NOVA hosted a Town Hall meeting with Dr. Steve Lieberman, Acting Undersecretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Dr. Beth Taylor, Assistant Undersecretary of Health for Patient Care Services/ Chief Nursing Officer.

The meeting was recorded at the Department of Veterans Affairs Office in Washington, D.C.

NOVA Leadership present at the meeting included Kelly Skinner, Immediate Past President, Cathy Giasson, President-Elect and Ruth Holmes, Secretary/Treasurer.

Dr. Taylor reported that ONS is moving towards having a Chief Nursing Officer position at all of the VISNs so that nursing leadership is present at all levels of VHA.  She also discussed an update on the National Standards of Practice.

Dr. Lieberman thanked the nursing workforce and mentioned the challenging times all have faced. He spoke of how proud he is of VA nurses and the great work they do.

He discussed recruitment /retention, finding ways to hire needed staff, measures to combat burnout, and efforts to achieve a work life balance.

Both Dr. Lieberman and Dr .Taylor endorsed the importance of listening to the nursing workforce to forge a strong partnership with staff to better meet their needs.

NOVA leadership asked questions posed from its membership and noted that its 2022 legislative priority goals reflect many of the issues discussed during the meeting.

View the recorded session