While serving as your 2010 ASHE president, the old saying "time flies" has really hit home with me. With our successful PDC Summit in San Diego and Annual Conference in Tampa, Fla., behind us, I would like to update you on the progress being made on my three goals as your 2010 ASHE president.

Providing additional support to our 67 affiliated chapters. ASHE now has a staff person who is dedicated to supporting our affiliated chapters. We provided two additional annual conference registration waivers per chapter for members needing financial assistance to attend the annual conference. The ASHE staff also is working with the regional board directors and chapter officers in developing additional regional education programs.

Undertaking succession planning. The ASHE education committee is working in unison with the ASHE Institute to develop and deliver educational programs for members who are currently working in health care as well as newcomers to the field. The ASHE Boot Camp track that was presented at the Annual Conference in Tampa is a splendid example of preparing our new colleagues. At the 2007 Annual Conference in New Orleans, Purdue University students were on stage with President Leo Gehring and receiving recognition for being the first student chapter to affiliate with ASHE. This year, those students have graduated and are prepared to fill positions in health care. Brigham Young University (BYU) also has a student chapter and is also offering courses related to health care engineering. In fact, eight of ASHE's 10 regions have universities interested in developing student chapters and offering health care-related curriculum. Awesome!

Promoting and growing the number of CHFM members. There are currently 989 individuals who hold the Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM) credential, and this number continues to grow. Since implementation of CHFM waivers through the Chapter Affiliation awards and Scholarship programs, ASHE has given the membership 475 free CHFM waivers. Of the 10,000 ASHE members, 10 percent now hold the prestigious CHFM designation. If you work in a health care facility and have committed to making it your career, please go for your CHFM credential — you will not regret it! For more information on the CHFM credential, log on to the AHA-Certification Center website at www.aha.org/certification.

Terry L. Martin, CHFM, SASHE

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Resources available

ASHE offers a number of valuable resources at special prices to professionals in the industry. They include the following:

  • Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities. The Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) has partnered with ASHE to publish the FGI's Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities. As the largest personal membership group of the American Hospital Association, ASHE represents a diverse network of professionals dedicated to their work in the health care industry, including health facility managers, engineers, architects and contractors. For information on purchasing the Guidelines in book or CD form, click here.
  • Construction DVD. ASHE has released "Today You are Health Care," the second DVD in the Healthcare Construction Television (HCTV) series. It is a tool for orienting construction workers and vendors on the complexities of working within a health care facility. Buyers also have access to supplementary materials. To preview the DVD and order a copy, click here.