Hello friends!

Last month, we conducted our first virtual Executive Board meeting. We spent weeks with every committee chair to review past successes, opportunities, aspirations, and potential results (SOAR)- a methodology designed to bring forth new and enriched ideas into the strategic plan for PNAVA. 

Thanks to our Website Committee and Secretaries, our website (www.pnava.org) has a new look and is jammed packed with informative links and events. When you become a member, you become an ambassador for PNA Virginia.  Your small actions to share information create a big impact.

We began to fill in the monthly calendar with opportunities that have relevance to community outreach and education needs along with national health focuses such as Colorectal Cancer Awareness month in March and Minority Health in April. Many members and friends have recruited and trained with the Virginia Medical Reserve Corp and joined in the mass vaccination efforts for the local regions.

We launched a Membership Blitz in February that deeply discounted a 2-year membership by waiving our chapter fees.  

Virtual Fundraising has been the status quo during this pandemic.  We are grateful for your support in our efforts to raise monies for educational resources.  The COVID-19 Vaccination Awareness Campaign and the SABIKA Jewelry Sales were a success, thank you!

In Legislation, through a unified nursing Public Policy Platform with the Virginia Legislative Nursing Alliance and partnership with the Virginia Nurses Association, we can continue to provide you important information that impacts nursing. Because you responded to the call, HB1985 from Delegate Chris Hurst passed the General Assembly, giving a retroactive workers compensation presumption to healthcare workers involved in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID patients, meaning if they contracted COVID-19 on the job, they receive workers compensation benefits without having to prove a specific exposure. We are one of only seven states to pass this type of legislation, and it is a HUGE win for nursing!

The committees on Ethics, Bylaws, and Policy are diligently working together to develop our Ethics Committee Policy & Procedure. 

On Membership, we are currently proposing a plan to add Nursing Affiliates (CNA, PCA, PCTs, and LPNs) to our membership team. We have streamlined the online membership for students (non-licensed) and decreased the cost from $30 to $25.  We need volunteers who are willing to become mentors for our nursing students.  They are inquiring about their career choice and we want them to know that we are here to support them.  Mentorship begins at any level.

In research, we agreed to participate as volunteers in a research grant to promote Filipino health in the church communities of Southeastern Virginia. We want to connect with Retired nurses who are interested in the training and conducting tele-health screening. Please contact me for more information.  

Open Positions:

• Grant Writer: One of the best ways for nonprofits to receive critical funds is through grants. Philanthropic individuals and foundations want to fund organizations like ours. We need a volunteer to research, write and submit grant requests on behalf of PNA Virginia. 
• Legislative Committee Chair:  We need a volunteer to create opportunities to learn about legislative policy change and collaborate with state officials on issues that impact nursing. 

Opportunities:  

• PNA Virginia’s First General Assembly April 10, 2021:  We invite all our members to review our Proposed Bylaws amendments and Connect with Interagency Partnerships
• The Virginia Nurses Association 2021 Spring Conference 4/21/2021:  PNA Virginia will Sponsor 2 General Members and 2 nursing students.
• The PNAA 2nd Virtual National Convention in July 2021: PNA Virginia will Sponsor 2 General members and 2 nursing students.

I want to again thank the Executive Board for their hard work and dedication.  On behalf of PNA Virginia, I invite you to reach out to us with any feedback and I look forward to your ideas.  Reach out to any of the committee chairpersons with your interests! We want to create the vision of building a community of Filipino nurses that make a difference. Let us all grow together! Let us continue to Connect, Create, and Collaborate!

Sincerely Yours,

Catherine Paler, RN MSN PCCN

26th President, Philippine Nurses Association of Virginia, Inc