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Dear Colleagues:
I am writing to provide some information about the Legislative Coalition of Virginia Nurses (http://www.virginianurses.com/coaliton/index.htm). The Coalition continues to be a primary vehicle for nurses from varied clinical specialties and interests to come together regularly to learn about and advocate for policies and legislation affecting nursing practice and health care. In addition, over 25 nursing and health care organizations belong to the Coalition, thus increasing our visibility in advocacy for our patients and for nurses in the Commonwealth.
You can find the 2007 Legislative Agenda on our website. We meet monthly, on the first Friday of each month from 10am-12noon. The coalition decides on the legislative agenda during our August meeting. In addition, each year we hold a Summit to explore health care and nursing issues relevant to our legislative agenda.
Summit 2006 was a huge success! We combined resources with The Virginia Partnership for Nursing, and we were able to bring nurses and legislators from the Commonwealth together in order to move our 2007 Legislative Agenda forward. Two priorities for action from the 2007 Legislative Agenda include the following:
- Support a statewide nursing workforce center
- Increase funding of nursing education; remove barriers to recruitment and retention of nursing faculty; and promote the successful completion of nursing programs by enrolled students.
The summit provided all participants information on how a Center for Nursing and Healthcare in Virginia will help solve nursing workforce issues. Another objective that was successfully met included increasing awareness of policy planning related to the nursing shortage in Virginia. Collaboration with a panel including Heidi Dix, the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Resources; Daniel LeBlanc, Senior Advisor to the Governor on Workforce Development; and Del. John O'Bannon form the 73rd District centered around LCVN's priorities for action. The Panel and nurses from the Commonwealth were able to discuss issues of concern and next steps for action. The Keynote speaker, Cynthia Armstrong Persily, PhD, FAAN, educated the group on West Virginia's journey-- mapping the course for a Nursing Workforce Center. The day ended with a call to action from Nursing Leaders across the Commonwealth, Judy Collins, MSN, WHNP, FAAN; Terri Haller, MS, MBA, RN, President, Virginia Nurses Association; and Shirley Gibson, MHA, RN, President, Virginia Organization of Nurse Executives. Nurses left the Summit with a toolkit of knowledge and skills necessary to advance the support and creation of a center for nursing and healthcare in Virginia. This center will collect, analyze, and disseminate data about the nursing and healthcare workforce to inform stakeholders in patient care. It will serve as a "think tank" for nursing and healthcare leaders to develop solutions to Virginia's emerging nursing workforce shortage. It will provide the evidence base for what works in recruitment and retention of the nursing workforce.
Information on all meetings and events are updated on our website in June of each year. On our web site you will find the LCVN Talking Points from the 2006 legislative session concerning Nursing Education Funding. You will also find the 'RN Makes THE DIFFERENCE' toolbox on our website. This includes real stories of how RNs make a critical contribution within the health care arena. We also welcome more real stories related to this theme. The purpose for this effort is to further educate our legislators and stakeholders concerning patient care and the unique part that nurses play in patient safety and health. Please, send more stories to my attention so that we can continue to add evidence of professional nursing practice.
The purpose of the Legislative Coalition is:
Benefits:
a. Coalition building on policy issues related to health care and nursing.
b. Increasing the influence of nurses in the legislation and the policy making process.
c. Collaboration to build a nursing health care agenda for Virginia
d. Frequent communication to assure that nurses can be actively involved in policy development and the legislative process.
Dues Categories:
A. Organization Membership
1. Statewide-$150.00 (2 voting members)
2. Regional or local $75.00 ( 1 voting member)
3. Statewide non nursing-$150.00 (1 voting member)
B. Individual - $35.00
C. Students- $10.00
You will also find an application on the coalition web site explaining how to join as a member. We hope that you will attend a meeting, and think about becoming a member. It is a very exciting time for nursing in the commonwealth.
You do not have to be a member of the coalition to attend a meeting. The coalition meets at Bons Secours Memorial School of Nursing in Richmond, Virginia. Specific directions from I64 can be found on our web site.
For any questions please don't hesitate to contact me, Melody Eaton, LCVN Chair, at Meaton5626@aol.com.
Sincerely,
Melody Eaton, PhD, MBA, RN
Chair, Legislative Coalition of Virginia Nurses
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