Special to OWM: Happy Anniversary, NAFC!
What timing! This issue of Ostomy Wound Management with its special focus on incontinence has been published on the heels of the National Association For Continence’s (NAFC) celebration of its 25th anniversary as a not-for-profit organization devoted to public health education and advocacy. This milestone was acknowledged with a black-tie dinner gala in Atlanta, GA, where the NAFC recognized industry supporters; clinical faculty for both an all day CME program in collaboration with Emory School of Medicine for primary care providers and a consumer forum co-hosted with Emory Healthcare; NAFC leadership represented by the NAFC Board of Directors; and esteemed healthcare professionals – the NAFC’s Continence Care Champions. The names of these Champions, some of whom OWM has featured in “My Scope of Practice” are being permanently installed in a virtual Hall of Fame on the NAFC’s newly refurbished website (www.nafc.org). A quarter of a century in education and advocacy is represented by many mail sacks from the US Postal Service that arrive at our doorstep filled with letters of questions, tears, and thanks. Our website, first constructed in 1996, currently receives approximately 20,000 visitors each month. You can imagine how many phone calls the NAFC has answered over the years, the voices filled with anxiety, frustration, and confusion. We have responded to the best of our ability to them all and intend to continue responding, offering a sense of hope by providing information about treatment and management options, details of relevant recent research findings, and comfort.
As an organization, we first redefined our borders in 1996 when we changed our name from Help for Incontinent People (HIP) to the National Association For Continence (NAFC) to be more contemporary in appeal, more positive in image, and broader in outreach. The HIP Report newsletter was renamed Quality Care®. Last year, we altered our bylaws to reflect a broader mission to address bladder and bowel control problems, voiding dysfunction, nocturia and bed wetting in older children and adults, and related pelvic floor disorders. This will improve our ability to speak to the patient who often has multiple but connected problems, such as stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. It also opens doors for us to serve men with urinary retention caused by an enlarged prostate. In addition, we can offer guidance and resources for teenagers and older adults plagued with the embarrassment of unresolved bedwetting or poor quality of sleep impaired by nighttime toileting.
As the NAFC expands its horizons, we have launched a capital campaign to strengthen our activities in both advocacy and outreach. Specifically, our Spanish-language initiative is fueled by underwriting from private foundations and philanthropic individuals; we continue to benefit from a rich partnership with Univision that facilitates delivery of our message to undeserved Hispanic communities across the country. We will continue to be an active voice at state and federal levels to ensure all people access to evidence-based medicine, proven technologies, and expertly trained professionals in this field of care. We are grateful for the continuing support and involvement that we receive from the editorial staff and readers of this trusted journal.
This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.
