E-NANN Supplement to NANN Central
Spring 2005 • Volume 21 Number 2

Focus on NANN Chapters

A Busy 2004 for NANN’s El Paso Chapter

“A Labor of Love”
The first conference sponsored by the El Paso Area Association of Neonatal Nurses (EPAANN) was called “A Labor of Love” It took place in March 2004 at the Radisson Hotel, and approximately 100 nurses attended. The conference topics included developmental issues for the neonate (Linda Lutz), kernicterus (Dr. Juan Jasso and Sue Sheridan, the founder and president of Parents of Infants and Children with Kernicterus [P.I.C.K.]), legal issues in neonatal nursing (Yvonne Acosta), and surgical emergencies of the neonate (Dr. Donald Meier). “Tiny Babies—Big Issues,” the second annual EPAANN conference, takes place April 21–22, 2005, at the El Paso Hilton Airport.

March of Dimes
The March of Dimes Texas Chapter, Region 10/El Paso Division, honored EPAANN Vice President Mary Lou McGee and EPAANN Program Chair Debbie Chasco for excellence in perinatal nursing practice. EPAANN President Amalia Amezaga was elected to the board of directors of the March of Dimes El Paso Division.

Neonatal Nurses Day
On Neonatal Nurses Day, September 15, EPAANN held a dinner at Carlos & Mickey’s Mexican Restaurant. We invited all neonatal nurses in El Paso to join us for dinner and an educational presentation for CEUs.

Christmas Street
EPAANN chapter members decorated Christmas trees for the Christmas Street Gala, a formal dinner and auction. The trees were are auctioned off to area businesses to support the services children need at the El Paso Rehabilitation Center. One EPAANN-decorated tree was sold for $3,400!

Mary Lou McGee and Amalia Amezaga, with Mary Lou’s March of Dimes plaque

Debbie Chasco and Amalia Amezaga, with Debbie’s March of Dimes plaque

El Paso neonatal nurses celebrate Neonatal Nurses Day

EPAANN members and their Christmas Street creations

Focus on Family History
National Coalition on Health Professions Education in Genetics (NCHPEG) 8th Annual Meeting
Carole Kenner, DNS RNC FAAN, NANN Representative

“Every child deserves a complete family medical history in their chart. It should be completed before they are born,” according to Dr. Richard H. Carmona, the U.S. Surgeon General and keynote speaker at NCHPEG’s 8th annual meeting. More than 200 attendees, including representatives from many of NCHPEG’s 150 member organizations, gathered for the January 27–28, 2005, meeting in Bethesda, MD.

Since the inception of NCHPEG, I have been honored to be NANN’s representative. This year the focus was on family history as it relates to obtaining a genetic and more holistic history. Use of this tool is but one aspect of the new era of genomics—the interaction of a person’s genetic makeup with other factors such as lifestyle and the environment. Dr. Carmona reminded us that the United States is still in a treatment mode, but that in the age of chronic illnesses and co-morbidity we need to move to a prevention-oriented society.

For those of us in neonatal care, that means we have to look at prevention as ideally starting before conception but at the very least in the NICU, where the family history may reveal risk factors for future illnesses. What does that mean? In some cases, the fact a baby is born prematurely may be related to a genetic flaw. With the right lifestyle choices, good nutrition, and a healthy environment (including the workplace environment later in life), the risk of future illness may be reduced. Looking at linkages between gestational diabetes and later Type I diabetes in either the mother or her offspring may dictate that we do counseling as part of discharge planning or follow-up care. Asthma in the once-premature or sick neonate may be prevented when we know more about what triggers asthma, if there is a family history of asthma, or when we better understand the genomics involved in its development.

A family history tool is available in English and Spanish at www.hhs.gov/familyhistory. Families should be encouraged to use this tool and to share their family history with their healthcare providers.

Dr. Alan Guttmacher, deputy director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, provided some final thoughts on the subject of family history and its unique ability to capture both individual genetic variation and shared elements that influence health status. These shared elements include the physical environment (e.g., sunlight, pollutants), the built environment (e.g., sidewalks, which promote walking and therefore better health), the dietary environment (e.g., meat, fat, junk food), the social environment (e.g., socioeconomic status, marital status), and the cultural environment (e.g. spirituality). As a tool for documenting the social, health, and environmental history of generations past, the future of the family history is assured.

I also represent NANN on the NCHPEG Content and Evaluation Working Group. Our focus is on reviewing materials across disciplines that can be used for health professional and consumer education. These resources will eventually be available through the NCHPEG Web site, www.nchpeg.org. PowerPoint presentations from this year’s conference are available there as well.

This is an exciting time to be involved in genetics. Prevention of health problems as well as treatment plans will be based on our understanding of the intersection of genetic makeup and the environment. As neonatal nurses, we have long known about genetic diseases, newborn screening needs, and long-term complications when screening or diagnosis is delayed. Now we have the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of the next frontier in neonatal care!

Visit the NCHPEG Web site or call NCHPEG (410/583-0600) to learn more about the coalition’s membership, its mission, and ongoing genetics education projects for healthcare professionals. Or you can contact me directly (Carole-Kenner@ouhsc.edu, 405/271-2420).

Member Spotlight
For the Nursing Spectrum article about the birth of the Horton quintuplets and the role of neonatal nurses including NANN’s Advanced Practice SIG Facilitator Tricia Lumb, MSN NNP CCRN, go to http://community.nursingspectrum.com/MagazineArticles/article.cfm?AID=13347.

Asking for Conference Support

Do you think your employer would help pay for you to attend the NANN 21st Annual Conference, September 28–October 1, 2005, in Anaheim, CA? Why not ask! You can write a memo to your supervisor explaining how you and your patients will benefit if you attend the meeting. The following letter worked for its author. Feel free to modify it for your own use.

Dear [your supervisor’s name]:

I would like to attend the 21st Annual Conference of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, September 28–October 1, 2005, in Anaheim, CA. By attending, I can help provide [your facility] with the most current professional methods and technological advances in neonatal nursing.

Educational Program
The NANN Conference will offer 24 concurrent sessions, three in-depth symposia, two keynote addresses, and other educational features. The topics cover many aspects of neonatal nursing. The following are particularly relevant to our practice:
[List the sessions that will provide the greatest benefit to the facility. You can find the list of sessions in the conference brochure or posted at www.NANN.org.]

Through the NANN Conference Program Book, which is provided to all meeting registrants, I will receive handouts from sessions I cannot attend.

Costs
[List registration fee, transportation costs, estimated cost of additional meals, and the per-night price of the hotel room.]

Benefits
Attending the conference sessions will add to my neonatal nursing knowledge in ways that will help me provide better patient care. I will be able to pass on to others on my unit much of what I learn at the conference. My notes and program book will be available to everyone for reference.

Sincerely,

[Your name]