DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich., Feb. 28, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The inaugural professional development conference of the American Arab Nurses Association (AANA) will be held on Thursday, May 19th, at Burton Manor, Livonia, MI. Titled "Building Cultural Bridges in Health Care," the conference will explore the value of cultural competency in clinical practice; the variances in cross-cultural communication; health care workplace cultural diversity; and healthcare beliefs and practices in Arab, African and Hispanic American cultures.
Dr. Madeleine Leininger, the pioneer of transcultural nursing theory and practice and the founder of the Transcultural Nursing Society, is the keynote speaker. She will speak on "Transcultural Nursing - The Only Way to Care."
Dr. Larry Purnell of the University of Delaware will discuss "Patient Communication across the Cultures."
A discussion on "Problem Solving Relating to Workplace Cultural Diversity" will be led by panelists Dr. Stephen Farrow, Wayne State University's Medical School faculty; Jeanette Klemczak, chief nursing executive, Michigan Department of Community Health; Mitchell Nimmoor, vice president, human resources, Garden City Hospital; and Lorna Utley, president, General Motors Foundation. Dr. Anahid Kulwicki, director of Wayne County's Department of Public Health, Jonnie Hamilton, chair, Michigan State Board of Nursing, and Rudy Valenzuela, president, National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Inc., will discuss the healthcare beliefs and practices of the Arab American, African American and Hispanic American patient, respectively.
AANA founder Rose Khalifa, RN, said, "Understanding the different cultural needs of our patients allows nurses to really care for them. We have found that nurses who take into account their patients' cultural background become partners in patient care.
"AANA is committed to helping nurses become better care givers."
Nurses will also have the opportunity to submit an abstract for their poster presentation on Transcultural Nursing.
Cost for the day-long conference is $70 till March 31, $100 beginning April 1 and students enrolled in a health care curriculum can attend for $30, which includes the conference, ethnic foods at lunch and breaks, and conference handouts. Nurses can earn 6.5 contact hours provided by Davenport University's School of Nursing.
Founded in April 2002 as a 501c3 non-profit organization, The American Arab Nurses Association will serve as a voice, a network and a resource for men and women in their pursuit of employment and advancement within the nursing profession. While AANA focuses primarily on the Arab American nurse, it is an inclusive nursing organization fostering knowledge of cultural diversity and sensitivity between members and the community in the area of transcultural health care.
More information is available by calling 313-982-4070 or 313-996-3090 or by visiting www.americanarabnurses.org.
The American Arab Nurses Association logo can be found at: http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1446