Today kicks off the first full day of ASHHRA 49th Annual Conference & Exposition. ASHHRA has a jam-packed day in store filled with new learning opportunities, networking, and insightful ways to become more effective, valued, and credible leaders in health care human resources.

 

We have a complete day planned with Regional Breakfasts beginning at 7:30 a.m., which are followed by the Opening Ceremony including keynote Byron Pitts. Shortly after, the exhibit hall opens at 11 a.m., and the rest of the afternoon is filled with invaluable learning opportunities. The night rounds out with MetLife’s Social Event that you don’t want to miss.

 

Welcome to the ASHHRA 49th Annual Conference & Exposition in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.!  We are excited that you have chosen to attend this conference to enhance your health care HR knowledge and skills. If attending sessions about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), physician compensation, employee engagement, Managed Care Organizations (MCO), workforce planning, or networking in the exhibit hall, there are opportunities for everyone. Our belief is that when you leave D.C., you will feel empowered and energized to meet the new realities faced by health care HR professionals.

 

ABC News Chief National Correspondent and author Byron Pitts’s grit and determination shines throughout his illustrious career, garnering him two national Emmy Awards, four Associated Press Awards, and six regional Emmy Awards. At the podium, he shares his incredible story of perseverance and strength, and inspires audiences to reach their dreams. 

• 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Registration / Cyber Café / Resource Center / Charging Station
• 7:30 – 9:00 a.m.: Regional Breakfasts
• 9:15 – 11:00 a.m.: Opening Ceremony: Byron Pitts 
• 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Exhibit Hall / Lunch
• 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.: Sunday Learning Sessions 
• 1:00 – 4:15 p.m.: Executive Symposium (by invitation only) 
• 2:45 – 4:15 p.m.: Sunday Learning Sessions
  
• 4:15 – 6:15 p.m.: Exhibit Hall / Exhibitor and Attendee Appreciation Social
• 7:30 p.m.: MetLife Social Event (Marriott Wardman Park Hotel)

• 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Registration / Cyber Café / Resource Center / Charging Station
• 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.: Motivational Breakfast: Richard J. Umbdenstock, FACHE 
• 10:15 – 11:45 a.m.: Monday Learning Sessions 
• 11:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Exhibit Hall / Lunch
• 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.: Monday Learning Sessions 
• 3:45 – 5:15 p.m.: Monday Learning Sessions 
• 5:15 p.m. PAC Reception (by invitation only)
  Free evening; plan activities on your own

• 8:00 – 9:30 a.m.: Tuesday Learning Sessions 
• 8:00 a.m. – Noon: Cyber Café / Resource Center / Charging Station
• 9:45 a.m. – Noon: Closing Ceremony Brunch: Entertainment by Capitol Steps 
• 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.: CHHR Inaugural Certification Examination

 

Sunday, Sept. 29: 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. | Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel Ballroom

• S1 - Thought Leader Forum: Envisioning Tomorrow’s Health Care Workplace
• S2 - What HR Needs to Know About the Affordable Care Act
• S3 - The Storm (Continually) Brewing Out West 
• S4 - Labor Forecasting: Building the Business Case for Workforce Investment
• S5 - Birds of a Feather: Forging a Successful Partnership Between HR and Training
• S6 - Transforming Health Care: The Story Behind 99th Percentile Engagement
• S7 - Managing Disruptive Behavior
• S8 - Dealing With Today's Culture: Eminem Becomes a CNA
• S9 - Breaking Down the Silos: Leveraging Employee Performance Management
• S10 - Driving a Workplace Safety Culture at Kaiser Permanente

• S11 - Employee Benefits Hot Topics
• S12 - Do Titles Matter? Strategic Human Capital Case Study
• S13 - The Missing Ingredient - Effective Internal Communications
• S14 - Applying Behavioral Economics to Strategic Health Plan Redesign
• S15 - Managing Change in the Right Direction: People vs. Project Management
• S16 - Health Care’s New Landscape: Leading a Generationally Diverse Workforce
• S17 - Effective Decision Making for Meeting Long-Term Objectives
• S18 - From Nothing to Amazing: Centralizing Recruiting
• S19 - Improving the Candidate Experience for Continuing Care Job Seekers
• S20 - Culture of Health Think Tank Panel: Delivering ROI on Health

Columbia County Health System

Dayton, WA 

I’m new to the profession and completed my degree in human diversity and communications and was actively involved in health care for 20 years. I wanted a profession that I would be able to invest in over the next 20 to 30 years, but something that was creative, had high impact, and something that allowed for the compassion that comes with taking care of others.

 

I’m the sole person HR in our organization—I do payroll, I do workers’ comp, I do it all. We’re a small critical-access rural hospital that has gone through a lot of transition recently. One thing lacking in the past was trust and approachability, which are two things that I really wanted to bring to the organization, in addition to a sense of diversity that impacts employees at all levels of the organization. 

 

In doing so, I rearranged my hours to be available for all three shifts. Some mornings I’m there at 5:30 a.m. to be available to the night staff. It’s been great to be able to help them with benefits that they didn’t know they were eligible for. 

 

One of my proudest moments thus far was when I was able to counsel a 53-year-old EVS staff person, who didn’t even know she was eligible to start a 401K. Then two weeks later, her 23-year-old daughter who is a CNA came to me to set up hers. I’m incredibly passionate for our employees and work every day to make a direct impact on them. 

 

With being a one-man show, everything I can access in terms of networking and resources is extremely valuable to me. I want to be a sponge and take in as much as I can while here in Washington, D.C. Being the sole HR person for our organization, I need all the resources that ASHHRA and its annual conference offers more now than I ever have. 

• Exhibit Hall / Lunch: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Exhibit Hall / Exhibitor and Attendee Appreciation Social: 4:15 – 6:15 p.m.

During the exclusive pre-conference networking event, Michelle Rousseau (pictured at left addressing reception attendees) was honored as the 2013 Gary Willis Leadership Award recipient. Her commitment to continuing education and fostering better communication allowed her to build trust and respect throughout her organization. The award celebrates the operational excellence of human resource professionals in health care. This prestigious award, co-sponsored by ASHHRA and AHA Solutions, Inc., honors the memory of Gary Willis, an ASHHRA board member, who passed away in 2010 after a battle with stomach cancer.

 

In addition, HealthcareSource presented three new-to-the-profession health care HR practitioners with a grant of $1,500 each, which allowed them to attend the ASHHRA Annual Conference & Exposition.

  

Grant recipients included: Shelley Beguin, Kim Carter, and Jennifer Triumph. ASHHRA congratulates all of the special honorees!