Hello Members, 

My thoughts are with the members in NSW who were affected by the floods in March. I was saddened to see the devastation. Looking at the before and after photos the areas looked more like inland seas.  

HIM Awareness Week (10-16 May) 

It’s that time of year again when we come together to celebrate and promote the HIM profession. We know the value that we provide to our organisations and the Australian healthcare system so let’s take the opportunity to make some noise and lift our profile. A useful tool is our Positioning and Advocacy Toolkit, in particular section 7 – Communicating the Role of the HIM and Target Audiences. I like to use the elevator pitches (30 second grab) when talking to people. 

There’s no better way to highlight our skills than connecting them with a current issue which has been done by Joan Henderson and Kerin Robinson, with a piece on the national booking system for COVID-19 vaccinations in The Conversation.  

Committees, Work Groups and Special Interest Groups 

As I’ve said through this newsletter a number of times, our members who volunteer their time are the lifeblood of HIMAA. Without your efforts we cannot progress our agendas for the association and profession. Our branches provide a wonderful way for us to connect locally. Over time committees, work groups and special interest groups have formed to cater for specific issues and interest that have aligned with HIMAA’s goals. Naturally, at the inception of these groups the enthusiasm and membership of these groups are high.  

As time passes, however, the issues and interest may have waned and these groups have become less active. We recently did a high-level audit where we identified over 40 such groups. The National Office conducted a survey to all chairs of these groups to understand what their current objectives are and how they fit in with HIMAA. We’ve gathered this data in preparation for the Board to reset HIMAA’s Strategic Plan in the next couple of months. An external facilitator will support the Board in conducting this very important piece of work which will focus HIMAA’s efforts and resources for the coming years.  

Continue to volunteer:  as Dr. Seuss puts it “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Onwards and upwards! 

Cheens Lee 

President 

Email: cheensl@himaa.org.au