/ Chapter Newsletter
Spring, 2014 / Volume 22, Number 4
In This Issue
·  RRV ONS President’s Message
·  Member Profile
·  Upcoming ONS Meeting
·  RRV ONS Donations
·  Social Media Update
·  ONS Opportunities
·  Looking forward
Contact Us:
Please contact any board member if you have questions or suggestions to make ours a better chapter
President, Virtual Community Editor: Joy.Leppi @cancercenternd.com
Past President:
Program Chair:
Joy.Leppi @cancercenternd.com
Treasurer:
diana.moon@sanford
health.org
Secretary:

Membership: sandra.stokke @essentiahealth.org
Newsletter

Nominating Chair:

Member Profile
Future Meeting Dates:
Page 2


Upcoming RRV ONS meeting: Page 3

Donations: Page 4
Donations continued: page 5
Social Media Pointers:
Page 6
Other ONS Opportunities: Page 7 /

RRV ONS President’s Message

Thank you Red River Valley ONS members for allowing me to be your president again for another year. I will try to do as good a job as Barb Sherburne did but she did such a good job that it will be difficult.
As we look forward to this year please keep in mind that we are in desperate need of a President Elect. We can hold a special election if anyone would be interested in the job. Without a potential president for next year our chapter may be in trouble so please think hard and seriously if this might be something you could do. Remember there are perks; $1,500 scholarship to Congress, ONS Leadership weekend in Pittsburgh and professional recognition just to name a few things. The other positions that will be open next year are Nominating, Program and Treasurer. (Keep this in mind when you are thinking about getting involved.)
We have an exciting year planned for the RRV ONS Chapter. As you know we have already had our first meeting of the year in Grand Forks. We had very good attendance for such an early meeting. I think it helped having an interesting topic on Social Media.
We are busy planning the second meeting that will be held on April 24 in Fargo. It will be on the Affordable Care Act and how it impacts Oncology Nursing. This will be an important topic for our patients as we see the ACA being implemented and it will impact our patients and work practice.
I hope that you plan to attend some of the meeting this year. We are trying our best to balance the topics requested from the needs assessment and providing CEU’s. This is always a struggle but I think they will be informative and fun. We plan to continue to give out door prizes with each meeting. We have even increased the $100 free membership award to $130 to cover the whole registration.
Remember that is you have any suggestions, concerns please let me know or anyone on the board, we want to be here to serve you.
Sincerely,
Joy
Joy Leppi
President RRV ONS

Member Profile
Pieper Fleck Bloomquist
Graduated from : University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 1991
Number of Yrs in Oncology/Nursing: 23 years
Work Background:
·  University of Minnesota Gyn Onc inpatient unit (1991-2001),
·  Lutheran General, Mount Prospect, IL Gyn Onc and Trauma stepdown inpatient units (1994-1996)
·  Altru Health System Oncology inpatient unit 6th floor (1998 - present)
·  Altru Cancer Center Radiation Oncology (2008 - present)
What attracted you to Oncology Nursing:
I love our patients! When I was a CNA on an oncology unit I loved the way the nurses and patients had built a relationship with each other. There is a special bond between them neither the families of the patients, nor the nurses, can quite understand. I quickly learned that it was a privilege to know these patients and help navigate them through intensely complex and frightening situations.
What do you feel is important about ONS?
ONS is an incredibly valuable tool for continued learning and professional development. I know I can rely on ONS to keep me up to date on the latest treatments for our patients, allowing me to be a better practitioner. ONS meetings are fun! I love getting together with other Oncology nurses from our area, both because of the information that I get, but mostly due to the sense of camaraderie and peer support.
Personal background:
Originally from Minnesota, I have happily made my home in Grand Forks, ND. My husband, Michael Wittgraf, and I have raised two wonderful girls who are community minded and have a fierce sense of social justice. They are both smart, well spoken women who have taught Mike and I a lot! When I am not being a nurse, I spend my time studying and painting Scandinavian Folk Arts, and drinking coffee with Mike.
Future RRV ONS meeting Dates
April 24,2014 Fargo
June 26,2014 Grand Forks
August 28,2014 (Vendor Fair) Fargo
September 27,2014 (Saturday workshop- Professional Development) Fargo
November 18,2014 Fargo
Upcoming ONS Meeting (Fargo)
Have you been wondering how health care reform will impact your job and the lives of your patients? Join us for an exciting evening that will broaden our understanding of this topic. Please invite a nursing colleague, a nursing student or any health care professional that may benefit from this information!
Reimbursement
Affordable Care Act
and
Oncology Nursing
Sponsored by Genentech
Thursday
April 24, 2014
6:00 pm: Registration
6:30- 6:45 pm: Business Meeting/Door Prizes
6:45-7:30 pm: Presentation
7:30-7:45 pm: Q&A and Wrap Up
Location:

Hilton Garden Inn- Fargo

4351 17th Ave S

Fargo, ND 58103

Please call Joy Leppi at Red River Valley ONS

701-787-5800

Sorry no CEU’s for this event

Donations

As part of the RRV ONS’s commitment to the community, our chapter has taken it upon ourselves to give back to the oncology community. In 2014 we propose to give $9,350 to the following organizations:
Embrace:
https://www.facebook.com/sanfordembrace Sanford Cancer’s embrace Survivorship Program brings together cancer patients, family members and caregivers to help address the emotional, physical and financial effects of cancer on patients and their families. They believe from the moment a patientien is diagnosed, they are a survivor. Together, they embrace life, each other and the future as each finds connection, empowerment and education in the cancer journey forward.
Hope Foundation:
http://www.hopefoundationnd.org/
The Hope Foundation of North Dakota is a non-profit organization charged with the mission of supporting the education, screening, research and financial assistance of cancer patients in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota.
Ronald McDonald House:
http://www.rmhcfargo.org/
The Ronald McDonald House provides home-like comfort, support and care for families with children receiving medical care in Fargo-Moorhead. They look to expand their presence through community partnerships to provide exceptional care and comfort to an increasing number of families.
Filling the Gap:
http://www.altru.org/services/cancer/support/
Filling The Gap is a grant program developed to lessen the financial burden for Altru Cancer Center patients who need to travel from northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota to receive cancer treatment. The original grant was made available by Gap Foundation, through the first ever Gap Founders’ Award.
Women’s Way:
http://www.ndhealth.gov/womensway/
Women’s Way provides a way to pay for most breast and cervical cancer screenings for eligible North Dakota women.
Essentia Foundation:
https://www.essentiahealth.org/EssentiaHealthRegionalFoundation/
Essentia Health Regional Foundation supports the mission – to make a healthy difference in people’s lives – by enlisting the financial support of caring individuals and organizations. Our primary goal is to extend patient-focused care throughout the community by being known as a trusted voice and a healing hand in times of need. We use all contributions to benefit the mission of Essentia Health.
Kamp Kace:
http://www.kampkace.org/
Kamp KACE provides a safe, rewarding, and memorable camp experience for school-aged kids with cancer and their siblings.
Cope Well:
http://copewell.org/about.html
The Cope Well Foundation is a local, nonprofit organization with two missions: 1) Help those affected by cancer overcome the emotional challenges of cancer survivorship and 2) Bring awareness to ALL survivors of ALL cancer types.
ONS Foundation
http://www.ons.org/
Since 1981, the ONS Foundation has partnered with oncology nursing supporters, like you, to achieve the ONS mission to support oncology nursing to improve the lives of people with or at risk for cancer. Through generous donor support, the ONS Foundation has provided more than $23 million in funding support oncology nursing awards, grants, scholarships, and educational initiatives. These funds have played a critical role in improving patient care and advancing the oncology nursing profession.
The ONS Foundation is here to help you! Thousands of oncology nurses have been recipients of grant awards through the ONS Foundation.
Even though RRV ONS Chapter donates to the foundation it is still encouraged that members donate individually also.
LeRoyce Hagen Memorial Lectureship-PANCAM 2014
This donation will be in honor of one of our founding members, Le Royce Hagen, who battled pancreatic cancer in 2013. This year we will be donating to the PANCAM Foundation, but will rotate cancer type for contributions each year. We will also be holding a special annual lecture series in LeRoyce’s memory.

Social Media Pointers/Terms

In case you missed our February meeting on Social Media and Oncology Nursing, we are sharing some social media terms you may find helpful. Be sure and attend our fall program for more career building seminars, and information.
Social Media Terms (Twitter):
Tweet. A post on Twitter, a real-time social messaging system and microblogging service.
Handle. The unique username selected, designated by an “@username” identifier, and its accompanying URL, for example: http://twitter.com/username.
Follow. To subscribe to another user's tweets or updates on the Twitter.com Web site or using a dedicated application.
Mention. To refer to another user in a tweet by including that user's @username handle.
Timeline. A collected stream of tweets listed in real-time order. For example, when a user logs in to Twitter, their home timeline is a long stream showing all tweets from other users they follow, with the newest messages at the top.
Retweet (noun; RT). A tweet by another user, forwarded to you by someone you follow. RTs are often used to spread news or share valuable findings on Twitter.
Retweet (verb; RT). To rebroadcast another user's tweet to all of your followers by adding the RT tag to the beginning of the tweet.

Other ONS Opportunities

Are you going to Congress 2014?
May 1-4 Anaheim CA
To register go to: http://congress.ons.org/
Over four days of fresh thinking, you'll tackle the world of cancer care, from symptom management and treatment innovations to leadership, research, and administration. You can earn up to 32 contact hours of continuing nursing education.

Looking forward
We are considering doing a Facebook page for the RRV ONS group. Let Joy Leppi or one of the other board members know your thoughts. We believe it might help keep everyone in the RRV ONS loop.