NewsScope - ASCLS-IA · S c i e n c e NewsScope ... vated and within an hour of hitting the ER door...
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Inside this issue: President’s column 2 Ebola 3 PAC/GAC 4 Dates to remember 5 Region VI update 6 Directory 7 Year in Review 8 American Society For Clinical Laboratory Science NewsScope NewsScope NewsScope 2015 Winter Edition Volume 41, number 1 VOICE, VALUE, VISION IOWA It is said that the Iowa State Fair is one of the greatest and grandest fairs in the entire USA, so it was a golden opportunity to show our stuff as one of the exhibitors of the iSTEM event. iSTEM is Iowa-Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and this group provided a large tent at Extreme Sunday, August 17. Under the tent, on the Grand Concourse were approximately 30 tables displaying a wide range of professions that utilize one of the four areas of STEM. As the career recruitment chairperson for ASCLS-IA, I completed an application to attend this event. In July we were notified that our laboratory group was accepted. The prep work began and many people helped make our display “awesome!” Our booth included: Coloring pages, mazes, and word finds with lab and biology themes. Temporary Tattoos of both a microscope and a cartoon red blood cell Poster sized games where an attached string could be looped onto the correct matching picture. One matching the cartoon character Charlie Corpuscle, Whit- ney Whitecell, and Paula Platelet to the electron microscope picture of a red blood cell, a white blood cell and a platelet cell. The other featured four illnesses and a picture of the causative bacteria. Handouts of what a laboratory scientist does, classes required and the schools in Iowa who offer the edu- cation needed to become credentialed in the lab field. An opportunity to talk about what we do and how it bene- fits our fellow mankind. I would like to thank the al- most 20 different individuals that took time from their busy schedules to come to the Iowa State Fair and work in our booth. An add- ed bonus to working was enjoying time at the fair and of course eating something delicious on a stick! iSTEM and ASCLS ~ A BLUE RIBBON DAY!
Transcript of NewsScope - ASCLS-IA · S c i e n c e NewsScope ... vated and within an hour of hitting the ER door...
I n s i d e t h i s
i s s u e :
President’s column 2
Ebola 3
PAC/GAC 4
Dates to remember 5
Region VI update 6
Directory 7
Year in Review 8
A m e r i c a n S o c i e t y
F o r C l i n i c a l
L a b o r a t o r y
S c i e n c e NewsScopeNewsScopeNewsScope
2 0 1 5 W i n t e r E d i t i o n V o l u m e 4 1 , n u m b e r 1
VO
ICE
, V
AL
UE
, V
ISIO
N
IOWA
It is said that the Iowa State Fair is one of the
greatest and grandest fairs in the entire USA, so it
was a golden opportunity to show our stuff as one
of the exhibitors of the iSTEM event. iSTEM is Iowa-Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics and this group provided a large tent at Extreme Sunday, August 17. Under
the tent, on the Grand Concourse were approximately 30 tables displaying a wide range of
professions that utilize one of the four areas of STEM.
As the career recruitment chairperson for ASCLS-IA, I completed an application to attend
this event. In July we were notified that our laboratory group was accepted. The prep work
began and many people helped make our display “awesome!”
Our booth included:
Coloring pages, mazes, and word finds with lab and biology
themes.
Temporary Tattoos of both a microscope and a cartoon red
blood cell
Poster sized games where an attached string could be looped
onto the correct matching picture.
One matching the cartoon character Charlie Corpuscle, Whit-
ney Whitecell, and Paula Platelet to the electron microscope
picture of a red blood cell, a white blood cell and a platelet
cell.
The other featured four illnesses and a picture
of the causative bacteria.
Handouts of what a laboratory scientist does, classes
required and the schools in Iowa who offer the edu-
cation needed to become credentialed in the lab
field.
An opportunity to talk about
what we do and how it bene-
fits our fellow mankind.
I would like to thank the al-
most 20 different individuals
that took time from their busy schedules to come to
the Iowa State Fair and work in our booth. An add-
ed bonus to working was enjoying time at the
fair and of course eating something delicious
on a stick!
iSTEM and ASCLS ~ A
BLUE RIBBON DAY!
P a g e 2
N e w s S c o p e
FROM
THE
PRESIDENT
JANICE
FRERICHS
Make a Difference by Telling Your Story
I had an interesting conversation with one of my laboratory colleagues re-
cently. She had a heart attack 4 months ago and ended up in the emer-
gency room. She commented to me how grateful she was for the fast turn-
around time by the laboratory on her troponin level. Her troponin was ele-
vated and within an hour of hitting the ER door she was in the cardiac cath
lab having a procedure. As laboratory professionals we don’t always get to
hear directly from patients and see the impact we make on their health.
This story brought home to me how important those little things we do eve-
ry day in the laboratory to provide high quality results are to each individual
patient.
Mary Ann McLane, one of our past presidents of ASCLS encouraged each
of us to “tell our story”. I encourage all ASCLS-IA members to tell “our Iowa
story” whenever you get the chance. ASCLS-IA was able to reach out to
hundreds of Iowans at the Iowa State fair at our STEM booth. It was a great
day and gave us an opportunity to tell the public what we do as well put a
face on the profession. I had a great time working at the booth and met
laboratory professionals from Iowa that I had never met before. I am sure
each many of you across the state have participated in community activi-
ties or school career fairs that help us “tell our story”. I would love to hear
about those activities and share them our members. You can reach me at
[email protected]. I hope each of you take the time to make an im-
pact outside of the laboratory.
Jan Frerichs, MLS (ASCP)CM
President, ASCLS-IA
SPRING IS ALMOST HERE!!
The annual joint Spring Meeting with
Nebraska is right around the corner!
Put in your time off request in now!
You don’t want to miss out on all the fun!
Embassy Suites Conference Center, La Vista NE
April 8-10, 2015
P a g e
N e w s S c o p e
Dear Elissa:
I am writing to you from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Laboratory
Programs, Standards, and Services as the liaison to the CDC Ebola Response Clinical Laboratory
Workgroup.
This letter provides links to interim guidance documents that are posted on the CDC’s Ebola web site
(http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/) and listed below.
If your organizational leaders have questions or comments regarding these guidances, please share
them via reply to this email. We would welcome a conference call to discuss topics of concern at your
request.
Please note that your individual members may direct their questions to the CDC Emergency Opera-
tions Center mail box ([email protected]) or by telephone (1-770-488-7100).
• Interim Guidance for Specimen Collection, Transport, Testing, and Submission for Persons Under
Investigation for Ebola Virus Disease in the United States and the companion FAQs document How
U.S. Clinical Laboratories Can Safely Manage Specimens from Persons Under Investigation for Ebola
Virus Disease.
• http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/ebola-lab-guidance.pdf
• http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/guidance-safe-handling-human-remains-ebola-patients-us-hospitals
-mortuaries.html
• http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/select-agent-regulations.html
We value your partnership and appreciate your cooperation in disseminating these guidances to your
members. Additional educational resources and job aids are currently in development to facilitate the
implementation of these guidances as laboratories provide diagnostic testing for their patients. We also
welcome your suggestions for additional supporting materials that are identified through the review or
use of these materials.
The CDC understands that clinical laboratories are essential for successful diagnosis and support of
the nation’s Ebola response efforts. Through effective communication and partnership activities, we will
ensure that the concerns and needs of clinical laboratories are acknowledged and addressed for this
critical role to be fulfilled confidently and safely.
Sincerely,
Nancy E. Cornish M.D.
Medical Officer
Division of Laboratory Programs, Standards and Services
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services
Office of Public Health Scientific Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road, NE, MS-G25 Atlanta, GA 30333
404-498-2720 (office) 404-984-7743 (cell) 404-498-2210 (fax)
The following letter from the CDC was recently shared by our director, Elissa Passiment, as
a resource for the journey ahead regarding the Ebola crisis. Laboratories across the nation
are on the forefront and we will need to be prepared for whatever is thrown our way.
Please take a moment to visit these websites and gather all the information available to
keep yourself up to speed on what is evolving within our nation.
N e w s S c o p e
P a g e 4
PAC 101: The ins and outs of political action committees
By Theresa R. Fruehling, MLS (ASCP), MA
National Political Action Committee Board of Trustees Chair
Recently I was asked to write about the political action committee: what it
is; why is it important; why should members donate; how is the money
used/ spent; and how does supporting PAC in turn help support our profes-
sion? In order to cover the information I thought it best to break it into a
series of articles instead of laying all the information out at once (and
hopefully avoid the deer in headlights or glazed over expression that oc-
curs when too much information is presented at once.) I hope you find this
series helpful and informative.
Part 1: Definition and Classifications
Definition: A committee formed by business, labor or other special-interest groups to raise money and make
contributions to the campaigns of political candidates whom they support
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton
Mifflin Company)
In the beginning, well pre- World War II, political action committees did not exist. PACs weren’t needed until
the passage of the Smith Connally Act of 1943; which declared labor unions could no longer contribute funds
to federal candidates.² In 1944 President Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) was up for re-election and the labor unions
wanted to help support his campaign. In order to work around the Smith Connally Act the Congress of Indus-
trial Organizations (CIO) urged their individual members to voluntarily contribute money directly to the cam-
paign and the first political action committees were born. Since then political actions committees have ex-
panded into four different types: separate segregated funds; nonconnected or ideological; leadership and super.
Separate Segregated Fund (SSF): the most common type PAC, which collects contributions from a limited
group of individuals (corporation, labor organization, or incorporated membership organizations-i.e. ASCLS)
and uses these funds to make contributions to candidates whom support their issues. These PACs may receive
financial support from their “connected organization”. In other words the Federal Election Commission limits
solicitations to members only.³ʾ4
Nonconnected political committees (nonconnected PACs): are financially independent and are not subject to
solicitation restrictions and can ask for contributions from anyone. Nonconnected PACs are typically focused
on a single issue or ideology (NRA, World Wildlife Fund, etc.)
Leadership PAC: formed by politicians to help fund campaigns of their fellow politicians. These PACs are
formed in an effort to prove their loyalty to their party and/or to further their goal of being elected to a higher
office.
Super PACs: Independent expenditure-only committees. Super PAC were created in 2010 after a decision by
the Supreme Court in the trial of SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission. The ruling allows these
groups to raise money without any limits from individuals, organizations, and large donors such as corpora-
tions or labor unions. Super PACs are also not limited in the amount they can spend advocating for or against
P a g e 5
N e w s S c o p e
a candidate or issue; however they cannot directly work with a specific campaign or candidate. (Many critics have
expressed concern that Super PACs may in fact “buy” elections; however groups have been created to monitor the
activities between donors, candidates, lobbyists and campaign financing. These groups have been appropriately
named ‘Watchdog’ groups.)
Works cited:
1. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton
Mifflin Company, Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company
2. Longley, Robert. About PACs: Political action committee. https://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepoliticalsystem/a/
aboutpacs.htm
3. What is a PAC? http://uspolitics.about.com/od/finance/a/what_is_a_PAC.htm
4. SSFs and Nonconnected PACs. Federal Election Commission. www.fec.gov
Continued from page 4
DATES TO REMEMBER
Winter Board Meeting, January 18, 2015 VAMC, Iowa City Lab Conference Room
Legislative Symposium March 16-17, 2015 Washington D. C
Spring BOD Meeting April 7, 5:30 p.m. Embassy Suites Conference Center La Vista NE
Joint Spring Meeting with Nebraska April 8-10, 2015 Embassy Suites Conference Center
La Vista, NE
National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week April 19-25, 2015
I want to live in a world where the Food Network delivers
P a g e 6
N e w s S c o p e
NEWS FROM REGION VI
ASCLS-IA is part of a region that consists of IIllinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, or as we call
ourselves, Region VI. There is a director, secretary, and treasurer within each region. There are 10 re-
gions that make up the national ASCLS. Each state sends a representative to an annual board meeting
held as centrally located as possible. These board meetings help us as a region to stay in touch with
the issues affecting our organization at a national level and to unite us as a region to brainstorm on
what we can do to provide support in our efforts to move our professional organization to higher levels.
This year, Region VI held their board meeting at the Kirkwood Hotel in Cedar Rapids. On the agenda
for discussion was the continuing decline of ASCLS membership. Sharon Dussel, Region VI member-
ship committee representative reminds us as states to be contacting our lapsed members. There are 2
membership campaigns available to members at this current date. One is Gift a Member in which a
current member can give a membership to a colleague and Get a Member in which each current mem-
ber is encouraged to recruit one new member. Suzanne Campbell, Region VI director was asked to
take a suggestion back to the ASCLS board to send out information to states regarding the bundling op-
tion for institutional membership. This information could then be disseminated to laboratory managers
and educators in their respective states. Suzanne Campbell has been asked to run for ASCLS president
-elect. Our own Kim VonAhsen from Iowa has been approached by the nominations committee to run
for Region VI director. Since Kim is the current Region VI secretary, a new secretary will be elected at
the national meeting in Atlanta next summer. Iowa is in charge of making arrangements for the Rho
Sigma dinner at the meeting in Atlanta. If anyone has restaurant suggestions, please forward them to
Jan Frerichs. The Region VI Policy and Operations Manual was reviewed by the group and Kim VonAh-
sen is in the process of making the edits. Thank you all for your time and efforts spent in making AS-
CLS such a wonderful organization to belong to! You guys rock!
HU
MO
R K
EE
PS
YO
U H
EA
LTH
Y!
PRESIDENT Janice Frerichs
PRESIDENT-ELECT Open
PAST-PRESIDENT Theresa Fruehling
SECRETARY Sarah Beerends
TREASURER Neil Kumor
3rd YEAR BOARD MEMBER Susan Higgins
2nd YEAR BOARD MEMBER Mona Parekh
1st YEAR BOARD MEMBER Janet Whitney
BOARD MEMBER FYP Ellyn Houndeshell
BOARD MEMBER STUDENT Open
BY LAWS…………………………………….…….MICK WILLIAMS……………………………[email protected]
GOVT AFFAIRS/POLITICAL ACTION…….THERESA FRUEHLING………………[email protected]
HISTORIAN………………………………..VONNIE HINRICHSEN…………[email protected]
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT………………..SHEILA DUNN……………………..…[email protected]
MEMBER SERVICES……..……………K. LINDSEY DAVENPORT-LANDRY……[email protected]
NEW PROFESSIONALS…………………....SARAH BEERENDS………………[email protected]
ANNUAL MEETING……………….…….K. LINDSEY DAVENPORT-LANDRY……[email protected]
NOMINATIONS/AWARDS………………..THERESA FRUEHLING……………..…[email protected]
NEWSSCOPE EDITOR. ……………..VONNIE HINRICHSEN……………[email protected]
P.A.C.E……………………………………….…...KIM VON AHSEN……. ..……..…[email protected]
PROMOTION OF THE PROFESSION………...TARA SORENSEN…………[email protected]
CAREER RECRUITMENT……………..JUDY JACKSON……………………………[email protected]
PUBLIC RELATIONS……...………………...OPEN…………………………………………………………………………..
WEBMASTER………………………………..…….KIM VON AHSEN……...……………[email protected]
N e w s S c o p e
P a g e 7
2014—A YEAR IN REVIEW
There are some people in life that make you laugh a little louder, smile a little bigger and live a little
bit better.
May you all have fond and lasting memories of the time we spent with one another in 2014 and may
we strive to live a little better as we move forward into 2015.
