Greeting to Ostomates and website browsers of the IOA site wherever you are

Below there are brief items of news from the three regions.
Thanks to the regions’ presidents for these.

All in the Northern Hemisphere have been enjoying a good summer and in the South it is springtime again

All regions continue to support their existing member associations and are in many different ways planning to assist countries without member support groups to have them. Governments and Health Authorities within many countries have, since the recent economic issues worldwide, been cutting budgets. Member countries need to ensure they are advocating for ostomates and making sure they are being consulted, as we know all ostomy appliances are different and choice is essential to enable all ostomates lead a normal life.

Many countries do not have equitable reimbursement schemes for ostomates and globally we need to continue the struggle to ensure ostomates wherever they are receive suitable appliances.
We are indebted to groups like Friends of Ostomates Worldwide in US and Canada along with the many member associations who collect donated appliances and send them to developing countries where appliances are not available or provided.

EOA Report

On April 9th, I was invited to Prague by, Marie Redinova, the President of Czech ILCO. During this meeting in Prague, the members of Czech ILCO, celebrated the fact they are the winners in Europe, of the Coloplast Award for all their activities on WOD 2012. A report of these activities you’ll find on the EOA website.

The second reason for my visit to Prague was the start of a new European Project “Life without limits”.

Czech ILCO will work together in this project with Deutsche ILCO and SLOVILKO. The aim of this EOA project is, to find out what the differences are of “quality of life” for ostomates in these three European countries. On the 19th of April ASTOM, Russia, celebrated its 20th anniversary in Moscow. A number of ostomates from the Moscow Region and representatives from the Department of Social Protection and the Government attend this meeting.
At the end of April ILCO Serbia, invited Board members from the Ostomy Associations of Russia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia/Herzegovina for a meeting: “11 years of work of ILCO Serbia“.
The Romanian Association organized a special meeting for youngsters from June 24th till June 28th. This is an EOA project – called MASK. The participants: 25 young people aged 13 – 25 years, ostomates and some youngsters diagnosed with IBD, from Italy, Denmark, Serbia, Bosnia/Herzegovina and Romania.
On the 23th June I travelled to Paris, to attend the congress of the ECET (the European Association for ET’s/stoma care nurses). It was nice to be there and to meet a lot of stoma care nurses from different countries of Europe. On Monday 24th while there I have had the opportunity to give a lecture about EOA, our members, our goals and activities.
At the end of this month on September 27th. I’ll travel to Poland, to meet the Organizing Committee of POL-ILKO to talk about the preparations of our next EOA congress. The right dates for this EOA congress are: 8 – 11 May 2014 in the historic and beautiful city of Krakow in Poland.

For more information about our activities, please look at our EOA website: www.ostomyeurope.org Click on the left side on the blue navigation bar on “What’s happening”.

Greetings from the Netherlands

Ria Smeijers
President European Ostomy Association

Rijssen, NL September 11th. 2013.

OAA REPORT

UOAA Management Board of Directors
Strategic Planning Meeting
Coloplast US Headquarters Offices, Minneapolis, Minnesota
November 1st and 2nd, 2013
International Relations Report

Overview:

UOAA is a member of the North and Central America and Caribbean Ostomy Association, a sub-region of the Ostomy Association of the Americas (OAA). Other NCACOA members in addition to UOAA, include Canada; Puerto Rico; OSTOMEX Mexico; Colima, Mexico; Zapopan, Mexico; and, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles.

OAA is one of the 3 Regions that comprise the International Ostomy Association (IOA). OAA maintains two websites: www.ostomyamericas.org (English text), and www.ostomiaamericas.org (Spanish text maintained by the Asociacion Latino Americana de Ostomizados (ALADO, a sub-region of OAA))

OAA, which was organized in November, 2010 held its first Regional Conference in Cordoba, Argentina, October 7-12, 2013. The meeting site was in the Hotel UTEDYC, a union conference center located in Huerta Grande (beautiful valley), a 90 minute drive from Cordoba. The proceedings were held in Spanish with limited English translation available.

UOAA was represented by Vice President, Susan Burns. Other attendees from North America besides myself as OAA President, were: Martha De Neives, OAA Secretary (Puerto Rico); George Salamy, NCACOA President; Pat Cimmeck, NCACOA President-Elect (Canada); Jorge Morales, NCACOA Vice President (Mexico); Ival Secrest, FOW-USA; Ruth Salinger, FOW-USA.

The 5 day program consisted of 2 days of OAA Leadership workshops including OAA, NCACOA and ALADO House of Delegates meetings to discuss accomplishments, business, future plans and to hold elections for officers for 2014-2016 period until the 2nd OAA Regional Conference.

Officers Elected are as follows:
– Ostomy Association of the Americas (OAA)

o President, Mariela Acero de Romero …. Colombia … marielacero@gmail.com
o Vice President, Martha de Neives … Puerto Rico … ostomizadospr@yahoo.com
o Treasurer, Ken Aukett … USA … kenaukett@gmail.com
o Secretary, Teresa Antequera … Bolivia … tere_antequera@hotmail.com

– Asociacion Latino Americana de Ostomizados (ALADO)

o President, Francisco Miguez … Argentina … franmiguez@hotmail.com
o Vice President, Jessica Harlem Cardenas Rosas … Chile … Jessica.Cardenas@coraos.com
o Treasurer, Izaac Fernandez … Brazil … fegest@cpovo.net
o Secretary, Carmen Alonso … Argentina … carmengallega48@hotmail.com
o Immediate Past President, Mariela Acero de Romero … Colombia … marielacero@gmail.com

– North and Central America and Caribbean Ostomy Association (NCACOA)

o President, Pat Cimmeck … Canada … pvc@shaw.ca
o President Elect, Jorge Vargas Morales … Mexico … jovar277@hotmail.com
o Vice President, Lisa Gausman … Canada … lisagaus@shaw.ca
o Treasurer/Secretary, George Salamy … gfsalamy@comcast.net

– As President of their respective OAA sub-regions (ALADO and NCACOA) Francisco Miguez and Pat Cimmeck serve as members of the OAA Executive Committee.

– The OAA members of the IOA Coordination Committee for 2014 – 2016 are Mariela Acero de Romero and Ken Aukett.

Newly appointed webmaster for www.ostomyamericas.org :
– Angie Schick … Canada … angschick@gmail.com

Corporate sponsorships for this meeting were provided by Coloplast, Hollister Incorporated and H & L Laboratories.

Ken Aukett
Immediate Past President
October 18, 2013

ASPOA Report

Good work continues in many associations helping ostomate members.

In China there are now Stoma Clubs in around 200 hospitals and with Coloplast’s support an online facility exists hosted by an ostomate for ostomates to contact.

Planning continues in Iran by IOS to bring neighbouring countries health professionals to Tehran where early next year they would be each helped to set up an association. More funding is required for this and we are still exploring ways to help. Their nurse training programme on Ostomy, Wound Care and Continence has seen at least 30 nurses complete their programme.

Planning is taking place for the ASPOA and ASSR joint conference in Ho Chi Minh City next October 24-25th 2014.

Good work continues across the region to support other member associations by support from the ASPOA Executive members and individual countries with appliance donation, twinning projects and monetary assistance.
Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have been active here