Regent's Newsletter
Message from Chris Williams, FACHE and ACHE Regent
Regent’s Newsletter
California - Southern
Fall 2009
Okay, this is fall? Even after having been in California for my fourth fall season now, I still keep looking for the orange leaves and the cider mills come September or October. The football games with blankets over your lap and a thermos of something or other. Having lived my whole life in the Midwest, Southern California weather really takes some getting used to. I guess wearing shorts year round is not too much of a cross to bear; however, there is something to be said for the smell of a pile of burning leaves from your neighbor’s yard…NO…wait a minute…NO MORE FIRE!! Okay, I view that differently now. I believe after the Station Fire and the Morris Fire, I’m good if I don’t smell smoke the rest of my life! But then again, I’d never have another home-cooked meal…oops, don’t tell my wife I said that.
So what’s going on with ACHE in Southern California this fall? Well the first thing that comes to mind is the Southern California Health Care Summit. This is a joint event between Health Care Executives of Southern California and Loma Linda University. We have combined this year’s event with our HCE Annual Meeting so it is very efficient in allowing you more exposure in one setting. Additionally, this year you have an opportunity to receive three Category I credits by attending. So be sure to register and attend this local opportunity on October 29, 2009 at the Ontario Convention Center. Please see the HCE website for more information.
Speaking of local Category I credits, I recently had the great fortune to talk with one of our Fellows who couldn’t make it to Congress this year. He explained to me that he has to recertify this year and has found the perfect way to obtain his 12 Category I credits without going to Chicago or to a Cluster. He is attending the SC Health Care Summit (3 credits). He also completed one of ACHE’s self study programs (6 credits), and he attended a couple of 90-minute webinars from his desk (3 credits), for a total of 12 Category I credits, right here in Southern California! It can be done. I have heard that this is a major dissatisfier with ACHE – not having the local Category I credits available, but by this example you can see how one can recertify or even obtain one’s credential using local programming and books. I, as your Regent, and the HCE Board are truly trying to find more ways in which we can offer more of these credits locally going forward, but please consider these alternative methods.
So what if you are in transition between jobs right now and want to attend Congress in Chicago for the education and networking opportunities? Please know that each Regent has a limited amount of tuition waivers to grant for someone in such a situation. If Congress is not an option, the tuition waiver can work for educational Clusters closer to home as well. Please contact me if you, or someone you know is in such a situation and I will try to help.
For more information on Category I credits close to home please see the following:
- · ACHE Self Study Courses www.ache.org/PUBS/redesign/SELFSTUDy.cfm
- · ACHE Webinars www.ache.org/SEMINARS/webinar_index.cfm
- · Health Care Summit in Ontario, California www.socalhealthsummit.com/
Thank you all again for the opportunity to serve you as Regent and let’s enjoy the “cooler” temperatures yet to come this fall.
