New Year Greetings from Judi Leonard

Happy New Year!  I hope you and your families are fighting off the flu and  looking forward a New Year filled with new memories, new challenges and new adventures.  I am excited to see what this brings personally and professionally. 

As PNPs, we have many educational opportunities to learn and improve our pediatric practice.  Here is a sampling of what you may look forward to the coming months:

1.  Kick off the New Year with an update on Central Precocious Puberty on Wednesday January 24, 6:30pm.  Please see ocnapnap.com to register.  Space limited to 35 registrants.

2. Orange County Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders is having a program on Saturday, February, 3rd from 8:30am-12:30pm at the Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Dr. Nisha Warikoo will be presenting on Behavioral Challenges in ASD: The Role of Medications. Dr. Warikoo will be providing information on attention, aggression, self-injury, anxiety, ADHD, depression and more. The training is free to attend and they will be providing CME. For more information about this opportunity
please contact Shahrzad Woodard at (949) 267-0471, or email centertraining1@uci.edu.

3. March 19-22 offers networking, learning and travel in Chicago at the NAPNAP National Conference.  Click here https://www.napnap.org/national-conference for details and registration. Cannot come to conference?  You can support NAPNAP Foundation's work by participating the Silent Auction, which will be ON LINE first time ever this year.  Our chapter donated a Fit Bit Blaze.  Check back soon at http://www.napnapfoundation.org/silent-auction to participate.  You may still be able to donate items.  If not for this year there is always next year.

4. Health Care Advocacy webinars will be coming soon to help you learn more about how to advocate for children and health care in California.  Please participate with other NAPNAP members throughout California.  Watch your email and our website for updates.

5.  National NAPNAP is working on supporting all states to achieve full practice authority.  This is also a goal of our state NP organization, California Association for Nurse Practitioners.  Be involved to make your voice heard.

With all the changes in health care, CHIP funding, vaccine challenges, technology, emerging infections, obesity epidemic, mental health issues and much more, we have much to stay on top of this year.  I am thankful to be part of this caring community.  Take time out to care for yourself along with all the others for whom we care.

See you around the OC.

Judi Leonard
President, OC NAPNAP