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GVNA News & Views - Winter 2024

Posted 2 months ago by Pamela White

In the newsletter:

  • President's Message
  • CORNO 2024
  • Legislative Committee Update
  • Increase Your Involvement in GVNA and the Local Nursing Community
  • Susan B. Anthony -- A Friend to Nurses and Supporter of Nursing

President's Message - Alison Simpson

Hello and Happy 2024! The weather may be chilly but there are many exciting things happening in the nursing world! ANA-NY held their annual conference in October and a piece of important legislation that is on their agenda for the 2024 legislative year is the Nurse Licensure Compact Act. Currently, there are 41 states that are part of the compact. Gov. Hochul and NYSDOH Commissioner Dr. James McDonald remain supportive of the Nurse Licensure Compact. Locally, GVNA’s legislative committee members have been meeting with local Assembly members to educate and explain the benefits if this proposed legislation. Dr. Marilyn Dollinger, president of ANA-NY, has made a webinar to further explain the legislation. You may access the webinar here: https://youtu.be/gmnxHZ5BEOU.

Also, upcoming is GVNA’s 40th legislative reception. This will be held on February 22th, at 6:30 at St. John Fisher University. This is open to all, not just GVNA members. This event provides nurses with the opportunity to converse with our local representative and express our concerns and our successes. Please come and bring someone with you! You can register on the GVNA website.

Our healthcare environment is changing and it is so important the we as a profession continue to have nurses at the decision-making tables. This can be on an individual unit, hospital board, professional organization, or in the political arena in Albany or Washington. I encourage all nurses to find ways to get involved and so that we can provide vital input in what our future as a profession and the health care arena will look like.

If you are interested in being a part of GVNA or serving on the board, please feel free to reach out to us through the GVNA website. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Legislative reception on the 22nd.

Stay warm and healthy,

- Alison

CORNO 2024

The annual CORNO meeting was held on January 22 at St.John Fisher University. CORNO is the acronym for the Coalition of Regional Nursing Organizations and includes approximately 30 nursing service organizations in the Rochester and Monroe County Area and Beyond. With a mission to collaborate on issues that affect health care and the nursing profession in our area, It is the only organization of its kind in New York State. Member organizations range from general interest nursing organizations such as GVNA  to "specialty" organizations with a clinical, leadership, or scholarly focus such as local chapters the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the New York Organization of Nurse Leaders, and Sigma Theta Tau. (For more infomation about the nursing organizations participating in CORNO see GVNAs web page: Local Nursing Service Organizations.)

Led by GVNA Past-President Nancy Iafrati, most of the work of CORNO is done behind the scenes. CORNO is best known for two annual events -- the Annual Legislative Reception held in February and a continuing education offering held in the fall.

Last year, CORNO had an opportunity to connect with another continuing education offering in our area featuring national and international speakers: Cracking the Code on Healthcare. Several CORNO members sponsored tables at the morning program Beyond Our Backyard -- An International View of Nursing and Healthcare Delivery. In the afternoon, CORNO offered a a presentation that celebrated nursing in our community. Both the morning sessions and the afternoon session were recorded. Links to the recordings are below.

Planning for the Fall 2024 continuing education program will begin in April. 

Legislative Committee Update

As mentioned above, the 40th Annual Legislative Reception sponsored by GVNA and CORNO will be held on Thursday evening, February 22.  This is a great opportunity for nurses to interact with local elected officials and/or their staffs. 

But as Alison mentioned, GVNA's Legislative Committee has not just been planning this event -- the committee has also been active in the local community. As reported by Committee Chair Bryanna Patterson, committee members met with all of local Assembly members -- Josh Jensen, Jen Lunsford, Sarah Clark, Harry Bronson, and Demond Meeks -- to educate and inform them about Assembly Bill A6421. The Assembly members were very interested in what our members had to say and there were great discussions on how to move forward to get the bill enacting the Nurse Licensure Compact passed.  Bryanna said the committee looks forward to seeing how far our efforts will go.

Increase Your Involvement in GVNA and the Local Nursing Community

All participants at the CORNO meeting recognized the need to engage a new generation of nurses with more social events, more educational activities, and a commitment to  community service. GVNA has openings on its Board of Directors for nurses who want to make a difference in our profession. For more information about these opportunities, please contact GVNA here, or through the link at the bottom of the webpage. 

Susan B. Anthony -- A Friend to Nurses and Supporter of Nursing

In addition to her work as a suffragist and activist, Susan B. Anthony worked to support nurses and helped to establish nurses as a profession. The Nursing Friends of the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House are committed to "[inspiring] change through the legacy of Susan B. Anthony...and [sharing] the story of the connection between Susan B. Anthony and nursing." In future issues of GVNA News & Views we'll highlight some of the links between Susan B. Anthony and nursing and the rich history of nursing in the Rochester area. For more information about the Nursing Friends, please visit https://susanb.org/nursing-friends/.