April 2016 – President’s Message

So much for an early spring. Hopefully by the April meeting we will be enjoying warm weather again. Regarding the April 21 meeting – just a reminder it’s Past Presidents’ Night and hopefully we will see many of them and our members there. Along with a great line up of speakers, the executive board has some special activities planned, so don’t miss out!

It’s not too late to send in your comments on the NJ legislature’s bill on mold. Members should have received an email from the NJAIHA last monthly which discusses the NJ Legislature’s recent introduction of a “new” bill concerning regulating mold assessment and remediation in NJ. National AIHA, through the efforts of Aaron Trippler, has drafted a letter response on NJAIHA’s behalf commenting on the bill. NJAIHA is inviting interested stakeholders to send their comments to us on that letter or to send their comments directly to the NJ Legislature on the proposed bill. If you did not have a chance to read the email, it is reprinted at the end of this month’s Newsletter (page -15 including links to the attachments). NJAIHA is encouraging all stakeholders and other interested parties to become familiar with the issues and provide feedback to NJAIHA and/or the NJ Legislature. See page 10 of this month’s Newsletter for details.

Also members should have received an email regarding the 2016 NJAIHA Officer Election ballots for this year. There are openings for 2016 including: President-Elect, Treasurer, Membership Committee Chair and Publications Director. Anyone interested in running for an Officer position should contact Steve Siegel (Stephen.Siegel@dupont.com).

Thank you Dhruti Thaker of Actavis for volunteering to be the NJAIHA Outreach Coordinator. We look forward to working with you on this important assignment to further promote our profession. AIHA has been presenting town hall meetings to discuss the role and responsibilities as well as provide some outreach tools.

If you haven’t signed up already, there are still openings for this summer’s IH Review course. Dr Hank Shotwell is coordinating a steller line up of speakers again this year starting on Tuesday June 7th at 6:00pm. For those needing CIH certification maintenance points, studying for the CIH exam, or need more information on a particular topic; it’s still a great bargain! See details on page 9 of this month’s Newsletter.

Lastly just a reminder our June meeting will feature our Student Scholarship award winners. We have extended the deadline for application to the end of April so it’s not too late for worthy students to submit their applications. Please see our website for more information: http://www.njaiha.org/students/2016- scholarships/

Best Regards,
Mark Ostapczuk
President NJAIHA