West Central Region Asthma Coalition

Meeting Notes for March 9, 2006

TOPIC	DISCUSSION/CONCLUSSION	FOLLOW-UP
Welcome and Introductions	Members present: Lisa Adamson, Jessica Anderson, Kristie Davis, Connie Graff, Rhonda Hjelle, Dawn Majerus, Jean Fahey, Sue Ewy, Coordinator Doreen Hanson and speaker Marion Kershner	None
Up-coming events	Steering Committee Meeting-teleconference members can attend from any site with a telephone. Kris Wilson will attend the next one on March 14, 2006. Asthma Educators Class April 26 and 27. Coalition members presenting include; Barb Heier and Connie Graff. Lisa Adamson is willing to have a table there with the asthma board and materials from the WCRAC. Day Care Providers Training May 4^th from 6 to 8 pm at the Ottertail Power meeting room. MAC Sustainability meeting May 17, 2006, the evening prior to the Sharing Conference. We would like 2 members to participate. If you participate at the meeting and stay the night for the Sharing Conference, MAC will pay for the hotel for 2 participants Sharing Conference May 18, again there will be 5 scholarships available for each region. We are asked to use these scholarships for people who have no other pay source, so if your employer is willing to cover the cost we ask that you use that avenue. If you use a scholarship, the registration must go in through Doreen. Pharmacy Training WCRAC will work with the NW region to host a pharmacists training next November. We need to find a speaker, a recommended speaker for this event is Wendy Brown who teaches at NDSU. We will need to also find a place for the class and sponsors to help pay for the class.	Doreen will e-mail information about these meets as it becomes available. Doreen will get information to members about this class Doreen will set up a teleconference between Connie Graff, Vickie Haberman and herself to plan the class. Sue E will check on the room availability, and see if Tammy(day care provider) would take registrations and Sue will attend the class and assist with registrations and food. Doreen will see if there is a vender who would support this effort by paying for a light meal for the participants. Arrow Health has already agreed to be the sponsor and provide a light meal for participants. Doreen will e-mail information as it arrives. Lisa will be attending, her costs are already covered. Connie will attend. If anyone else is interested, please let Doreen know. Doreen will e-mail information as it arrives. We have requests for 2 scholarships. Please let Doreen know if you would like one. Lisa will e-mail Doreen a list of possible sponsors to contact. If any members have ideas about a site for this training or other speaker suggestions please let Doreen know. Planning for this event will really get going after the Asthma Educators Class.
2^nd Quarter WCRAC work plan tasks	Needs assessment- The needs assessment will be e-mailed to all coalition members to complete. Inhaler assessments- they were all completed in the 1^st quarter. We are still looking for someone to do them in the District 206 system (Alexandria) Professional Education- addressed above Child Care Training - addressed above Coaches Training- Lisa took the class and hasn’t yet received her clipboard. Question as to if the web site is working alright. Work with schools who educate health professionals – Discussion on working with schools to make part of the clinical rotation for students to work with the RT department at the hospital. They do this in Morris and it is very beneficial to the students. There was a suggestion that Doreen have a telephone conference with Directors of Nursing programs to talk about MAC and asthma education in the schools. MAC web site Identify potential individual and organizational members – Discussion on recruitment and Doreen passed out member recruitment packets for members to give to potential members WCRAC has only 1 organizational member. Discussion on the possibility of a survey to current members to see how (if) they want to be involved in MAC. This needs to be done carefully so as to not discourage current members from continuing their current membership.	When the needs assessment arrives all members are asked to please complete it and return it. If you are willing to or know of someone who would be willing to do inhaler assessments in Alexandria, please let Doreen know. All members to promote the use of this training with coaches. Doreen will e-mail information again for anyone who missed it. Doreen will also check to see if the web site is working ok. Connie will see if she and Doreen could be on the agenda for an upcoming RT regional meeting to speak about MAC and also clinical rotation of health professionals. After we have a feel for how the RTs feel about educating nurses ect, Doreen will make contacts with the schools. Members to encourage use of the web site Members to continue to recruit new members, if you are an individual member, would your employer make a good organizational member? Please let Doreen know if you would more recruitment packets or if you didn’t get one and would like one.
Member sharing time	Marion Kershner who is a member of Borders United for Smoke Free Air and a OTC PH Nurse told the group about an effort going on in Ottertail County to promote a smoke free work place ordinance and how WCRAC can help. They do have the support of 3 of 5 County Commissioners now. Marion will send more information on how to help support this effort.	Ways the WCRAC can support the efforts in Ottertail County to implement a Smoke free work place ordinance; Letters to the editor, attend the following meetings, 4/6/06 in New York Mills from 6 to 8 pm at the Government Center, 4/10/06 in Fergus Falls at the Government Service Center, on April 18 or 25 the official document will be presented to the County Commissioners, they would like the room packed with supporters
Asthma Camp	Kristie Davis has quite a few flyers for asthma camp and will share	Contact Kristie Davis if you would like a flyer
Date and Time for next meeting	Doreen encouraged all members to participate in the steering committee meetings also. Teleconferencing allowed 2 members who would not otherwise have been able to participate to join the meeting. It worked well so we will continue with this format.	Next meeting will be June 1, 2006 from 11 am until 1 pm. We will again have the meeting available via teleconference (available anywhere) and 2 sites for members to participate if they would like to attend at either site. The sites will be Douglas County Public Health in Alexandria and Minnesota Department of Health Office in Fergus Falls .