Aila Accad, RN, WVNA second vice president and chairperson for the event said, “The West Virginia Nurses Association (WVNA) organizes and sponsors this annual educational program and rally to inform, inspire and facilitate nurses meeting their elected representatives to share their concerns and solutions as knowledgeable advocates for the health of West Virginians.”
Nurses and student nurses from across the state will gather at the West Virginia Culture Center from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to hear exciting updates on health reform issues from prominent state legislative and nursing leaders.
The day will open with a special featured guest appearance by Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing, who shared her vision on how nurses can be part of the health reform solution. She will be followed by a legislative panel moderated by Del. Barbara “Bobbie” Hatfield, RN. Panelists include Sen. Roman Prezioso and Del. Don Perdue as the leaders of the “Roadmap to Health” initiative, Sen. Daniel Foster, MD, president of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, George Manahan, executive director of West Virginians’ Campaign for a Healthy Future, Elizabeth Baldwin, RN, WVNA president, and Steve McElroy, WVNA government relations director.
At 11 a.m. the nurses will don white lab coats for a march to the state capitol where they formed a sea of white filling the House and Senate galleries and visiting legislators.
The nurses will return to the Culture Center for lunch and an afternoon educational program featuring top nursing leaders sharing their vision for the future of nursing in the climate of health reform. Some of the panelists and speakers include: Damia Hayman, RN, MSN, C-FNP, WVNA Advanced Practice Congress, Dottie Oakes, RN, MSN, VP, Chief Nursing Officer, WV University Hospitals, Brenda Isaac, RN, BSN, MA, NCSN, Lead School Nurse for Kanawha County and President, Kanawha County Board of Health, Nancy Atkins, RN, MSN, WHNP-BC, WV Commissioner of Medical Services, Laura Rhodes, RN, MSN, Executive Director, WV Board of Examiners & President, National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Cynthia Persily, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Southern Region Programs, West Virginia University School of Nursing, Ann Bostic, RN, CRNA, MS, MBA, President, Independent Health Care Providers Corp.
Additional highlights include possible guest appearances by Sen. Jay Rockefeller and West Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Services Patsy Hardy, RN, a video presentation on the diversity of nursing practice, student nurses’ poster presentations, leadership awards and more.
RNs will receive 7.3 hours continuing education credit from WVNA, which is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
WVNA is calling on all nurses to register for the Nurse Unity Day Program and Rally at HYPERLINK www.wvnurses.org or contact WVNA at 304-343-1169
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