BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATE – April 2015

By Dianne M. Cearlock, PhD, Chief Executive Officer

At the April 9, 2015 meeting of the NAACLS Board of Directors, in addition to accreditation and approval awards recommended by the RCAP and PARC, the following items were addressed:

• In response to inquiries from program officials, a Clinical Liaison Fact Sheet was developed and changes were made to the Standards Compliance Guide (SCG) to clarify requirements for self-study narrative content and accompanying documentation pertaining to program faculty/instructors and clinical liaisons. The updated SCG may be accessed at www.naacls.org.
• The first NAACLS Podcast was released. Though the first episode was designed for volunteer training, both volunteers and program officials can benefit from the information provided in the podcast. NAACLS plans to develop a series of these podcasts on different topics of interest. The podcast may be accessed at https://goo.gl/Djyrw6 .
• The NAACLS Annual Volunteer Report is posted on the NAACLS website. It contains a statistical performance analysis of volunteers for programs reviewed in 2014. The report also contains a volunteer information packet, and a public recognition of outstanding volunteers that are acknowledged through the Volunteer Recognition Program. The report indicates a high level of program satisfaction with NAACLS and its services.
• Det Norske Veritas Healthcare, Inc (DNV) and the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) were added to the list of NAACLS-approved accreditation agencies for programs in the same manner that Joint Commission is recognized. In addition, organizations holding the CLIA Certificate of Compliance (COC) or CLIA Certificate of Accreditation (COA) will be approved by NAACLS as accredited in the same manner that Joint Commission is recognized.
• Elections to Board, RCAP and PARC positions were held. President-Elect Yas Simonian’s Board term was extended by one year to allow completion of both years of a two-year Presidential term. Newly elected members of the Board include James Moore for a first term as the AAPA representative and Julie O’Sullivan Maillet for a first term as a four-year educator. These newly elected members will replace Jerry Phipps and Hugh Bonner, respectively, who will be leaving the Board in September 2015, each having completed two 4-year Board terms. Re-elected to the RCAP for a second term are Vanessa Jones Johnson (MLS Educator) and Susan Orton (DMS Educator). Elected to the RCAP for a first term are Haywood Joiner (MLT Educator), Candy Hill (MLT Educator), and Michelle Nelsen (HT/HTL Educator).  Michele Buzard was elected to the PARC for a first term in the position of Phlebotomy Educator.