This week, as we celebrate National Health Care Volunteers Week, we have to recognize the amazing, hard-working volunteers that help make WASHAA a growing resource in the community.  We are very proud of our WASHAA Board that have helped WASHAA grow since our founding in 2012.  
 
We also recognize WASHAA outstanding volunteers:
  • Ingrid Nielson, RN who manages our Webinar Series
  • Karen Vogel, who researches and responds to Inquiries and supports the Webinar Series
  • Florence Harvey, who is the founder of Care Brigade and is a WASHAA Member
  • Margaret Montsaroff who has helped develop and analyze the National Health and Patient Advocate Annual Report
  • Beth Droppert, RN, BSN, who is a co-founder of WASHAA and manages our Advocate Networking events
April 23 - 29 - National HC Volunteers Week http://www.ahvrp.org/programs/vol_week_2017.shtml
 
We are always looking for volunteers to help with our programs, technology and marketing.  Please contact us at info@washaa.org if you have a specific skill to share or want to be more involved.  There is plenty to do!
Wishing you good health,

Robin Shapiro
Chair, WASHAA Board

Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 
10:00 - 11:00 A.M. PST 
Online via GoToWebinar.com

Finding health information that you can trust can be a daunting task given the vast online resources available at our fingertips.  Join us for a presentation by  Carolyn Martin, MLA, AHIP the Consumer Health Coordinator for the Pacific NW region of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.  She will help us figure out how to get the information you want and need from the comprehensive, but often overwhelming, National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health databases.  In addition, she will discuss what you should look for when evaluating the quality of health information on general Web sites and the importance of being a "cyberskeptic" if health claims sound too good to be true.  She will walk us through reputable resources and provide links to information that librarians rely on. 

Support WASHAA Through GIVEBig on May 10th
Please plan on  supporting WASHAA with a financial gift to help us continue the progress we are making.  On May 10th,  WASHAA will participate in the GIVEBig campaign organized by the  Seattle Foundation . By giving a gift to WASHAA through this campaign - your dollars will go farther.  We have secured matched dollars and your gift can also enable WASHAA to qualify for contributions through the Seattle Foundation. You can give in this campaign as early as April 27th. By planning and giving through this campaign, WASHAA can also count on your funds being used right away for major initiatives this year:  updating our technology, hiring our first part-time staff person, expanding our public presentations and volunteer health advocate training, and reaching beyond western Washington state.  Please plan your gift today and stay tuned for more information about how to give. Thanks in advance for your support!

WASHAA Member Just Published A Book Available through Amazon.com 
Do you have an AmazonSmile Account?  AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at  smile.amazon.com , you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support.  This costs you nothing, but by shopping in this way, hundreds of dollars could be donated to WASHAA. 
  • Shop directly with AmazonSmile and WASHAA here: Shop WASHAA & AmazonSmile
  • Link for more information about AmazonSmile and how you can help here.
WASHAA Member Gordon Heinrichs publishes book on 
Communicating with your Doctor:
 
Shawn Carey, M.ED.'s  review :  Is there anything more valuable than our good health?  When we are healthy we enjoy life to the fullest. Dr. Gordon Heinrichs has provided a formula for communicating effectively with those who we entrust our care.  His clear and sensible step by step protocol will help you to ask clarifying questions that increase your chances for good health. He provides examples of what good doctor patient relationships look like and how to prepare for the office visit. He provides doctors with communication practices to maximize the needs of their patients.  Enjoy the easy to read  Did Your Doctor Pass Communications 101 ? and learn why health literacy will lead to high quality communication with your doctor and good health. To learn more about Gordon, visit: http://www.washaa.org/washaa-health-advocate-member-directory.html . You can meet Gordon in person at our Advocate Networking Meeting May 23.  Sign up today: http://tiny.cc/WASHAAMay23.

Save the Dates!

10 am, April 26 - FREE WASHAA Webinar
Consumer Health Librarian Carolyn Martin, MLS, AHIP will discuss  Finding Health Information You Can Trust. Click here for full details and please register here to attend this free online webinar.
 
5 pm, May 23 - Advocate Networking Event: Advocates or those interested in 
 advocacy are invited to our periodic Advocate Networking Event.  At this meeting , Gordon Heinrichs, WASHAA member, author and advocate will discuss educating the public about health literacy. To learn more about Gordon, visit the WASHAA Member Directory, or visit his website. Register here for the event.  

Other Community Meetings You Might Enjoy
May 11 -- 15th Annual Northwest Patient Safety Conference: The Northwest Patient Safety Conference is presented annually by the Washington Patient Safety Coalition. The only comprehensive patient safety event in the Northwest, this conference brings together hundreds of regional healthcare leaders.  For more information or to register go to:  https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1918621
 
WASHAA Presentations You Can Use
Want to know more about Health Advocacy?  Do you have a group who could benefit from learning about what health advocacy is and how to do it?  WASHAA and WASHAA members are available to give presentations on a variety of topics.  Here are a few:
 
Patient No More
How Being a Participant in your own Care and Having a Health Advocate Can Save your Life
Join Robin Shapiro, from WASHAA (the Washington State Health Advocacy Association), for a session to learn more about how to improve your health care experience with skills and insights into becoming more active in your own health.  Everyone has the ability to seek better choice and control in health care decision-making.  This session will review some of the most important ways people can become full Participants by applying common health advocacy skills. Be ready for an interactive, hands-on session, with must-know tips for anyone who has ever assisted family, friends or themselves in navigating the health care system.  To schedule this or other presentations, contact: info@washaa.org
 
Safe and Sound in the Hospital
Medical errors in the hospital are the third leading cause of death in our country.
1  A successful hospital experience includes knowing what actions patients and their families should take.  Learn about some of the opportunities and challenges that hospitals face and what patients and their families can do to help.  Bring a notebook and pen to write down specific tips and tools that you can use when you or a loved one is in the hospital. 
 
This content was compiled and is presented with permission by Campaign Zero, a non-profit organization dedicated to zeroing out preventable medical errors.  To schedule a presentation, contact: info@washaa.org   
1 Journal of Patient Safety, Sept 2013 - Vol 9 - Issue 3 p 122-128
 
CareBrigade - Member Florence Harvey Florence
Be Prepared! Don't Go Thru a Serious Illness/Surgery Alone!
Create a "Just in Case" CareBrigade for Yourself or a Loved One
 
Have you, a friend, or family member ever faced a life-threating illness, like cancer, navigated an at-home recovery after major surgery or a "marvel of science" procedure like hip or knee surgery?   Did you or they have a live-in partner to serve as a caregiver?  If so, you were among a very fortunate few. 
 
Today many adults are single, living alone; some single parents, many fragile seniors. Few of us live close to our immediate families; many folks don't know their neighbors. Even when family is nearby, how many family members can afford to take time off work, to be a live-in caregiver, especially over a long stretch of time?   By the end of the training, you will know: what support Roles even a newly diagnosed Patient needs, whom to invite to play each Role, and will be able to use the CareBrigade Web site's downloadable forms and FREE online technology tools to support you and others in fulfilling those Roles even over distance. If you are interested in hosting this training, please contact WASHAA member Florence Harvey at carebrigade@comcast.net.  Florence recently presented CareBrigade at Phinney Neighborhood Village! Check out her website at: CareBrigade.com!


Do you have something you would like to share with the WASHAA community?  Please submit ideas to info@washaa.org.

Deadline to submit content is the second  Monday of every month. The e-newsletter will be sent on the third Monday of the month.


Washington State Health Advocacy Association