Recently, I stumbled upon a quote from the famous general Douglas MacArthur. When asked about security, MacArthur said, "There is no security on this Earth, only opportunity."

While MacArthur was speaking about security in battle, his quote reminded me of the battle AAHSA members fight everyday to meet the needs of an aging population.

In an era of tight budgets, shifting demographics and reduced government involvement, there is no security. What our members need are more opportunities. Opportunities that will help each of you become the organization of choice in your community.

Fortunately, you are not alone in this battle. AAHSA's 5,300 members are working hard to achieve excellence in their organizations. To help you do this, we recently developed a new educational (and money-saving!) opportunity for you by partnering with Aon Association Services to help you move forward on your Quality First journey, save money for your organization and most important, earn the public's trust.

AAHSA and Aon jointly created a new risk management course that can help you focus on resident safety and help manage operational challenges in your organization. Using the recommendations from this course can help you evaluate your facility's current risk management plan and implement the changes to keep the people you serve safe.

As I mentioned before, taking this course isn't just an opportunity to learn something new. It's an opportunity to make the most of your AAHSA membership. If you are AAHSA Property/Casualty Insurance Program participants, you will receive a 10 percent credit on your general liability/professional liability premium. For most our members, this savings will cover your membership dues and help you improve quality and conserve resources at the same time. In terms of opportunities, it's like a million for one special!

I've already heard from members who are making the most of this opportunity. Marty Goetz from the River Garden Hebrew Home for the Aged in Jacksonville recently wrote Aon to thank them and AAHSA for "having the foresight to develop for what will unquestionably benefit providers across the country." I've also heard from four organizations who all saved twice the cost of their AAHSA dues after passing the Aon course. In one case, a network of nursing homes saved more than $34,000.

For AAHSA, that's what it's all about: working with companies like Aon who are committed to helping our members create a stronger, and safer, future for our field.

Most important, taking this course can offer you the opportunity to move forward on your organization's Quality First journey. Quality First encourages members to go beyond ensuring that minimum standards are met and focus on how they can continually do better. Risk management — strategies and techniques to recognize, manage and reduce potential risks — will help you do this. It will also promote your commitment to maintaining high standards of care to your residents, clients and their family members. Earning their support is will help you avoid another risk: the public's distrust. In a recent study, Aon found that the single biggest reason aging-services organizations are sued is bad customer relations. With the knowledge from this course, however, you can earn the trust of the people you serve.

You should receive more information from us in the mail about this course. Please feel free to contact Aon's Maria Moreno at (800) 865-7307 Ext. 553 if you have any questions.

Just as MacArthur saw the connection between security and opportunity, I urge each of you to see this new course as your opportunity to create the future of aging services that the public can trust!

William L. Minnix, Jr., D.Min.
President and CEO

AAHSA
2519 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington DC 20008