MAC Messages Number 88:
July/August 2001

Message from the Chair
By Jonathan Lord, MAC Chair

As I look over the registration materials for our annual meeting in Ocean City, I can almost smell the salt air and hear the pounding of the surf on the sand! Registration packets have been mailed so you will see for yourself the exciting meeting that this year's Program and Local Arrangements Committees have put together. There will be one additional CE class offered, "The History of the Health Sciences: An Overview." Details and registration information about this class can be found on the MAC Web page. Register today and meet by the sea with your colleagues at our annual meeting in Ocean City, Maryland!

The MAC Executive Board will meet in Charlottesville on September 7th to set the agenda for our annual business meeting in Ocean City, as well as set Chapter goals and objectives for 2002. Planning for the 2002 annual meeting, to be held at the Wyndham City Center Hotel in Washington D.C., is already underway. The Board welcomes input from all members as we set the agenda for the coming year, so please let me know if there are issues you would like to see MAC address. We will be looking at the results of the Needs Assessment survey that was done earlier this year, and getting a status report from the Annual Meeting Task Force.

At this mid-point in my term as MAC Chair, I would like to thank the many members who are serving our organization with their work on committees, task forces, and in other chapter positions. MAC is a service organization, and we depend on the service of our members for the continued vitality of the chapter. All MAC committees are in need of members for next year. This is your chance to give to your chapter, to the profession, to the cause of excellence in health information services, to engage in professional development. Volunteer for a committee. Look on the MAC Website under About MAC in the Policies and Procedures. Section III lists all the committees and outlines their activities. A form to volunteer can be found on the MAC Website under About MAC / Forms. Please complete a form and send it to me by September 1, 2001, so that I can make committee appointments in time for the September Executive Board meeting.

In addition to the regular committee positions, I also need a volunteer to assume the position of Benchmark Chapter Educator (BCE). The present BCE, Sarah Wright, summarizes the responsibilities of this position as: 1) To educate MAC members about the status of the benchmarking project; 2) To answer questions from MAC members regarding the benchmarking project; 3) To promote the Benchmarking project to members of the chapter; and 4) To participate in the Benchmarking Chapter Educators task force on the national level. BCE appointment is for one year. This coming year will include the majority of activity with the upcoming release of the database for member input scheduled for November 2001 until January 2002.

As you can see, there is no shortage of opportunities for you to be actively involved with our Chapter! I hope to hear from many of you!

Jonathan Lord
MAC Chair

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