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Sunday, March 11, to Thursday, March 15, 2001

The 48th annual AORN Congress, themed "A Nursing Odyssey: Legend to Legacy," will be held March 11 to March 15, 2001. The following contains important highlights about Congress, which will be held in the Dallas Convention Center.

AIRLINE INFORMATION

In cooperation with AORN, TG Worldwide is offering special rates that afford a 5% discount on lowest applicable fares, including first class, or a 10% discount on unrestricted coach fares. All rules and regulations of the airfare have to be met to receive the discounts. Purchase your tickets at least 60 days in advance of travel and receive an additional 5% discount.

To take advantage of either discount,

* call or have your travel agent call American Airlines at (800) 433-1790, Monday through Sunday, 5 AM to midnight, central time, and refer to file #1031AA, or

* call or have your travel agent call Delta Air Lines at (800) 241-6760, Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 11 PM, eastern time, and refer to file #157165A.

If neither of these options meets your needs, call TG Worldwide at (888) 858-2100 inside the United States or (303) 799-4112 outside the United States, Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, mountain time.

Early bird drawing for four Delta coach class tickets. Delta Air Lines and AORN are giving away four coach-class, domestic airline tickets. To be eligible for the drawing you must

* call or have your travel agent call Delta Air Lines at (800) 241-6760, refer to file #157165A, and make your reservation on Delta before Jan 19, 2001;

* preregister for AORN Congress before Jan 19, 2001; and

* attend the Dallas Congress.

The drawing will be held two weeks after Congress, and winners will be sent a letter containing the certificate information.

AIRPORT SHUTTLE

Big Tex Shuttle will operate between the Dallas/Ft Worth International Airport and all official AORN hotels. With a coupon identification as an AORN Congress attendee, the cost is $20 round-trip per person. The cost without coupon identification is $24 round-trip per person. The coupon will be mailed with the final information letter.

PARKING IN DALLAS

Keep in mind there may be parking fees at official AORN hotels. After receiving your housing confirmation from QBS, call the hotel directly for exact charges. The Dallas Convention Center has parking available. The cost of parking at press time was $8 per vehicle with no in and out privileges.

HOUSING INFORMATION

Responding to feedback from the membership, AORN has selected a new housing bureau--QBS--to assist with your hotel reservation processing this year. AORN has secured blocks of rooms in hotels in the Dallas Convention Center area. A portion of the room block in each hotel has been designated for nurse use. Receipt of the housing form and deposit within 24 hours will increase your chance of obtaining the hotel(s) of your choice. If your hotel choices are no longer available, QBS will make an assignment that is the most comparable to the stated preference on the form. Read the confirmation promptly. If you are not satisfied with your assignment, fax QBS a request to be placed on the waiting list. Changes will be made based on availability.

If sharing a room, please send only one form with the names of all people occupying the room. One confirmation will be mailed to the "Room Contact." Although QBS cannot acknowledge receipt of faxed or mailed forms, attendees should contact QBS if confirmation is not received within three weeks of posting. If you wish to contact QBS with further questions about hotels, call (800) 755-2676 x 273 in the United States or (303) 755-6304 x 273 outside the United States.

Room deposit. All housing requests require a deposit. The deposit must be mailed or faxed with the housing request form. If the deposit does not accompany the form, your reservation will be placed aside until the deposit is received. This delay could mean the loss of your hotel choice. Deposits are

* $175 per guest room;

* $300 per one-bedroom suite; and

* $450 per two-bedroom suite.

Payment may be made by check, made payable to QBS (US dollars drawn on a US bank). The following credit cards can be used for deposits: MasterCard, VISA, Discover, and American Express. Your credit card will be charged at the time the reservation is made.

Hotel changes and cancellations. All changes and/or cancellations must be sent in writing, either by fax or mail, and received by QBS on or before Feb 19, 2001. Deposits will be forfeited if cancellation notice is not received on or before Feb 19, 2001. After Feb 21, 2001, you may contact the hotel directly for changes; however, cancellation will result in forfeiture of deposit. Hotels will apply an early departure fee equal to one night's stay for changes made on site. Your room rate includes a service fee to help defray the cost of the housing service.

Reserve your hotel room. Reservation forms now are available on AORN's web site at http://www.aorn.org/Congress (credit cards only). You also can reserve your room by contacting QBS at PO Box 621697, Littleton, CO 80162-1697 or 6431 S Hoyt St, Littleton, CO 80123 for overnight mail; by sending a fax to (303) 932-7974; or by calling (800) 755-2676 x 273 between 8 AM and 5 PM, mountain time, Monday through Friday.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

We are building for Habitat again--this time in Dallas. Our great success and fun last year have inspired us to build a house in Dallas during the 2001 Congress. On-site volunteer opportunities are available, from swinging a hammer to wielding a paintbrush. We need your help from Saturday, March 10, through Wednesday, March 14, 2001. Sign up for one or more shifts, and you will receive a special T-shirt with the AORN/Habitat for Humanity logo when you pick up your registration materials.

We need your help to defray the $50,000 expense for budding materials. A $25 donation will buy a 50-lb box of nails, $40 will buy a window, and $50 will help buy one interior door. Please make your check payable to Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity and mail it to PO Box 720490, Dallas, TX 75372. Be sure to write on your check that it is for the AORN House. For more information or to sign up to help build the house, call the AORN/Habitat for Humanity hotline at (800) 755-2676 x 359 or send an e-mail to habitat@aorn.org. We are going to have a great time and show the world how perioperative nurses and their colleagues care. Requests for shifts will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration forms are available in the Congress registration brochure and on AORN's web site at http://www.aorn.org.

INTERNATIONAL HOSPITALITY CENTER

An International Hospitality Center will be open Saturday, March 10, through Thursday, March 15, from 7 AM to 5 PM, in Room D264 of the Dallas Convention Center. International attendees will be able to drop in for coffee, water, and soda throughout the week and have the opportunity to network with their colleagues.

GENERAL SESSION INFORMATION

The AORN 2001 Congress speakers are as follows.

Keynote Address--Coretta Scott King, Sunday, March 11, 3:30 to 4:30 PM. Coretta Scott King will be the keynote speaker at the 48th annual Congress. AORN is honored to have this living legend address Congress participants. Coretta Scott King entered the world stage in 1955 as wife of the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, and as a leading participant in the American Civil Rights Movement. Since her husband's assassination in 1968, King has devoted much of her energy to carrying the message of nonviolence, leading goodwill missions to countries in Africa, South America, and Europe, and bringing together more than 800 human rights organizations to form the Coalition of Conscience. She has authored three books and a nationally syndicated column and has served on and helped found dozens of organizations, including the Black Leadership Forum, the National Black Coalition for Voter Participation, and the Black Leadership Roundtable.

NEW INFORMATION--General Session--Debate: Pros and Cons of a PAC; Ralph Nader and Joel Blockwell; Monday, March 12, 10 to 11:30 AM. Whether you like them or not, political action committees (PACs) are the main vehicle to achieve public policy goals in Congress and state legislatures. Although not all organizations have adopted PACs, they continue to pursue public policy objectives. This session will present experts debating the issue, and attendees will have time to ask questions. Joel Blackwell will speak to the "pro" side of having a PAC, and Ralph Nader will speak to the "con" side.