2019 Spring Conference

By Bill Algee, CRA, FAHRA

Coming to you from the San Antonio airport where the 2019 AHRA Spring Conference and Board meeting has taken place. A great event led by Design Team Chair Maureen Firth and the team of Marshall Hawkins, Denise Pugh, Tom Wall, and Carrie Stiles. I was able to spend some time with all of the vendors who supported the event and would like to give special recognition to Mark Maney and Neusoft Medical Systems for being the primary sponsor. Also, thank you to the other 20 companies that were present in the exhibit hall. Dan Kelsey has now attended his first AHRA conference and was very interactive while representing the AHRA. I assure you under his guidance the sky is the limit as to how far we can go.

The family reunion atmosphere was in full effect at the Spring Conference. Taking advantage of the huge military presence in San Antonio we held our first ever Military Reception and education session delivered by John Beall. I am very proud to have had the opportunity to meet some of these great men and women who are veterans and currently enlisted in the Armed Forces. It was a very special event. I also met many first time attendees and new AHRA members. I was able to spend some time at lunch with a group from UVA Medical Center who were very excited and thankful for the opportunity to receive such great education. I also met Rochelle Anderson from Twin Falls, Idaho, an Osborn Scholarship recipient. Rochelle, we are looking forward to your article about the conference.

At the board meeting we talked about volunteerism and how important that is to the success and longevity of the AHRA. Therefore, I took this opportunity to encourage attending members to write, present an educational session or be on a committee, because without active participation we won’t exist. I think I might have sparked some interest.

Presenter Joe Klaers stated “the AHRA has the only conferences that get to the nuts and bolts of what we do as imaging leaders.” I think that accurately sums up the entire meeting.

I’m an American soldier, an American

Beside my brothers and my sisters

I will proudly take a stand

When liberty’s in jeopardy

I will always do what’s right

I’m out here on the front lines

Sleep in peace tonight

American Soldier – Toby Keith

Bill Algee, CRA, FAHRA is the 2018-2019 president of the AHRA Board of Directors. He is the director of imaging services at Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, IN and can be reached at balgee@crh.org.