By Fiona Soltes
It's one thing to develop a list of strategic imperatives. It’s entirely another to translate them into actionable, tangible results.
The 2021 NHF Strategic Imperative Update allowed a variety of leaders from the organization to highlight how their individual teams developed goals, objectives and key tactics to drive the imperatives forward—as well as the progress they’ve made so far.
Those strategic imperatives, which continue to evolve, include: Cement NHF as the premier organization supporting bleeding disorders; align NHF in patient centricity through a shared definition, implementation and evaluation plan; diversify funding and partnerships beyond industry to more independent resources; share 2021 National Strategic Imperatives with chapters and solicit their input on how they feel they can best benefit and support them; define and implement a research strategy based on community input; and understand, define and prioritize issues to reach 2030 Blue Sky Vision.
Michael Craciunoiu, EdM, PCC, vice president of chapter services, kicked things off by talking about determining the “non-negotiables†in his area, such as improving chapter partnerships through clarified expectations and increased trust and transparency. Also on the list: collaborating with strategic corporate and organizational partners to identify relationships that would be mutually beneficial to both NHF and the chapters.
There’s lots happening with chapters, he said, and he hopes to have more to share by the end of the year. There have been, for example, 10 different capacity-building grants offered, totaling $119,765. There have been 18 chapter webinars and nine coffee talk office hours sessions, as well as 46 board development sessions with 11 different chapters. There are 36 chapters participating in this year’s Unite for Bleeding Disorders Walk program, and the department is working to develop a new 2022-2024 chapter charter agreement.
Neil Frick, MS, senior vice president for medical programs and information, spoke about developing health care provider education that aligns with patient needs; promoting the value of health care provider careers in blood disorders; increasing the visibility and awareness of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council; and more.
His department’s list of successes includes a variety of accredited sessions at this year’s BDC; the development of grants, a clinical fellowship, a monthly HemAware column; and other growth.
Brett Spitale, vice president of advancement, talked about aligning the passion of donors at all levels with the intent of the mission, among other objectives. “We want to make sure people feel listened to and heard and important, because they are,†he said. He touched on engaging with new and existing major donors; elevating the NHF brand; communicating the revised mission of NHF; and driving communication strategies in partnership with other departments that emphasize diverse populations and reduce barriers to access for NHF’s programs and resources.
Kate Nammacher, MPH, vice president of education, highlighted milestones in her department’s four areas of focus: improving awareness of bleeding disorder symptoms in women to increase diagnosis long term; increasing awareness and acquisition of the skills needed to navigate treatment options and care best practices; elevating the importance of mental health as a consequence of blood disorders within the community; and improving equitable health outcomes by identifying issues and potential solutions.
Michelle Witkop, DNP, FNP-BC, head of research, shared successes toward creating a self-funding mechanism to support annual research initiatives; developing a national research agenda driven by stakeholder input (including the upcoming State of the Science Research Summit); and understanding and defining research priorities to reach the NHF Blue Sky Vision.
Keri Norris, Ph.D., MPH, MCHES, vice president of health equity, diversity and inclusion, shared how she came into the organization this spring first as a listener and gatherer of information. She envisions NHF as a connector between the community and the resources needed, and shared the concept of “ONE NHF.†The acronym encompasses: Optimal health, outcomes and team; Needs being met; Everyone being valued and included; Networking across teams and other organizations; Health equity; and Focus areas being highlighted.
Finally, Nathan Schaefer, MSW, vice president of public policy, highlighted successes such as the Hemophilia SNF Access Act passing in December, and noted that there had been 290 participants in Washington Days, even though they were virtual. He also shared stats from the user-friendly Phone2Action advocacy platform, begun last year, which has already resulted in 10,275 connections with elected officials through email, social media, texts and phone calls. â–
