ESCIF policy group meetings in Copenhagen

[20 March 2009]

Thanks to the sponsorship of Coloplast, ESCIF policy working groups 1 and 2 have been able to arrange meetings in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Working group 1, on the establishment of spinal cord injury registers in ESCIF member countries, met on 4 and 5 March 2009. The meeting was attended by Paula Mustalahti and Annukka Koskela (joint leaders of the working group), Esther Peris Valle, Hannes Wiesinger, Winnifred Bokma, Jan Reinhardt and Jane Horsewell (project coordinator). Sarah Goy, who is Senior International Project Manager in the Medical Marketing department of Coloplast’s Continence Care division (the project group sponsors), also sat in on the 1½ day meeting. Following the meeting Sarah wrote

Thank you for letting me join your meeting last week, it was very informative and we are pleased to be able to help you achieve your goals related to this project.  The project has many positive aspects to it and I am impressed with your approach to what seems an enormous task.

We were also fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with Professor Fin Biering-Sørensen who patiently answered all the questions thrown at him by the group members and proved, as always, to be an invaluable sparring partner!

Working group 2, on the centralisation of treatment, rehabilitation and life-long care of persons with spinal cord injuries, will meet in Copenhagen on 23 and 24 March 2009. Colm Whooley and Bart Hellyer are the leaders of this project. In addition to Colm and Bart, Gunilla Åhrén, Elisabeth Heilmeyer, Janez Trdina, Tomas Sinevicius and Tomas Morkevicius will meet in Copenhagen. Jane Horsewell is the project coordinator and Sarah Goy will represent Coloplast.

Both working groups will present progress reports at the ESCIF Congress in Vienna.

Jane Horsewell

ESCIF Vice President