Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

July/August, 2000

NADE in New Hampshire
Chapter News
1999-2000 Activities
by Paula Christofoletti, New Hampshire Chapter President

THE NEWEST CHAPTER, NADE in NH, got off to a flying start in October 1999 with the election of officers. Paula Christofoletti was elected the First Chapter President for 2000. Paula LeBrun will serve as President-Elect and Mary Lou Mion was elected Secretary-Treasurer. This new chapter has been actively involved in creating its own identity as well as assuming the very challenging role of Prototype. Since late October 1999, eight new committees have been formed and have been instrumental in moving the chapter forward expeditiously. These committees include Certification, Awards, Medical Speakers Training Committee, Fund-Raising, Services/Charitable Acts Committee, Banner Committee, Membership, and the National Disability Professionals Week Committee.

Terry Batchelder, Initial Unit Supervisor, Prototype Training Officer and NADE in NH member, has assumed the role of NADE certification committee chairwoman. Due to Terry’s efforts in April, our NADE certification proposal was approved. All nine NADE in NH members who are eligible are in the process of submitting their applications for certification. Paula Christofoletti served as “guinea pig” and was the first DDS examiner in New Hampshire’s history to be granted NADE certification.

The first NADE in NH President has established an annual President’s Award entitled the “Dean Crawford Olympic Gold Medal” which recognizes outstanding contributions made by a NH DDS NADE member. In Denver, Dean gave Paula Christofoletti a gold medal for her work in getting the chapter going, and she, in turn, recognized four individuals who in 2000 have been instrumental in moving the chapter forward. They received certificates at a chapter meeting in the spring, and during NDPW were draped with an Olympic Gold Medal. The four members who received the President’s Award are Burt Nault, MD, Hugh Fairley, MD, Judy Maynard and Terry Batchelder. The chapter also voted to have one in-house award entitled “Outstanding Examiner of the Year Award” in order to recognize an examiner who, throughout the years, has exemplified excellence in the process of adjudicating claims. Each June, his or her name will be inscribed on a gold plate, which is attached to a green and white marble plaque with the NADE medallion placed at the top of the plaque. This year the award happens to go to a NADE member as well as to a NH DDS supervisor. His name is Dennis Gannett. He has served as mentor to administrators, examiners and physicians alike for over twenty years.

Since October 1999, the medical speakers training committee headed by Burt Nault, MD, has initiated a series of medical training seminars. They included CME medical training lectures given for Concord Hospital physicians which are viewed at the DDS on videotape. There have been medical presentations on Strokes and treatment for CVAs, Osteoporosis in Women, Fibromyalgia, and Behavioral Disorders and Psychotropic Medications. In-house DDS medical consultants are also giving seminars on each body system. All of these medical training sessions have been received enthusiastically by NH DDS employees, and all of these classes have been sponsored by NADE in NH. In the summer, a local neurologist has been invited to address the NH DDS.

Judy Maynard, Professional Support Staff employee and NADE Fund-Raising chairwoman has made the NH NADE fund-raising efforts a huge success. She directed such activities as a Thanksgiving Basket/supermarket gift certificate raffle, a Christmas Silent Auction, a Valentine’s Day Romantic Picnic Basket raffle and an ongoing daily food file including healthy foods and drinks. In the spring, Judy was totally responsible for gathering up cat and dog foods and over $60.00 for the local SPCA. The Services/Charitable Acts Committee headed by Paula Christofoletti has targeted specific charities for 2000. In the Spring, there was a giving event for the SPCA. During NDPW in June, as a show of appreciation to fellow colleagues, we held a Bar-B-Que and Door Prize giveaway, at which there was an Awards Ceremony to present Certification awards. In the fall, the chapter will participate in the annual “5K Run for Breast Cancer” which takes place in Concord, and around the holiday season, in December, this committee has planned to donate time, money and resources to the local Friends Homeless Shelter.

Hugh Fairley, MD, in-house medical consultant, and NADE in NH Banner Committee Chairman, made contact with one of his patients who owns a banner shop in Concord. Dr. Fairley worked very closely with the shop owner and spent many weeks with his committee in order to design a banner which has been admired by all and which has been rotated in every unit in our agency. The new NADE in NH Banner has also made its debut at the recent Atlanta NADE Southeast Conference as well as at the Binghamton Northeast Mid-Atlantic Bi-Regional Conference. The Banner features the NH State Seal, the Old Man in the Mountain and the NADE logo all on a blue and gold background, the NH state colors.

The chapter voted to experiment with a “one-on-one” recruitment drive instead of assigning the recruitment to a committee. Each NADE member assigned himself/herself to one non-NADE member. Since October, membership has nearly doubled and our chapter received the Northeast Region 2000 Award for Membership along with a $75.00 check. Where we had nine members in June 1999, we now have eighteen!

The second NADE in NH National Disability Professionals Week celebration was held the week of June 26. The celebration included a Bar-B-Que at which the Awards Committee recognized the contributions of the four above-mentioned NADE members in our agency. The DDS Outstanding Examiner of the Year, Dennis Gannett, was honored, and NADE Certification awards were distributed to Terry, Paula C., Judy, Rhoda, and Glora. Highlights from both the Southeast and Northeast-Mid Atlantic conferences were shared with all employees at the NH DDS. Door prizes included NADE tote bags, a Mississippi DDS/NADE cookbook, and T-Shirts with the NADE Puerto Rico National Conference Logo on the front of each shirt. Gold medals and a NADE paperweight were given to the honored guests and this year's outstanding examiner’s name will be the first to decorate the green marble plaque.

The NADE in NH chapter members toasted the New Year with a Pre-Millennium Cocktail Party on 12/30/99 at the home of the Chapter President. The newest chapter saw the New Millennium in with great joy and anticipation.

The highlight of the year has been the visit of two extraordinary NADE National Presidents, Jeff Price and Terri Spurgeon. In early August, 1999 before we became a chapter, Jeff came to visit and helped us get motivated. In early April, 2000, six months after we had become a chapter, Terri Spurgeon paid us a visit. At both meetings, day-long mini-conferences took place with activities such as “Getting to Know Us” chapter meetings, break-out sessions with our administrator and our supervisors, general addresses presented by the NADE National Presidents, off-campus luncheons and Prototype Forums which all took place with Jeff and Terri in attendance. On both occasions, a productive exchange of information took place, including a lot of feedback from Prototype examiners, and we were satisfied that our voices were heard and our concerns were shared with SSA Administrators and Washington legislators.

Everyone in NH who has been actively involved with NADE has expressed that he or she is happy that NADE finally has a foothold in the Granite State. NADE in NH chapter members have given the following reasons why joining NADE has been beneficial to them:

NADE makes me feel like a professional.

NADE makes coming to work everyday more worthwhile and more meaningful.

NADE has added a new dimension to my career.

My voice is heard when I speak to NADE.

NADE provides me with a place where I may demonstrate my other talents and skills.

NADE builds morale here at the DDS.

NADE understands, recognizes and rewards hard work.

NADE provides a professional network within and outside of our agency and this network keeps us in touch with the many changes that are going to impact us in our careers as a disability analyst.

NADE is the our strongest advocate who supports us in our endeavors to provide the best service to our client and to provide access to the greatest resources which are available to us as disability professionals.