OM gosh I just looked at the pics..where have I been!!! GREAT GREAT photos (okay except the close up of me..ew....can you say f a t)..and let me tell you the speaches from ALL the doctors were fascinating.

Not a stupid question...no such thing. A GC is a group coordinator, or a state coordinator. Someone that is delegated to handle fundraising and awareness (and other such "things") within their given state.

I'm not in SC, but could try and help some way. Couldn't run the whole thing, but I could help out if it were in SC. I very familiar with most areas of the state. Lived there all my life till I met and married DH.

Stupid question here but what is a GC?

Hmmm..there are 4 of us very active in SC and 2 others that do post a little.....

Wheels spinning here too....

Wheels are turning...no, reeling! As eager as I am to jump up and down (and I am eager) screaming, "ooh, pick me, pick me," Arkansas has very few (can count 'em on one hand) active PF members. Therefore, pulling off something worthy of National PF notoriety would be difficult and not to mention, TIME CONSUMING. However, I have one very active AR member in mind that would have enough clout to get some highly qualified (at least in my opinion) doctors interested in this possibility and another member that would likely be more than willing to co-coordinate something of this magnitude. However, being fully aware (and absolutely scared to death) of the colossal responsibility associated with making this event a successful one, I will raise my hand only to the level of my hip and timidly say, "here I am, but if someone else wants it and can make it everything it ought to be...well then, that person [you] go girl!"

I am saddened to know that NASSHP will not be involved this year, but I do sincerely look forward to a local GC coordinating the event!

Love the enthusiasm ladies! Here's the scoop on next year... there is not going to be a separate NASSHP meeting since the ISSHP will be in Portugal the same year. In 2007, the NASSHP meeting will be in San Diego. (NASSHP, btw, is North American Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy; ISSHP is the international version of same.)

There are two things we've learned after doing this for two years in a row which will dictate future PF conferences. (1) It does make sense to append the PF conference to the NASSHP as we were able to get some great docs to present and it's a cost effective way to include them since they are there anyways. (2) We cannot do a PF conference unless a local GC and her group are willing to take the responsibility of being "host committee." Until such time as we are so well funded to have FT staff to do things like this, it will require volunteer power. It probably makes sense for the GC's to look at the year ahead and make a commitment to doing ONE thing well for the year: a walk-a-thon, the Saving Grace event, the brochure campaign, or hosting the PF conference. The conference is a commitment not just to yourselves, but to all your fellow PF members b/c if you agree to organize it and then fall through on your commitment, you'd be letting down more than just your local groupies...KWIM? Organizing the conference doesn't mean DOING it all yourselves... most of the presentations will be done by others, but it does mean handling the logistics and coordination of everything. If you have event planners in your group, tap them for help.

So what does all this mean for next year? Since there's no NASSHP conference in 2006, we're open to any place in the country... as long as there are some PE experts in the vicinity who we could sanction as speaking for the group -- or that we could somehow get them to fly in gratis. And we need a group of committed individuals to step forward and own it.

I know Carol is planning on communicating this more widely and in more detail to GC's but I thought I'd jump on this thread to get your gears spinning now.

Ya Jen we were just hoping and dreaming too so no worries lol, and Rachel stowaway failing all else sounds good may be a little crowded though lol just kidding but I seriously would like to be there hopefully it will be closer this year.

Oh I know, I was just wishing and dreaming here!

I do believe the conference follows another conference of dr's that study hypertension, etc in pregnancy and our conference takes place after theirs so that we can get some of the dr's to speak. Therefore our conference location is based on the other one...Hope that made sense...
One of those mornings...

Ok, hang on...........didn't mean to start a rumor or anything. I was being somewhat silly when I suggested Charleston, although it is a great place and I would love for everyone to get to come here. But that was totally my invention, no one officially has said anything about it so I don't mean to give the wrong impression. Just a thought, a daydream, I guess. If anyone in a decision-making role would seriously think about coming here, I'd love to help in any way I could since I am local.

Sorry for any confusion! [:)]