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FAET Annual State Conference 

The 43rd FAET Annual conference was held in Ft Lauderdale at the end of April. For the second year after the pandemic, we hosted an in-person event. The face-to-face interaction with WOC colleagues was delightful. We had 85 attendees and 35 Vendors.

The meeting offered the opportunity to network and get acquainted with new wound, ostomy, and continence care technologies. Some of your comments were: "Loved the harp, great treat!" "Great to have time to sit with vendors over a meal."

The speakers received many accolades, and most of you want some professors to present again at the 2023 FAET conference. The Case studies series was one of the favorite presentations, showcasing thought-provoking cases. During the annual membership meeting at conference, elections were held for Treasurer and Secretary. Congratulations to Stephanie Garcia, Treasurer; and Dense James-Greene, Secretary.

For more information, go to FAET.org and to register.

Save the date for May 19 and 20, 2023, for the 44th FAET conference. It will be in the Tampa Bay area. The theme is WOC Around the World and the planning committee has been hard at work developing an agenda and securing speakers. If you’re interested in helping, please contact Valerie Miller at vmiller4590@yahoo.com.  

Theresa Pineda and Kathryn Dere recently spoke at the SUNA National Conference in New Orleans. Theresa presented on stoma care entitled “Stoma Care for the Urostomy: From Basic to Challenging”. Kathryn presented on urinary incontinence containment entitled “Help They Peed, and I Don’t Know What to Use!”. Congratulations ladies!

On another note of special kudos, Patti Brennen, who works at Central Florida Reginal Hospital in Sanford, FL, was the recipient of the Clinician of the Year for Outstanding Care. This was a corporate ward for the Northeast region. Way to go Patti!!!

Greetings from Florida!

I sincerely hope Hurricane Ian was not too destructive for you. I know some people were out of power for a few days to couple of weeks, some lost their roofs, and our colleagues in Fort Meyers/southwest area lost everything. My thoughts and prayers are still with you as you continue to put your life back together. And if Ian wasn’t enough, along came Nicole. Are we done for this year?

Osto Group is collecting and distributing vitally essential ostomy supplies to those ostomates ravaged by both Hurricane Ian and Nicole. You can help by donating only the following ostomy supplies: pouches and wafers (all sizes, types, convex and flat), deodorants, pastes, rings/seals, and barrier strips/extenders. Any help you can give to those who have lost everything will be deeply appreciated. For questions, call Osto Group at 877-678-6690. Please mark your boxes in the following manner and send them to:

Hurricane Ian Relief
Osto Group
3500 45th Street
Suite 16A
West Palm Beach, FL 33418

SALLY MATSON, MS, BSN, CWOCN is retiring! Sally Matson has been around forever and has been an ET/WOC Nurse for 40 years. She has mentored many of us throughout her long career. After gifted a grant from the American Cancer Society, she attended Houston’s MD Anderson ET School due to her oncology background. Afterwards, she partnered with Gwen Turnbull, colleague, and dear friend, in a private ET Nursing consulting business during the dawn of DRGs, contracting with hospitals, home health, Mayo Clinic, and ran an outpatient clinic in the Jacksonville area in the 1980s. In the 1990s she moved to Orlando and started working with a large WOC nursing team at Orlando Health, with exposure to trauma, neonatal / pediatric care and outpatient wound /ostomy clinics.

She has been a strong supporter of the Florida Association of Enterostomal Therapists throughout her career. She states “The FAET organization has provided us all with the opportunities to collaborate with state colleagues in fellowship & education for many years. Many of you are dear friends to me.” She had many opportunities to share knowledge and experience through lecturing around the US and other countries, such as Austria & Brazil, expanding her perspective. As she nears retirement, she knows that patients will continue to be in the best of hands, dedicated specialty nurses who will think outside the box, push the envelope, forge new paths, and will remain WOC Nurse Strong! Sally, good luck in your new chapter. Enjoy the farm, the bee keeping, and those grandchildren.  You will be missed.

If you have any news that you can share such as meetings, lectures you’ve given, posters, etc, please let me know.  I love to brag about our Florida folks. (contact me here)