Our Founding Fathers gave the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation (CACR) a firm foundation 13 years ago, and our mandate in 2003 is to continue to strengthen and encourage growth of our organization.
One of this year's most valuable accomplishments is the continued development of CACR's 2003-2005 Strategic Plan. Many hours of hard work by Board and Committee members have gone into compiling this working document which gives structure and direction to our activities by assigning responsibilities for each task, and mapping the strategies, action plans and time lines. It interlinks the various CACR committees to avoid duplication of effort and to ensure that committees work in concert to achieve common goals.
13TH ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
Our 13th Annual Conference held in Toronto October 25-27, was well attended and enjoyed. We thank the local organizing committee for the countless hours they spent creating a high caliber academic meeting and arranging excellent opportunities for socializing and networking with colleagues.
GUIDELINES
We are pleased that funding is coming together for the second edition of the CACR Guidelines for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention: Enhancing the Science, Refining the Art. Work is already underway under the guidance of Dr Jim Stone, Editor-in-Chief and Dr Heather Arthur, Associate Editor.
RESEARCH
Dr Ilka Lowensteyn and the Research Committee completed a survey of Canadian Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs to build a registry of current research and to define the potential for future research projects. This registry may provide the framework for conducting multiple-site research projects, thus greatly increasing the potential for meaningful cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention research in Canada, which translates into improved care for our patients.
MEMBERSHIP
Ann Parkinson, Chair, and the Membership Committee work hard all year long to recruit and retain CACR members. This year's membership is at least 28% above last year's number. The strength of CACR lies in its members.
COMMUNICATIONS
CACR's Communication Committee, Chaired by Tiffany Blair coordinates countless streams of information regarding CACR both among its membership and to related organizations. CACR can be extremely proud of our Newsbeat newsletter edited by Louise Morrin and her team who consistently produce outstanding issues covering topics relevant to our membership and the care of our patients.
FINANCE AND MARKETING
To survive CACR requires financial sustainability and this daunting task lies with the Finance and Marketing committee. We sincerely thank Dr Keith Kwok, local Annual Conference planning committee, for successfully securing funding to cover the costs of this year's meeting. We also thank all the sponsors who contributed to our meeting.
We feel extremely fortunate and grateful for the support of the Canadian Cardiac Rehabilitation Foundation (CCRF). CCRF has initiated the Canadian National Run/Walk to help local Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs raise funds for their program.
PROFESSIONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
This is the newest CACR committee and we are pleased that Helen Stokes has agreed to serve as Chair. Tasks that lie ahead include further development of registries of career opportunities in Canada, educational materials and resources, and development of a Web page to provide easy access to education and training opportunities.
It has been my sincere pleasure to serve as CACR's President for the last year and I look forward to another rewarding year. I would like to thank Marilyn Thomas, our Association Manager, for her able assistance this last year. Thanks as well to CACR's Board and Committee Members for their hard work, all of it done on a volunteer basis. It is very humbling to reflect on CACR's continued accomplishments and realize that they are the result of many people working together and all sharing the common goal of providing the best Cardiac Rehabilitation care for our patients.