Committee on Communications Update: We Need You!

There is no doubt that both SOCCA and its individual members are busier now than ever. SOCCA has expanded its efforts in every domain, and with this growth there is a need for continued evolution and revitalization of our communications efforts. Our blog, the SOCCA Drip, the Interchange newsletter, @SOCCA_CritCare, electronic mailers, and related efforts are all member-driven initiatives. In order to keep pace with increasing demands and feature the work done by our members within the organization and externally, we must come to embody the proverb, “many hands make light work.” Accordingly, the Committee on Communications continues to seek motivated volunteers interested in one of the three following areas:

1. Interchange and the SOCCA Blog. Written and edited by members for the benefit of members, Interchange and the SOCCA Blog are a paired effort seeking to both keep the membership abreast of developments within the society, spotlight information of relevance to the membership, and highlight the accomplishments of our members.
2. The SOCCA Drip. Biweekly, the SOCCA Drip seeks to pull together notable internal and external developments that are of interest to the membership. The SOCCA Drip therefore represents an opportunity to keep the membership abreast of developments in the peer-reviewed literature, within the specialty, or across institutions.
3. Social Media. Our Twitter account @SOCCA_CritCare represents a collective effort from members of the Committee on Communications and other committees. Through a variety of collaborative tools, committee members have the opportunity to plan and deploy promotional content ahead of time in addition to the more familiar dynamic of ad hoc engagement with the membership and public via Twitter.

Please reach out to Vivian Abalama ([email protected]) to express your interest.

On a closing note, the Committee is again delighted to offer this issue of Interchange as a service to the membership. Perhaps in keeping with the times, ethical, personal, and administrative perspectives on the end of life emerged as a strong theme. Juxtaposed on the other end of the spectrum, we are proud to feature the SOCCA Recommendations for Parental Leave and Lactation with a forward by Dr. Brigid Flynn. Some months back, Dr. Shahla Siddiqui penned a piece on the deleterious impact of restrictive visitation policies and then—unthinkably—was later beset by personal tragedy when her mother took ill and such policies prevented her presence at the bedside. Presented here as a paired submission, Shahla’s words stand as a moving testimonial to the anguish she and countless others have faced over the past year.

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