AAWC Update

The new year brings a wealth of exciting changes to the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC).

New Mission Statement:

To advance the care of people with and at risk for wounds.

Although the previous mission statement — to be the leader in interprofessional wound healing and tissue preservation — certainly typifies the capacity of members within our organization, the AAWC Board of Directors decided at our recent 5-year strategic planning session to clarify our message. This change to our mission statement concisely describes why clinicians, patients, and their lay-caregivers joined together to create the leading collaborative, interprofessional healthcare organization in the United States.

New Strategic Plan:

The AAWC’s Long-Range Goals

The AAWC Board of Directors has revised the AAWC’s long-range strategic direction. Some of AAWC’s current goals will continue, while new long-term goals have been added. The goals for 2014–2018 include:
    • The AAWC will be members’ indispensable resource for education, evidence, and knowledge exchange.
    • The AAWC will create a sound financial plan for becoming self-sustaining.
    • The AAWC will be widely branded for advancing wound care.
    • The AAWC will be the public’s primary source of wound care information.
    • The AAWC will be the resource for regulatory and legislative policy issues.
    • The AAWC will be the accreditation body for wound care centers.

The AAWC will continue to cultivate strategies and objectives for achieving these goals. If you are a member and would like to volunteer on a committee that supports any of these areas, the AAWC may have a group of interest to you. Visit www.aawconline.org/volunteer and complete the form. Please be sure to write in details about your areas of interest and/or expertise.

The AAWC 2014 Board of Directors Elections Begin in January

All members are asked to watch their inboxes beginning in late January regarding the 2014 AAWC Board of Directors Election. For at least the first 4 weeks of the election, members who cast their votes will have a chance to win a prize. The biggest prize will be offered to those who vote during the first week: a chance to win a free registration to the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) Spring or SAWC Fall (a $500 value)! Reminders to vote will be sent for up to 5 weeks. The AAWC Nominating Committee has developed a great slate of eligible candidates and cannot stress enough how important it is for members to take the time to vote. Please remember that every vote counts; the sooner you cast your vote, the bigger the prize you can win. Most of all, this is your chance to determine the future leadership of the organization. Elections close on February 24, 2014.

Use Goodsearch and Help Support AAWC

When you use Yahoo!-powered Goodsearch.com to search the Internet, Goodsearch donates money to the AAWC. You do nothing differently while you utilize the search capacities, and the AAWC earns money, provided to the AAWC from Goodsearch at the end of the year.

Please note: the amounts collected may seem small at first, but they add up over time. An average person might earn $10 to $20 or even more for the AAWC in 1 year depending on how often he/she searches and partakes of other features, such as Goodshop (online shopping) or Goodsurveys (online surveys). Many Goodsearch members earn hundreds of dollars for their cause.

Donate Directly to AAWC

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, you may have forgotten your intentions to support your profession’s charity. Please consider a donation to the AAWC. You can apply the donation to the program of your choice and even donate in honor of a colleague, supervisor, mentor, friend, patient, or family member, who can be notified of your special gift at your discretion. What a nice way to say “Best Wishes this New Year!” to a friend or colleague. To learn more, visit www.aawconline.org/donate.

About the AAWC: As the leading interprofessional organization dedicated to advancing the care of people with and at risk for wounds, the AAWC provides a whole year of valuable benefits! Be sure to join us for near daily alerts and benefit updates on Facebook and LinkedIn.

This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.