Outgoing AAOHN President Kay Campbell with 2011 International OHN Participants
AAOHN Update from MWAOHN President Barbara Hayden, RN COHN-S
The
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) has a compelling
definition for our field:
"Occupational
and environmental health nursing is the specialty practice that provides for
and delivers health and safety programs and services to workers, worker
populations and community groups. The practice focuses on promotion and
restoration of health, prevention of illness and injury and protection from
work related and environmental hazards. Occupational and environmental
health nurses (OHNs) have a combined knowledge of health and business that they
blend with healthcare expertise to balance the requirement for a safe and
healthful work environment with a 'healthy' bottom line."
How
do we accomplish all of this? Only through continuous learning so that we will
not get entrenched in what we do but instead stay open all the emerging and
cross-pollinating ideas that swirl around occupational health and safety.
Seven
MWAOHN members answered the call to do this by attending the AAOHN
National Conference in Atlanta May 2 - 5: "Health and Safety of Workers
at Home and
Around the World." Three of us also
attended the Pre-conference: "The Global Summit-OHNs Contributions to a
Healthy Workforce" on May 1 - 2.
What did we learn? You can ask each of us when you see us: Karen Barry,
Esmee Swann, and I attended the Global Summit as well as the National
Conference; Denise James, Angela Ward, Rochelle Vinson, and Deborah
Garrison
attended the National Conference. I can speak for myself only, of
course, and
share the following high points/take-home points from the 5 days:
The World Health Organization (WHO) identified
in its 2007 World Health Assembly that 25% of the global burden of
disease is occupationally related. WHO created a global plan of action on
workers health, identifying that "workers represent half of the world's
population and are the major contributors to economic and social
development." The evidence is in: healthy workers will make a healthy,
productive nation. To read the document (only 12 pages!) go to http://www.who.int/occupational_health/WHO_health_assembly_en_web.pdf
By 2030, the global burden of disease
in industrialized nations will shift to chronic diseases, many linked to
lifestyle/behavior. The need for prevention programs is irrefutable: forward-thinking employers recognize the
business imperatives of promoting good
health. Johnson & Johnson's global model of primary care clinics staffed
with OHNs and Nurse Practitioners has shown a 2-to-1 return on investment and
100% employee satisfaction and requests for more service. A trend is growing to
integrate primary care with occupational health nursing.
In 1993, the European Union (EU)
established its first Occupational Health Nursing organization, the counterpart
to AAOHN: "The Federation of Occupational Health Nurses within the
European Union." They have their work cut out for them: in 2007, the EU
suffered 5,580 fatal work accidents; in 207 alone, 83 million days of sick
leave due to work related accidents was used and that figure excludes those on
permanent injury. There are an estimated 45,000 Occupational Health Nurses in
the EU; by contrast, AAOHN estimates that North America has 53,000 Occupational
Health Nurses. All are invited - and Esmee is really excited about going - to
their 5th International Congress on Occupational Health in
Tarragona, Spain September 20 - 22, 2012. Their web site is www.fohneu.org.
Brave, dedicated occupational health nurses
work in the Pacific Rim, which includes China, a country only recently
awakening to the health scourges of industrialization. In the city of Hong
Kong, 7 million people live and work; in China, the population is 1.3 billion
The Carter Center, whose mission is "Waging
Peace and Fighting disease" and whose modus
operandi is action and results, not think-tank activities, has several
mental health initiatives in addition to its eradication efforts on several
devastating tropical diseases. Former
First Lady Rosalynn Carter has written two books on the subject "Helping Someone
with Mental Illness" and "Within our Reach." While on tour in the Carter Center, we heard a
presentation on mental health in the UK that highlighted the leading causes of
sickness absence there as stress, anxiety, and depression. Go to the website to see the compelling
research on this new field: http://www.bis.gov.uk/foresight/our-work/projects/published-projects/mental-capital-and-wellbeing.
2011 DC Delegates Denise, Karen, Esmee, Barbara, Angela, and Rochelle
MWAOHN Members and International Summit Participants
DC Delegates at the Business Meeting
Deb Garrison, 2nd from Left. Scholarship Recipient
AAOHN hopes to have a global summit
attached to the National Conference every few years because the world is
shrinking and we can use all the help we
can get to achieve healthy workers and workplaces.
From the national conference, my main take home
point is that, at LL Bean, Wellness programs have proven a 5.3-to-1 return on
investment.
Next year's national Conference will
be in Nashville, TN April 23 - 26, 2012 - let's ALL go!
Thu, 17 May 2012 14:04:00 EST For Suicide Prevention- Why Do I Do What I Do at the Injury Center CDC research finds more than 36,000 people kill themselves each year. One of our epidemiologists is bravely sharing her personal struggle with suicidal thoughts – and why she’s motivated to do the work she does today.
Wed, 09 May 2012 14:55:00 EST Learn more about teen dating violence with our interactive Facebook app You can help Veto Violence in teen dating relationships. Among adult victims of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, 22.4% of women and 15.0% of men first experienced some form of partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age.
Thu, 03 May 2012 17:05:00 EST “It’s Time … To Talk About It!” This is Sexual Assault Awareness Month! Learn more about what the National Sexual Violence Resource Center is doing to raise awareness about the month and the issue.
Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:39:00 EST
Latest Top (5) News
QuickStats: Birth Rates* for Teens Aged 15–19 Years, by Age Group — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 1960–2010 U.S. teen birth rates declined to historic lows for all age groups in 2010. The rate for teens aged 15–19 years fell 62% from 1960, when the birth rate was 89.1 per 1,000 women, and 44% from a rate of 61.8 in 1991 to 34.3 in 2010. Most of the decline in birth rates for teens occurred from 1960 to 1980 and then again after 1991. Decreases in birth rates for teens aged 18–19 years generally were greater than the decreases for teens aged 15–17 years from 1960 through 1978. From 1991 to 2010, decreases in birth rates for teens aged 15–17 years were greater.
Fri, 11 May 2012 14:55:00 EST QuickStats: Asthma* Death Rates, by Race and Age Group — United States, 2007–2009 In 2007–2009, the asthma death rate in the United States was higher for blacks than whites overall and for each age group, except persons aged =75 years, for whom the difference was not statistically significant. The rate for blacks aged 0–14 years was almost eight times greater than for whites in that age group. The rate for blacks aged 65–74 years was only approximately three times higher than for whites in that age group. Asthma death rates increased with age for blacks and whites.
Fri, 04 May 2012 14:53:00 EST QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged 18–64 Years Who Reported Fair or Poor Health,* by Type of Locality — National Health Interview Survey, 2008–2010 The percentage of adults aged 18–64 years reporting fair or poor health during 2008–2010 was lowest among those residing in large fringe metropolitan counties (7.9%) and highest among those in the most rural counties (15.7%). Compared with large fringe metropolitan counties, the prevalence of fair or poor health was 20% higher in large central metropolitan counties (9.5%), 39% higher in medium metropolitan counties (11.0%), 34% higher in small metropolitan counties (10.6%), 68% higher in nonmetropolitan town/city (micropolitan) counties (13.3%), and 99% higher in nonmetropolitan rural counties (15.7%).
Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:49:00 EST QuickStats: Percentage of Adults with Activity Limitations, by Age Group and Type of Limitation — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2010* In 2010, the percentages of adults with limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) and limitations in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) increased with age. Adults aged =75 years were almost three times as likely as adults aged 65–74 years (11.0% versus 3.7%) to require the help of another person with ADLs and with IADLs (18.8% versus 6.5%). Adults in each age group were more likely to require help with IADLs than with ADLs.
Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:42:00 EST
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Megan Menth| AAOHN | Chapter Services | Megan.Menth@aaohn.org | Direct Line (850) 475-3505
