posted 5/31/24
Jennifer Day (RMC Anniston) and Tammy Pass (Stringfellow Memorial) recently set up a booth at the three-day Worlds of Work (WOW) event held in Oxford, AL. This event hosts thousands of eighth graders and high school juniors from over 100 schools from the region. This annual career expo served as an interactive platform for students to delve into diverse career options. Jennifer and Tammy highlighted the aspects of WOC Nursing utilizing a model at the booth and WOC nursing products.
posted 5/31/24
Joyce Pittman, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, CWOCN, FAAN was chosen for the WOCN® Fellow Program Class of 2024. She is an associate professor at the University of South Alabama College of Nursing. Dr. Pittman will be inducted alongside fellow recipients at the WOCN® Fellows Gala in June.The Central Alabama WOC Nurses Association will host a one-day WOC nursing workshop on October 18, 2024 at Grandview Medical Center. More information coming soon!
The 8th Annual Birmingham Run for Resilience Ostomy 5K will be held on October 5, 2024 at Avondale Park. Register at: https://runsignup.com/Race/AL/Birmingham/BirminghamALOstomy5k
posted 2/23/24
In October 2023, the Central Alabama WOC Nurses Association hosted the 7th Annual Run for Resilience: Ostomy 5K in Birmingham, Alabama. They have over 100 participants and raised over $4000 in registrations and donations combined!
The Central Alabama WOC Nurses Association will also host a WOC Workshop on October 18, 2024 at Grandview Medical Center. Stay tuned for more information.
Kendyl Terry and Michelle Docker have completed their certifications in wound, ostomy and continence. Kendyl works at Grandview Medical Center and Michelle works at Princeton Baptist Medical Center, both in Birmingham, Alabama—congratulations!
Elizabeth Dechant from Children’s of Alabama was a presenter at Wound Con.
The Central Alabama WOC Nurses Association has resumed in-person monthly meetings with zoom as an option as well.
posted 6/12/23
Cheryl Lane and Elizabeth Dechant had articles published in the journal Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America back in October 2022.
posted 6/12/23
Amy Armstrong had an article published recently. Implementing an Electronic Root Cause Analysis Reporting System to Decrease Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries, is being published in the May/June Issue of the Journal of Healthcare quality.
posted 3/28/23
The Central Alabama WOC Nurses group identified a need relating to Medicaid patients with an ostomy back in 2021. Alabama Medicaid had reimbursement for only a few supplies that left gaps for basic products as well as specialty products, such as convexity. It was evident Alabama Medicaid covered the least amount of products in the entire country, only covering 14 codes. After discovering this information, the CAWOCN group made this a focus for 2022. With the help of prior investigative work by Amy Armstrong, the Coloplast Reimbursement Manager, and spearheaded by Brigitte Vola, BSN, RN, CRRN, CWOCN, a presentation was developed to present to Alabama Medicaid. The presentation consisted of a powerpoint presentation, a follow-up Zoom meeting, an impactful patient case study, several WOC Nurses perspectives in the acute and outpatient settings and physician input by UAB GI surgeon Dr. Robert Hollis IV. The requested list was narrowed down to 28 products that included things like pouches with filters, convex wafers, tube paste, and a support belt – none of which had previously been available! As requested by Medicaid, a financial analysis was conducted and presented to them showing that reimbursement could go from 14 product codes to 28 product codes and save the state over $170,000.00. The final piece was submitted to Alabama Medicaid on November 30, 2022. Finally, after months of waiting, on Feb 15, 2023, the request was approved. Beginning April 1, 2023, 28 product codes will now be available for Alabama Medicaid ostomates. The CAWOCN are very excited to have been a key part of this initiative.