President’s Message — June 2023
Melissa Zavadil, RHIT, CCS, CPMA, CRC, COC
It seems like yesterday that I was setting with our ArHIMA 2022 leadership team working on our vision for our membership and the direction we want to take our organization. What an incredible responsibility it is to come up with ways to empower people to impact health in Arkansas. Where do we go from here with our membership and how do we get there? What a journey we took.
We created innovative ways to network with ArHIMA members with a more powerful social media presence. We revitalized the website making it more impactful and a resource for our members to be informed to make important decisions in career pathways. We moved forward with our first Arkansas meeting in three years, celebrating over 75 years of service to this state. I continue to encourage our members to reach out and stay connected with ArHIMA and other members utilizing the tools developed by AHIMA on the ArHIMA Access Community. Find out what is going on in our ever-changing world. Learn about the challenges and purpose that we all share in our profession. This is the way to ensure we have a strong advocacy state for the people that our healthcare industry partners.
We imagined an organization where our membership builds relationships with students and new members through our Mentorship program. I continue to challenge you to reflect on the pathway that got you here today. Be the one that can help one another build careers.
We rejoiced when Arkansas Health Information Professionals was recognized by AHIMA as a state that comes together and is a powerful voice on AHIMA Grassroots Advocacy. Be encouraged, that we are being heard and our legislators are coming to know who ArHIMA is and where we stand. We encourage all members to continue to use the resources provided by AHIMA to contact your state and national elected officials when there is a call to action.
Thank you, ArHIMA, for allowing me to serve as your President this past year. You created an amazing team of volunteers that come together with one vision. Nothing was accomplished alone and we will continue to need your help to ensure the future of our organization is still a vital force in the state of Arkansas for the future generation of healthcare professionals.
Moving into the role of first year director, I will be focused on creating awareness of Health Information Professions, educating on the value of the HIM skill set/credential, and recruiting new individuals to the profession.
We welcome you once again to join our journey, as we begin to pave new roads for Arkansas Health Information Professionals!