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2007 Annual ReportNSGC UpdateGenetic Counseling Foundation: Positioned For Success2007 has been a building year for the Genetic Counseling Foundation (GCF). The GCF Board participated in a facilitated strategic planning session in March 2007. As a result of this session, the GCF Board of Directors determined that a critical step had been missed in the development of the foundation. To address this step, a Task Force was appointed in August 2007 to determine the primary research and funding focus for GCF, programs and services to take place over the next three years and the Board and staff structure needed to provide support and ensure the success of GCF and its strategic goals. The GCF Task Force was chaired by Vivian Weinblatt, and also included Beth Balkite, Karen Hanson, Ed Kloza and Joan Scott. The Task Force worked intensely over six weeks to develop recommendations. These recommendations included revisiting GCF’s mission, vision and governance structure to ensure that the strategic goals of GCF and NSGC are closely aligned to leverage the success of both organizations. The Task Force also recommended revisiting GCF’s governance to ensure that the Board structure can support GCF’s fundraising and programmatic initiatives. As the next step in implementing these recommendations, GCF and NSGC are appointing a joint Transition Task Force to implement these recommendations. This Transition Task Force will develop a transition plan by March 15, 2008. Once developed and approved, the plan will be implemented and GCF will be positioned to move forward. Taking this step has been extremely positive in the further formation of the Foundation and we are very excited about the future of GCF! As a result of NSGC member support, the GCF has raised $17,037 to date. The support of NSGC and its members has positioned GCF to be able to act on the recommendations from the Task Force and move the Foundation to the next level. Thank you to all NSGC members for your ongoing support of GCF! William Rusconi, Chair
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Executive Office Update2007 was a very exciting year for NSGC as we began to strive for the next level as an association. 2008 will be filled with many exciting things and we are happy to introduce the NSGC support team who will help drive growth and overall success. Legislative Advocacy UpdateIn 2007, the NSGC Billing and Reimbursement Task Force worked to pursue the strategic plan to improve reimbursement. First, NSGC drafted federal legislation to be introduced in 2008 that would provide status to certified genetic counselors as federal health care providers and allow reimbursement through Medicare. NSGC also developed key supporting and member education documents for this endeavor. Members accompanied our lobbyist, John Richardson, into well over 35 offices to start the process of educating Members of Congress about our unique reimbursement challenges. Second, state licensure was supported by the development of NSGC Guiding Principles and model bill language that will guide those undertaking licensure efforts in the states. NSGC has counseled many states in developing bills. Members in Tennessee passed a bill in June. It is anticipated that Illinois will have licenses available early in 2008 and the state of Massachusetts has established a Licensing Board. New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Washington, New Mexico, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio and South Dakota are all in various stages of enacting legislation. Looking to 2008, NSGC will empower the membership to impact these issues. An NSGC Grassroots Action Network will be created to respond to public policy issues. NSGC encourages the membership to work with our team in Washington, D.C. to influence issues important to genetic counselors. Public Relations ReportAs the market for direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing grows thanks to an increase in the number of companies offering “at-home” tests, and more consumers seek the guidance of genetic counselors, NSGC initiated a consumer education and awareness campaign in 2007. Goals of the campaign included positioning the Society as a resource for consumers seeking information about genetic testing and counseling; educating consumers on why, when and how to consult a genetic counselor; and driving traffic to the NSGC Web site and use of the genetic counselor locator. In order to help individuals who are considering genetic testing understand and interpret the results, NSGC created a tip sheet for consumers entitled “Five questions you should ask before considering genetic testing.” The tips were provided to health reporters across the country and posted to the NSGC Web site. NSGC has been working hard to get Congress to pass the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). In addition to the Society’s work in Washington, D.C., NSGC president Cathy Wicklund released a statement supporting passage of the legislation. The statement was provided to health and political reporters who were covering this issue. In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month on October, NSGC created a fact sheet for consumers entitled “Dispelling common breast and ovarian cancer myths.” The fact sheet was posted to the NSGC Web site and included in several media stories about breast and ovarian cancer. Also in October, NSGC created a news release based on the study “Parent Perspectives on Communicating with Minor-Age Children about Hereditary Breast/Ovarian Cancer Risks and Maternal BRCA1/2 Genetic Testing” that was presented at the Annual Education Conference. The news release was provided to health and medical reporters and posted on EurekAlert. The genetic counseling profession is growing as more and more consumers seek out the services of genetic counselors, and it is considered an emerging job for 2008. Genetic counselors were interviewed by several health and jobs reporters about this trend. NSGC spokespersons participated in more than 60 media interviews on topics such as the importance of knowing one’s family medical history, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, full genome sequencing, and genetic screening for newborns. Genetic counselors were featured in stories on the NBC “Today” show, ABC “News Now,” The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, Self magazine, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, MSNBC.com and WebMD. The above accomplishments were done in coordination with NSGC’s Public Communications, Inc. (PCI). For more information on PCI, please visit www.PCIpr.com Get Involved in NSGC!NSGC always wants interested members to have the opportunity to share their skills with NSGC in a rewarding and meaningful way. Below is information on how to get involved in NSGC. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact the NSGC Executive Office at nsgc@nsgc.org, or 312-321-6834 for more information. Online ResourcesIf you were unable to attend the Leadership/Volunteer Development program held at the AEC in Kansas City, all materials are now available in the Members only section of the NSGC website. Please visit the Leadership/Development resource page for additional information and resources that will help members have a rich and meaningful experience while volunteering for NSGC. This new Leadership/Development resource page will provide a year-round opportunity for personal leadership development, resources for volunteers and information on how to submit your name, skills and interests to NSGC's new Volunteer Database. NSGC Volunteer DatabaseNSGC is developing a comprehensive database of volunteers who are interested in participating on NSGC committees, being contacted for special initiatives, or working on time-limited projects in specific interest areas. NSGC members interested in volunteering will be asked to complete Willingness to Serve Interest Inventory, indicating your skills, areas of interest or expertise, and your desired time commitment. You can submit or change your information at any time by completing this form and returning to the Executive Office. Getting Involved in Committees, Task Forces & Special ProjectsThis self-identification of skills and interests by members is extremely important as committee chairs will now be appointing members of their committees each year based on the projects the committee will address during the year. By limiting Chair terms to one or two years and appointing new committee members each year based on the work to be done, we will be calling on greater numbers of members over time, and ensuring that if you are asked to join a committee it will be a meaningful experience. Outside of committee appointments there is still plenty of work to be done on behalf of NSGC. The Board and all committee chairs will be enlisting the help and expertise of members for the Task Forces and large number of special projects that come up throughout the year. The easiest way for members to identify themselves as a potential volunteer or resource will be to ensure that you have submitted your name to the Volunteer Database by completing the NSGC Willingness to Serve form. While NSGC leaders will always reach out to members who they know have expertise or time for special projects, the Volunteer Database will be a primary resource for identification of members who may be interested in special projects as they arise. NSGC has a strong tradition of volunteer involvement by members at all experience levels. It is the involvement of our members that has made NSGC the vibrant and exciting organization that it is today, and we are looking forward to ensuring that this tradition continues in the future by providing volunteer and leadership experiences that are both personally and professionally rewarding. We are looking forward to your involvement in this vibrant, exciting organization! Again, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact the NSGC Executive Office at nsgc@nsgc.org, or 312-321-6834 for more information.
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