by Chris Allman, JD, CPHRM, DFASHRM
July! Summertime! Summer is always my favorite time of the year. In addition to being able to enjoy our short window of warm weather (for those of us in the Midwest), many of us take our summer vacations; we spend time with family and friends at backyard cookouts, the beach, local festivals or at the pool. We have important celebrations like graduation parties and weddings. To me, summer has always been a time of busyness but truly being busy with doing things that are important to us and that reconnect us with those around us.
Similarly, this summer has been an active time at ASHRM, as things start to heat up for the “mad dash” toward the end of the year. For example, hopefully you were able to log on to our free webinar about the Top Ten ERM issues, as seen by our members. This webinar that was expertly delivered by President-Elect, Katie DuFresne and Past President, Becky Cady, was an idea that came from an ASHRM member on the Exchange. The webinar reviewed the background of the top member concerns in each of the eight ERM domains plus two “Overall” concerns. The webinar also discussed ways that risk professionals could mitigate those 10 risks. If you haven’t listened in, I highly recommend checking out the recording soon!
Speaking of heating up, I hope you caught the rollout of the 2025-2027 ASHRM strategic plan on the ASHRM website. I’ve been teasing the strategic plan for months in this article and in the ASHRM Updates I’ve been presenting at chapter meetings, and now it is available for everyone to review on our website! Please be sure to check out the strategic plan graphic and some of the ways we have begun to work on the plan. Also, included are some ways that you can get involved and help ASHRM bring the strategic plan to fruition. Once we achieve our goals, I truly believe that it will strengthen both the organization and our membership.
Of course, one of the best ways to ensure the ASHRM can achieve its goals is by each and every ASHRM member participating in the leadership elections. By now, you should have received a unique link to vote for Advisory Board members and members of the Nominating Committee. If you haven’t voted yet, please take a few minutes and do so. Your vote counts and is of vital importance to the future of ASHRM.
There’s still also time to register for ASHRM Express, July 14-19, 2025, in Chicago. The Patient Safety Certificate Program, the ERM Certificate Program and all three modules of the Health Care Risk Management Certificate Program will be offered. You can take just one or two modules, or all three! These programs will all help you develop your career as a risk professional, and, in turn, make your organization better prepared for the healthcare risks of now and the future. You won’t want to miss it!
Among the other things you won’t want to miss, of course, is the 2025 ASHRM Annual Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 28-30! Aside from Charlotte being a beautiful place to be at the end of September, ASHRM has a great lineup of innovative and cutting-edge speakers and topics to help you advance the career of any risk professional, whether you are a novice or “seasoned”! The Annual Conference is also a great place to network with your colleagues and meet with vendors to discuss products, services and technologies that can help manage and reduce risk in your organization, all under one roof!
I hope you all enjoy your summer. Please take time for yourselves. Watch a sunset (or sunrise). Sit on the beach with a good book (or a trashy one – your choice). Go ahead, have that ice cream cone. Spend quality time with family and friends. Before you know it, fall will be here, and we will be hurdling toward the end-of-the-year madness. I hope to see you all soon at a chapter event or at the ASHRM Annual Meeting!