Join Me...
In NESHCo Member Benefits

By John F. Looney, Lahey Health 

When I first joined NESHCo, I was very eager to partake in all the member benefits-to attend meetings, to learn through listservs, to participate in conferences and more. Today, I am just as eager to do all those things (plus the extra opportunities NESHCo keeps adding!). I think that says a lot about the organization. It is truly a member-driven organization, and that is why it stays so relevant, making members eager for-and appreciative of-the benefits.

NESHCo members represent a broad swath of health care communications professionals - entry level, senior leadership, in-house, outside consultants, vendors of all types. Everyone has a voice at the NESHCo table. We learn from each other in a respectful, collegial atmosphere. The general camaraderie is energizing. And, being around others who share your professional challenges, who really "get it," is a pleasure. Personally, I have also found that the expertise I absorb from other specialists in my field has helped me accelerate through the learning curve of exciting, new professional opportunities.

Another benefit of these NESHCo peer connections is, of course, networking. There is so much potential to help each other, ourselves and our organizations when we build a robust network of colleague and vendor contacts. NESHCo members are reliable, vetted and experienced resources for each other-a rolodex of talent, ready to be matched when the time is right. Networking also comes with social benefits. The nature of some NESHCo members' work is more solitary, and I have seen that our professional society provides a means of valuable connection.

Additionally, NESHCo provides us all with a potential moment in the limelight when we are chosen from the best among us to be honored at the annual Lamplighter Awards. It is just that sort of recognition that can spur us on and serve as inspiration for future projects. The collegial spirit of the awards helps advance us all to the next level. One professional at a time, NESHCo makes its contributions to improving our crucial industry.

I am eager for the year ahead in NESHCo-for up-to-the-minute conference topics; for instructional, dynamic and interactive webinars; for informed advice on current health care crises; for essential networking opportunities with peers and vendors; and for the unknown events/offerings that will evolve as the year unfolds for this always-relevant, member-driven organization.

John Looney is a long-time NESHCo member and the newly-elected Treasurer. To reach John at Lahey Health, click here. 

Finding the Right Words

By Roxanne Jones, Hurley Communications
 

Here's another in our series of Monday Minutes posts that provide some plain-language equivalents to terms and phrases we often use in our health communications. Remember: using plain language isn't "dumbing down" your communications; it's ensuring that people get what you're trying to say, quickly and easily.

This week: Heart disease terms

Angina - chest pain

Angiogram - a test that lets doctors look at your heart's blood vessels

Arrhythmia - an abnormal or irregular heart beat

Atrial - relating to the upper chambers of the heart (the atria)

Bradycardia - a slow heart beat

Cardiac disease - heart disease

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) - bypass surgery; a type of open-heart surgery that creates new routes for blood to flow around narrowed or blocked blood vessels

Ejection fraction - a measurement of how well your heart is pumping (or working)

Echocardiogram - a test that uses sound waves to look at your heart

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) - a test that measures the electrical activity of your heart

Fibrillation - when the heart muscle contracts very fast and irregularly

Hypertension - high blood pressure

Hemodynamic - relating to blood flow

Lipid profile - a blood test that measures fat and cholesterol in the blood

Myocardial infarction - heart attack

Occlusion - blockage, closing up

Stenosis - narrowing of the blood vessels

Tachycardia - a heartbeat that's too fast

Valvuloplasty - repair of a valve in the heart

Ventricular - relating to the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles)

The Centers for Disease Control has produced a Plain Language Thesaurus that offers equivalents to medical terms and phrases. Check it out at  http://www.plainlanguage.gov/populartopics/health_literacy/. 

Roxanne Jones is a freelance writer and principal of Hurley Communications. She is also currently a member of the NESHCo Board of Directors. To reach Roxanne, click here.