to many musicians, which simply states, "Don’t give up your day job!" Believe me; I know better! After 31 years in HR, I am happy that my guitar is only an accessory. HR suits me just fine!

Until next month,
Bob Walters, SPHR
Corporate Director, HR Operations
Health First, Inc.
3550 North Harbor City Blvd.
Melbourne, FL 32932-0069
(321) 434-1957
bob.walters@health-first.org

 
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