December 2009 council Currents
NHC Updates
- Doubling the Treatment Pipeline to FDA & Biosimilars
- Comparative Effectiveness Research
- Delivering on the Promise of eHealth
- Supporting NIH, a Collaborative Database
- Appropriations
- Campaign to Put Patients First
Inside the NHC
- 2009 Management Compensation Survey
- Chief Scientific/Medical Officers and Research Directors Meeting
- 2010 Voluntary Health Leadership Conference
- NHC Launches Website Job Bank for Members
- Lotsa Helping Hands
- BoardSource Partnership
- International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations
- The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP)
- Presentations by NHC Staff
- AAHRPP
2009 Management Compensation Survey
To help member voluntary health agencies better hone their recruiting and retention efforts, the National Health Council annually releases a benchmarking report of compensation practices across a spectrum of more than 80 mid-level and executive positions. The report, a joint effort by the NHC and the National Human Services Assembly, includes data from both VHAs and human service organizations, such as the Salvation Army.
The newly designed federal form 990, which must be filed by non-profit organizations, asks whether an organization uses comparability data for determining the compensation of staff. Good corporate governance guidelines are increasingly stressing compensation and benefits surveys as a basis for analyzing the propriety of chief executive and senior staff compensation.
This year 53 national organizations located around the country participated in the survey, the highest participation since the report’s inception. In keeping with past practice, one free copy of the Management Compensation Report was sent to all participating VHAs. For all others, the report is available at the member price of $100 ($125 for nonmembers) by going to the NHC publications page.
Chief Scientific/Medical Officers and Research Directors Meeting
The annual meeting of our chief scientific/medical officers and research directors was held on Tuesday, October 6. Discussion focused around NHC Guidelines on Research Grant Overhead, the NHC-NIH database of unfunded research, and a new NHC initiative designed to target unmet need by promoting the development of new treatments. For more information about the meeting or to find out when the next meeting will be held, please contact Kelly Clapp at kclapp@nhcouncil.org.
2010 Voluntary Health Leadership Conference
The National Health Council’s 23rd Annual Voluntary Health Leadership Conference will be held at the Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona, February 10-12, 2010. Click here to view a draft the agenda for the Conference. This unique event for the CEOs and volunteer leaders of patient advocacy organizations is an opportunity to network with peers and learn about the pressing health care issues of the day. For more information about the facility, please visit the resort’s website at www.omnitucsonnational.com. Hotel reservations can be made until December 31, 2009. Additional questions about the conference should be directed to Donna O’Leary at oleary@nhcouncil.org.
NHC Launches Website Job Bank for Members
The National Health Council has recently launched a special page on its website for member organizations to post job openings. The idea of the job bank is to foster the unique talent pool among our member health organizations. The NHC views the job bank as a way to help you connect with talented and experienced people – and vice versa.
Since launch, we have posted multiple listings from over 10 NHC member organizations. The NHC Job Bank has proven to be a top landing page for the website, seeing over 250 direct hits to the page directly.
For more information and to submit a job opening, please e-mail Emily Noonan, Manager Communications and Marketing, at enoonan@nhcouncil.org using the form on the NHC website.
Lotsa Helping Hands
The NHC has recently partnered with Lotsa Helping Hands, extending the NHC’s reach to spread the word about its mission to provide a united voice for people with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers. Lotsa Helping hands is an easy-to-use, web-based service that provides a simple way for friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to assist loved ones in need. The service includes a private group calendar, specifically designed for organizing helpers, where everyone can pitch in providing meals, rides, and doing other tasks necessary for life to run smoothly during times of medical crisis, end-of-life caring, or family caregiver exhaustion. It's also a place to keep these "circles of community" informed with status updates, photo galleries, message boards, and more. You can lean more by going to http://nhc.lotsahelpinghands.com/caregiving/home/.
BoardSource Partnership
The NHC has ended its 2009 BoardSource membership drive for its nonprofit and association members. BoardSource membership provides everything a nonprofit organization needs to build a high-performing board. Members use its resources and services to find solutions, leadership tips, and governance knowledge about board-related issues.
Twenty-five National Health Council member organizations have enrolled their board members and key staff at the national and chapter levels using the NHC program. To learn more about this program, you can contact Kelly Clapp at kclapp@nhcouncil.org. If you have specific questions about BoardSource, please visit the BoardSource website at http://www.boardsource.org.
International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO)
IAPO is a unique global alliance representing patients of all nationalities across all disease areas and promoting patient-centered health care around the world. On August 1, 2009, NHC President Myrl Weinberg began serving her term as immediate past chair of IAPO.
In October, IAPO together with four regional supporting organizations, held a regional workshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina for patient groups in Latin America. Bringing together 27 patient groups from 11 Latin American countries, the workshop continued IAPO’s work to support patient groups to promote patient-centred health care globally. The IAPO Governing Board also met concurrently with the workshop, with Weinberg in attendance.
The 4th Global Patients Congress will be held February 23-25, 2010, in Istanbul, Turkey, and will focus on the value of patient engagement. For more information about IAPO please visit http://www.patientsorganizations.org/index.pl.
The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP)
The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) It is said that the greatest gift is one which is given anonymously, giving when you do not know whether you will get direct personal benefit. This is the gift that individuals give by taking part in clinical research. It is a brave and selfless act. The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) Medical Heroes program honors and educates the medical heroes found in everyday life -- people who have already been involved.
The Medical Heroes newsletter features
- Medical Hero in the Spotlight, which profiles a person involved in clinical trials;
- Getting Involved: Tips and Advice, which contains useful information for people considering volunteering;
- Your Next Steps, with information telling volunteers how to remain involved with clinical trials activities after they’ve participated;
- What’s New in Clinical Research, which provides timely news and updates about trial results.
To learn more about CISCRP and its Medical Heroes program, go to http://www.ciscrp.org. The National Health Council is a proud supporter of CISCRP.
Presentations by NHC Staff
- NHC President Myrl Weinberg spoke at the NIH Scientific Management Review Board Working Group on Deliberating Organizational Change and Effectiveness on October 23, and at the American College of Cardiology on October 24.
- NHC Assistant Vice President for Government Affairs and Programs Kevin Cain was a guest speaker at the Oregon Rheumatology Alliance Summit on Advocacy, as well as the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress Fall Conference.
- NHC Director of Communications and Marketing Nancy Hughes was a guest speaker at the Power of Partnering Northeast Regional Meeting in Suffern, New York, on October 6.
- NHC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Marc Boutin spoke at a congressional briefing on incentives for American medical innovation on October 5, participated on a panel on “personalizing each patient” at the Aspen Health Forum Highlights event on October 14, and was a guest speaker at the Power of Partnering Midwest Regional Meeting in Chicago, IL on October 28.
