By Ana Mola, PhD, RN, ANP-C, MAACVPR | Sept. 21, 2020

Dear AACVPR Nation,

It has been a tremendous honor to serve as your AACVPR President. I want to express a heartfelt gratitude for the AACVPR Community’s endless support and dedication during my term as President!

I have stated the following words many times this year, but again, I hope everyone is well and safe in your personal, professional and community lives as we advance through the resolve of this public health emergency (PHE), the COVID-19 pandemic. This PHE has impacted our community in unprecedented and challenging ways—not the least of which is to participate in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation (CPR) services in a safe and timely manner.

We are very fortunate that AACVPR has been able to positively navigate through these extraordinary times. I know several members of AACVPR and CR/PR programs experienced furloughs, layoffs, and program closures. I can assure you, AACVPR was working hard every day to support our membership through this PHE.

During this pandemic, it took a village and villages to unite, hence the BODs, GRQ, industry partners, like-minded professional associations and other SME stakeholders coming together to advocate for members on many levels. The true meaning of volunteerism was quite transparent as all were balancing new ways of coping professional and personal lives during this PHE.

I am attempted to guide a steady course during this PHE in acknowledging member inquiries, concerns, and the need for consistent information and messaging to manage these challenging times. In looking back over the past 12 months, especially the past seven months, what I learned from the AACVPR community was the lessons of strength, resilience, perseverance and solidarity that was demonstrated by our members, exemplifying and endless dedication to our patients and to CPR programs.

This year threw a lot of curve balls at the AACVPR Nation. When we needed it the most, we came together as a united front, sharing best practices and resources in the COVID Conversations online community. But even more importantly, the sharing of compassion and empathy for each other was central to our call to action. The theme of our membership renewal campaign this year was Beating and Breathing as One. Within our affiliates and throughout our membership, we nationally echoed, better and stronger together!

We do not know when this pandemic will be resolved; hence, we must stay vigilant to the state of affairs. However, we need to consider moving forward and charting new horizons. The AACVPR Nation has an opportunity to explore alternate delivery models of CPR services. The lesson learned from this PHE is that we need to flexible, nimble and strategic in caring and serving our patients. In flexibility, things can be twisted and turned and not be broken and being nimble expresses being light in movement or action. Looking forward can be an opportunity for AACVPR Nation to learn more about alternate delivery methods of CPR services without breaking away from the tradition of our specialty and be deliberate in our actions to best serve our patients. 

In my final thoughts, I want to thank my AACVPR colleagues for their endless guidance and insights. To Kate Traynor and Todd Brown, my sincere gratitude for your detailed lens, valuable critiques of emerging issues and exceptional editing of documents. Your perspectives on any issues of CPR is always valued by the AACVPR Nation. I want to sincerely thank GRQ, Phil Porte and Karen Lui and the Executive Committee of Kate Traynor, Dean Diersing, Gayla Oakley and Ash Walker, and Todd Brown, Chairperson of the Innovative Delivery Model Committee, for meeting every Tuesday since May 12th to strategize and advocate for legislation communication to CMS for virtual CPR reimbursement.

A big thank you to Chris Garvey, Gerene Baudoff and Aimee Kizziar for keeping Pulmonary Rehabilitation on the radar with their expertise in this specialty. A very warm thank you to the entire Board of Directors, whose knowledge and dedication of CPR kept us all on track. A sincere thanks to the entire AACVPR staff from Megan Cohen and Mollie Corbett’s endless days of ensuring our daily successes to entire team that collaborated closely with me to ensure I was on course responding, reporting and collaborating with our membership.

In moving forward, AACVPR Nation is in excellent hands with your incoming President, Dean Diersing. Dean will bring a strong background of CPR leadership to the national level and chart new horizons for AACVPR Nation.

Be safe and well,

Ana Mola, PhD, RN, ANP-C, MAACVPR
Outgoing AACVPR President