The American Society of Anesthesiologists is sponsoring "Simulator Saturday" on Saturday, March 11, 2006. 11 simulator centers around the country will be introducing practicing anesthesiologists to simulation training. For more information, please see ASA Simulation Saturday at the ASA website or contact Dr. Ellen Bateman at ASA headquarters: e.bateman@asahq.org.

The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is proposing to drastically reduce the minimum qualifications necessary for providing sedation and anesthesia. Please go immediately to the Member's Only section at the ASA website . Once logged-in, read the article called "ASA Members: We Need Your Help" (found in the ASA Member News section on the right side of the page) for details on how you can help assure that appropriately trained personnel provide care for patients receiving sedation and anesthesia.

Portland anesthesiologist Jay Richards died on January 5, 2006 while trying to complete an emergency landing after his airplane suffered a reported engine failure. A memorial service will be held to honor his memory at the Agnes Flanagan Chapel at Lewis and Clark College in Portland on Saturday, January 28, 2006 at 2 p.m.

Jay trained at OHSU and practiced at Saint Vincent's Hospital in Portland. He was a long-standing member of the Oregon Anesthesiology Group, where he served as the Corporate Compliance Officer. He had also been very active in the ASA, the Oregon Medical Association and your Oregon Society of Anesthesiologists. He was recently appointed to serve on ASA's Practice Management Committee.

Jay leaves behind his wife Carol and his daughter Elizabeth. He was a terrific individual, fair and compassionate, who will be missed by all those who knew him. Please keep Jay in your thoughts and his family in your prayers. We hope that you can attend the memorial service.

For those who would like to make a charitable contribution in Jay's honor, the family requests that you direct your donations to:

Providence St. Vincent Foundation
9205 SW Barnes Road
Portland, OR 97225

Your Oregon Society of Anesthesiologists is pleased to announce the dates for our spring and fall meetings.

For the Spring OSA meeting, reserve May 20 and 21 on your calendars and plan on joining us at the Salishan Resort in Gleneden Beach, Oregon.

Eugene's Hilton will host the Fall meeting on September 23 and 24. The University of Oregon will be playing Utah State that weekend and we are planning on helping those interested get tickets to the game.

When we confirm the program for the two meetings, we will post details on this website.

On September 17, 2005, the Oregon Society of Anesthesiologists hosted the 2005 Haugen Lecture and Fall meeting in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Michael Roizen, M.D., Chair of the Division of Anesthesiology at the Cleveland Clinic and bestselling author of three books on improving one's health, gave the Haugen lecture, entitled "You, The Owner's Manual". Consistent with the theme of health improvement, OHSU Health Management Services offered a Wellness Screening and a Mediterranean diet lunch was also served.The Wellness Screening assessed flexibility, strength, lipids, glucose, pulse and waist to hip ratio. Attendance at The Haugen Lecture, both from the general public and Oregon Society members, was excellent! Those interested in learning more about the Real Age concept can check out Dr. Roizen's website.

If you are interested in reading about the actions of the 2005 ASA House of Delegates and Board of Directors, log-in to your account and read the reports posted by your OSA representatives.

Due to concerns that some health care professionals may be misrepresenting themselves to the public and as part of our commitment to patient safety, the Oregon Society of Anesthesiologists was successful in having legislation signed into law to require healthcare workers providing direct patient care in licensed healthcare facilities to wear identification badges. These badges must include the name and professional title of the healthcare worker.

The ASA Annual Meeting Housing site is now accepting reservations for hotels in the Atlanta area. If you had previously reserved a hotel in New Orleans through ASA, the housing agent has been processing refunds of those deposits. Please click here to reserve your room. To check out the latest annual meeting FAQs, follow this link.

ASA will hold its Annual Meeting in Atlanta from October 22-26, 2005. ASA plans to hold most of the previously scheduled educational sessions. The House of Delegates will meet on Saturday and Tuesday rather than the usual Sunday and Wednesday dates. For those in the House, caucus meetings will be held on Friday, October 21, necessitating an earlier than usual arrival. ASA has cancelled the scheduled social activities, and the Centennial Gala will not be held until the Annual Meeting for 2006 in Chicago.

The leadership and staff of ASA should be commended on their quick action to secure a meeting location and plans to hold a nearly complete Annual Meeting. Please refer to the ASA website for updates on changing hotels and airline reservations, as well as other information related to this change in venue.

OHSU anesthesiologist Judge Hicks is a member of the Disaster Assistance Medical Team. FEMA dispatched Judge to Louisiana and the ASA website has posted his report from the front lines. Thanks Judge for your hard work and dedication!