PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL EVEN THOUGH I AM taking some literary licence with Alexander Pope’s line from An Essay on Man, the idiom ‘hope springs eternal’ is appropriate on two levels. With most of winter behind us, we look forward to the warmer days and longer hours of sun, and the feeling of rejuvenation it gives us. Then there is the appreciation that even though we all have challenges, we hold a positive mindset and know we can rise to them and do what it takes to overcome any obstacles. This is how I feel about our CHES team. After many weeks of negotiations with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), CHES and CSA have an agreement in place that speaks to how our organizations will work together not only on the development of the two new medical gas courses, but also on the ongoing marketing and actual training itself. Even though the auspices of this contract came from changes in the medical gas standard, it is both sides’ expectation that this agreement will form the framework for other joint training initiatives. Now that we are well into 2020, I hope everyone has marked this year’s CHES National Conference on their calendar. It will take place Sept. 20-22, in Halifax. Robert Barss’s conference planning team is putting the final touches on the event and it will soon be time to start making plans to attend. Jim McArthur’s planning team for the 2022 International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) Congress has grown in size to include new members from across the country and even one from the American Society of Healthcare Engineering (Gordon Howie). This increase is necessary for the additional planning and coordination requirements involved in putting together an international event with a separate stream of information sessions. The group has everything well in hand and is assembling their promotion itinerary for the 2020 IFHE Congress in Rome this spring. There has been lots of activity and progress at CHES, with the goal of improving membership expertise. We have committed to supporting an increase in our representation on CSA standards and look forward to leveraging our recently renewed agreement with the Canadian College of Health Leaders. The quality review of the Canadian Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CCHFM) program continues to improve output of this initiative. With spring almost upon us, it will soon be time to lose the parka and get out to enjoy being part of an organization that helps others in our industry and, more importantly, improves healthcare for people across the country.
Roger Holliss CHES National president
EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS FROM CHES Members of the Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society can earn free continuing education units (CEU) by reading the Spring 2020 issue of Canadian Healthcare Facilities and passing a quiz based on articles in the issue. Once you’ve read the issue from cover to cover, simply go online to www.surveymonkey.com/r/KQD9JSK to take the quiz. CHES members who pass the quiz will be able to claim one contact hour (0.1 CEU) on their CanHCC or CCHFM certificate renewals.
8 CANADIAN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES
