Rising to the Challenge
Atlanta, the pinnacle of Southern culture and business success, rolls out the red carpet next month for AOHC 2003.
The 88th Annual American Occupational Health Conference brings its "Rising to New Heights" theme to Atlanta next month, with a mission of being what the co-sponsoring American Association of Occupational Health Nurses describes as "the premier opportunity for occupational and environmental health professionals to enhance their effectiveness for the employer, the worker and the profession." The other sponsoring organization is the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Taking place May 2-9 at the Georgia World Congress Center, AOHC 2003 is expected to bring from 2,000 to 4,000 attendees into downtown Atlanta. The center is the showplace of Atlanta's $3.5 billion convention and tourism industry, with a whopping 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space, two grand ballrooms, and 105 meeting rooms on multiple levels. It has consistently ranked as one of North America's best meeting and exhibition facilities since opening in 1976, according to the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. Attendees also should know the center's size is one of its drawbacks; it demands long walks from shuttle bus drop-off zones to the exhibit halls, from one session to another, and from meeting rooms or exhibits to nearby restaurants.
Atlanta Attractions
The bureau and the city received a nice boost in February when they hosted the 2003 NBA All-Star Game for the first time in 25 years. Downtown Atlanta boasts an inviting range of eateries from Asian to expensive French cuisine; the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Thelma's Kitchen (768 Marietta St. N.W., 404-688-5855) is a hot spot because "Owner Thelma Grundy is one of Atlanta's queens of soul food."
The Journal-Constitution's "Great Things to Do in Atlanta" list includes these attractions: High Museum of Art (1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Arts Center MARTA station, 404-733-4444); Atlanta Cyclorama (800 Cherokee Ave. S.E., 404-658-7625) and Zoo Atlanta next door; the Atlanta History Center (130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., 404-814-4000); Governor's Mansion (391 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., 404-261-1776); Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site (450 Auburn Ave. N.E., Five Points MARTA station, 404-331-3920); Jimmy Carter Library and Museum (441 Freedom Parkway, Five Points MARTA station, 404-331-3942); Turner Field (755 Hank Aaron Drive S.E., Five Points MARTA station; 404-614-2311); CNN studios (1 CNN Center, Dome/Phillips Arena MARTA station, 404-827-2300); and The World of Coca-Cola (55 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive S.W., Five Points MARTA station, 404-676-5151).
AOHC 2003 Highlights
OSHA Administrator John L. Henshaw has been invited to speak at the AAOHN/ACOEM Joint Session at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 7. AAOHN's advance program indicates President Deborah V. DiBenedetto and Executive Director Ann Cox will deliver State of the Profession and State of the Association remarks, recognize colleagues, and celebrate AAOHN's 60th birthday in a single morning when the association conducts its annual business meeting at 8 a.m. Tuesday in the auditorium.
ACOEM promises that its program offers "a breadth of topics covering health and productivity, infectious diseases, the latest research, disaster preparedness and environmental/toxicology issues, to name just a few." The college's Annual Membership Meeting is a luncheon honoring award winners, new Fellows, ACOEM President Edward J. Bernacki, and President-elect John P. Holland.
AOHC draws physicians, nurses, safety engineers, and other allied health professionals who this year will attend 140 educational sessions, pre- and post-conference workshops, and committee meetings and visit the exhibit hall. The exhibits are in Hall A-1, Building A, of the World Congress Center and will be open these hours:
- Tuesday, May 6: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 7: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Thursday, May 8: 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For information about the conference, contact AAOHN at 770-455-7757, fax 770-455-7271, or visit www.aaohn.org. Contact ACOEM by phone at 847-818-1800 or visit www.acoem.org.
The following list of exhibitors was obtained Jan. 28 from ACOEM's Communications Department.
Exhibitor Booth Number
A
AAOHN Journal/SLACK Inc. 341
Acoustic Systems 709
Alfa Scientific Designs Inc. 739
AliMed 733
Ambulatory Monitoring Inc. 827
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. 334
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Foundation 334
American Board for Occupational Health Nurses Inc. 663
American Board of Independent Medical Examiners 249
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 533
American College of Preventive Medicine 756
American Institute for Preventive Medicine 316
American Medical Association AMA Press 619
American Red Cross 128
American Safety & Health Institute 606
Andover Coated Products Inc. 714
Applied Biotech Inc. 706
Armstrong Medical Industries Inc. 321
Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics 753
AstraZeneca 240
Atherotech 118
Aventis Pasteur 527
B
Bell Medical Service 122
Benson Medical Instruments Co. 609
Berna Products Corp. 722
Brooks Rehab Solutions 620
BSN-JOBST Inc. 344
C
Cardiac Science Inc. 228
CATscan 2000 816
Centers for Disease Control Business and Labor Resource Service 766
Certification of Disability Management Specialists Comm. (CDMSC) 759
Chattanooga Group Inc. 212
Clinical Reference Laboratory 421
CMI Inc. 449
Complient Corp. 638
Comprehensive Health Services Inc. 514
Concentra Health Services Inc. 543
Continuum 312
Corporate Health Resources Inc. (CHR) 443
Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) 753
Crews Inc. 508
D
DeRoyal 120
Drug Free Enterprises Inc. 622
E
Eckel Industries 327
Edwards Medical Supply 227
EI (Environmental Investigations) 244
eScreen Inc. 530
G
The Gideons International 760
GlaxoSmithKline 311
GlobaLifeline, a Service of MedAire 644
H
Hartmann-ConCo Inc. 639
Health Resources 444
Henry Schein Special Markets Group 243
Hepatitis Foundation International 757
HOPE Health 716
Hydropedes Insoles 136
I
ICPA Inc. 624
Industrial Hygiene News/Rimbach Publishing Inc. 222
Innovative Disability Solutions 631
Integritas Inc. 510
Interim Occupational Health/Physicians 430
International Labor Office 755
International Medical Electronics Ltd. 428
International SOS 719
Isernhagen Work Systems 329
J
Jones Medical Instrument Co. 111
K
Kaiser Permanente 728
Kelly Healthcare Resources 647
Krames 130
Kroll Laboratory Specialists 319
L
Laerdal Medical Corp. 724
LifePoint Inc. 420
M
Maico Diagnostics 115
The Matheson System 634
Maxim Health Systems 641
Mayo Clinic 205
Medcor Inc. 239
MedDirect Inc. 730
MEDEX 134
Medgate Inc. 705
MEDIC FIRST AID® Intl. Inc. 414
Medical College of Wisconsin MPH Programs 754
Medical Devices International 419
Medical Doctor Associates Inc. 547
Meditrax/OHS Inc. 409
Medlock Consulting 442
MedSafe 314
MEDTOX Laboratories 113
Medtronic Physio-Control 520
Merck & Co. Inc. 610
Micro Audiometrics Corp. 528
MorTan Inc. 427
N
National Library of Medicine 519
NeuMed Inc. 509
NeuroMetrix 305
NIOSH/ERC/CE 765
NorMed 710
Northwest Drug Testing, a Division of NWT Inc. 629
NovaCare Rehabilitation 448
O
Occupational and Environmental Health Foundation (OEHF) 533
Occupational Health + Rehabilitation Inc. 143
Occupational Health Research/SYSTOC 521
Occupational Health & Safety 840
OEM Health Information Inc. 223
OHD 550
OMI 214
OraSure Technologies Inc. 233
Otis Clapp 405
P
Pacific Toxicology Laboratories Inc. 119
Performance Health Inc./BIOFREEZE 643
Philips Medical Systems 320
Precision Hearing Conservation 126
Professional Health Services Inc. 140
Protocol, LLC 127
Psychemedics Corp. 219
R
Reed Group Ltd. 416
Reichert Ophthalmic Instruments 116
Roche Diagnostics 720
RWA Associates Inc. 429
RYAN Associates 324
Rye Pharmaceuticals, LLC 237
S
Safetec of America Inc. 613
Sam Splint® (The Seaberg Company Inc.) 129
SAS Shoemakers 123
W.B. Saunders/Mosby/Churchill 635
Schering-Plough 505
Shoreland Inc. 422
SIGVARIS Inc. 141
Spirometrics Medical Equipment Company 633
The Sqwincher Corporation 221
StayWell Health Management 224
Stereo Optical Company Inc. 412
Stockhausen Inc. 627
Sunshine ERC--University of South Florida 758
Superfeet Worldwide LLC 814
Sure-Tech Diagnostic Associates Inc. 506
T
Textilease Medique 513
TheraMatrix Services Inc. 139
Titmus Optical Inc. 621
T.K. Group Inc. 349
Tremetrics Occupational Health Group 211
U
Unique Software Solutions Inc. 413
University of Michigan Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering 764
U.S. HealthWorks 713
V
Viscolas Inc. 242
W
Water-Jel Technologies 605
Wellsource Inc. 524
Work Loss Data Institute 132
Wyeth Consumer Healthcare 235
Y
YOH Health Care 220
Z
ZOLL Medical Corp. 544
This article originally appeared in the April 2003 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.