Nashville to Host Long Term Care Industry Leaders

LYNNE JETER

"We’re so excited to be in Nashville this year," said Chris Condeelis, AHCA senior director of quality and professional development. "It’s such a central location geographically and physically. We’ll have all of our programs under one roof, which will expand networking opportunities for our members rather than have them spread out. And when you come to a place like Opryland, which is really customer service oriented and where everyone is so nice, it generates a level of excitement in anticipation alone. We’re already feeling a warm outreach from Tennessee."

Ted Koppel, former anchor and managing editor of ABC News Nightline, and Chris Gardner, the inspiration for the film The Pursuit of Happyness, will keynote the industry’s largest annual networking event.

Koppel will present "Insight Spanning the Decades" at the opening general session. Gardner will close the general session and sign copies of his autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness, which chronicles his rags-to-riches story and made headlines when Will Smith starred in the movie version in 2006.

"Ted Koppel brings keen insights from the political perspective, which is incredibly important with such an important presidential election only a month away," said Condeelis. "Chris Gardner’s story is so inspirational that 25 students from Concord University in West Virginia, who wanted to bring him to campus but couldn’t afford it, decided there had to be another way; so, they asked AHCA/NCAL if they could attend. It’s interesting to see how all of the elements sometimes come together and opportunities like this are created."

Expo Hall


Already, 300 companies have signed up to exhibit the industry’s newest products and services in the AHCA/NCAL Expo Hall. The convention marks the largest expo specifically designed for long term care professionals, including those involved with nursing homes, continued care retirement communities, assisted living, subacute care, and developmental disability providers.

Technology, medical supplies and equipment, food service, insurance and risk management, quality improvement, rehabilitation, safety and transportation companies will be represented.

Seventy education sessions and workshops will begin on Sunday, Oct. 5, with 14 specialized tracks featuring top presentations from leading experts in long term care. New this year: the advocacy track.

"For the second year in a row, AHCA will be offering seminars beginning on Sunday so attendees can maximize their continuing education units (CEUs)," said Condeelis, adding that up to 17 CEUs may be earned with full package registration; the number can be boosted to 23 by participating in NCAL Day.

"This is a time for our members to come together for the most up-to-date information in long term care," said Condeelis. "The tracks, targeting specific providers, range from quality and clinical care to business management and technical support. Of particular interest on the 2008 session matrix, particularly in the light of the exhausting multi-week period involving Hurricanes Gustav and Ike: "Wildfires, Chemical Spills, Hurricanes, Ice Storm, Pandemic – Evacuate or Shelter in Place."

Partnerships


For the second consecutive year, the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) will host NCAL Day (Sunday, Oct. 5), focusing on leadership, including staff recruitment and retention, staff orientation, and professional development opportunities for professionals affiliated with assisted living facilities.

After Doug Lipp, former head of training at Disney Studio’s Walt Disney University, keynotes NCAL Day, some attendees will participate in NCAL’s "Top Gun" virtual leadership program. The four-hour session will be led by Chris Mason of Vigilan Software and involves teams of three participants working through different phases of turning around a poor performing assisted living community. The team with the best facility turnaround will be awarded "Top Gun" recognition.

The National Association for the Support of Long Term Care (NASL) also will host educational meetings, networking with colleagues tailored to ancillary suppliers, briefings on legislative and regulatory changes, and panel discussions.

Recognition


"At the closing session with Chris Gardner, we’ll celebrate AHCA’s Quality Award recipients for 2008," said Condeelis. "Our awards program was founded on the Malcolm Baldridge program to honor the highest level of quality. This year, we have 340 winners. Most importantly, we’ll celebrate three facilities that have achieved Step 3, the highest level. Only six facilities have achieved Step 3 status since 1996. Twenty-three facilities will be recognized for achieving Step 2. The majority of those being recognized have completed Step 1. Those folks are at the beginning of their quality journey."

AHCA will also celebrate members participating in the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes, a national, collaborative initiative to improve the quality of life for residents and staff in long term care.

"Of the 7,000 participating facilities nationwide, 70 percent are AHCA members, which shows the strength of our membership," said Condeelis.

The Fun Factor


Golfers will tee up at the AHCA/NCAL-PAC Golf Tournament at Gaylord Springs on Sunday. The Charlie Daniels Band will highlight the AHCA/NCAL-PAC Dinner at the Wildhorse Saloon on Monday, and Wynonna will headline the Gala Dinner and Show on Wednesday.

"It looks like our numbers for the gala will surpass our expectations and I don’t think it’s the food we’ll be serving, although it will be quite good," said Condeelis. "We’re so fortunate to hold the convention in Nashville because there are such wonderful choices for talent. We’ve already had good buzz about both The Charlie Daniels Band and Wynonna."