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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Monday, November 1, 2021
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Teresa Morris, NOVA Director, Advocacy & Government Relations
Greetings NOVA Members –
It is hard to believe that it is already October. Congress has an increasingly busy schedule as the session begins to wind down. NOVA continues its work advocating for VA nurses. I am happy to report, a bill that would increase pay caps by amending Title 38 for RNs, APRNs, PAs and others working at VA has been introduced by the House. H.R. 5575, the
VA Nurse Physician Assistant RAISE Act is critical to VA’s ability to recruit and retain high-quality healthcare professionals.
NOVA submitted testimony in strong support of the legislation acknowledging the importance of
VA’s ability to recruit and retain healthcare professionals, especially in high-cost areas. We have
been actively involved in advocating to change the current salary pay cap which has affected VA’s ability to hire and meet its mission to provide timely access to high-quality care for Veterans.
This has been a top priority for NOVA, and we need your help to get it across the finish line.
To read our testimony: nova_sfr_hvac_subcommittee_o.pdf (ymaws.com)
Watch out for more information on the NOVA website about how to contact your Member of Congress to urge their support for H.R. 5575.
In other news, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded through December 3. Note – VA is funded
under advance appropriations which provides funding in advance, so the agency is not
held hostage to the annual budget battles in Congress. As noted in previous newsletter articles, FY 2022 funding for VA, includes about
$270 billion in total discretionary funding with $97.5 billion for Medical Care.
Congress continues to work on two “infrastructure bills” one which already has cleared the Senate ($1.5 trillion for bridges, roads, broadband, and climate) and another – price tag being debated would expand
education, paid leave, childcare, health care, and climate initiatives.
All of these cannot move forward without an increase in the Federal debt ceiling - both the House and Senate cleared a short-term bill increasing the federal limit to $480
, enough to pay the government’s bills through Dec. 3.
Other news out includes the
release of VA’s 2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report
. Some of the key highlights and good news included a single-year decrease in the adjusted suicide rate for veterans from 2018 to 2019 (7 percent) and a nearly 13 percent one-year rate (unadjusted rate) decrease in suicide for female veterans, which represents the largest rate decrease for women veterans in 17 years.
The entire report can be found here
:
2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (va.gov)
I encourage all of you to remain engaged with your members of congress about the need for more staffing, stronger HR, and critical incentives to hire healthcare professionals within VA.
For a complete list of NOVA letters and congressional testimony, visit the NOVA website
Understand the Issues (vanurse.org)
Stay tuned!
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Monday, November 1, 2021
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Karen Tepper, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC VISN1 Clinical Contact Center Director Co-Director NP Residency Program NOVA Chapter 226
Registered Nurses (RNs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are among the top Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Critical Occupations (MCO) identified as a priority for recruitment and retention initiatives. Due to the current national shortage of experienced nursing workforce, VHA has, similar to counterparts in the private sector, resorted to filling nursing vacancies with new graduate nurses. Both observation and literature demonstrate that newly graduated RNs and NPs benefit from additional experiential training to master their clinical skills. The VA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) Nurse Residency programs are designed: (1) to ensure the supervised transition of newly graduated nurses to safe and competent clinical practice in an academic residency model and (2) to enhance recruitment and retention of VA nurses. VA OAA Academic Nurse Residency program positions are funded centrally by OAA trainee funds. The OAA academic training program is a one-year (12 months) program during which the trainees have 100% protected time to master the complexities of caring for Veterans. This is a twelve-month inter-professional training program. The VA Boston Healthcare System Nurse Practitioner Residency Program provides a comprehensive educational experience using didactic, clinical, and scholarly components to enhance the training of the newly licensed Nurse Practitioner in the care of the American Veteran. The program assists the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) to develop from a novice provider to a competent, confident and independent APRN practitioner in primary care. The Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Residency program prepares Nurse Practitioners for professional leadership, education, and research in an inter-professional practice setting. The Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Residency Program is partnered with Northeastern University School of Nursing (NUSON). The VA Boston HCS and Northeastern University SON support evidenced-based nursing research and clinical practice education. This academic practice partnership fosters a supportive learning environment for academic, professional, and personal success. 
2020-2021 VABHS 1st Cohort of Primary Care NP Residents: (Left to Right) Chizoba Nwosu, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, Co-Director PC NP Residency Program; Abigail Munroe, NP Resident Graduate; Ifeoma Ugbo, NP Resident Graduate; and Karen Tepper, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, Co-Director NP Residency Program
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Monday, September 27, 2021
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Congratulations to Beverly Ross who received the 2020 Lifetime Service Award from the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. The award was presented in conjunction with the Virginia Women Veterans Summit.
The Virginia Women Veterans Summit has been a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Veterans Services for the past seven years. Virginia has the fourth highest number of women Veterans in the nation with over 108,000 and the highest percentage of women Veterans in the nation.
The award states “Virginia Women Veterans Summit 2020 Lifetime Service Award Recognizes contributions over an entire career of service, care, commitment, concern, and courage in advocating for innovation, nurturing networks, and enhancing the quality of life for Virginia’s women Veterans”.
Mrs. Ross served as the Women Veterans Program Manager for 29 of her 42 years as a Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist with the Department of Veterans Affairs. She is honored to have had the privilege of serving our nation’s Heroes and Heroines. 
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Monday, September 27, 2021
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Dear NOVA Members, If I were to ask if you wanted a national NOVA Board Member to provide a presentation on the importance of belonging to a professional nursing organization to the nurses at your VA facility, what would you say? In case you are not aware, focusing on member outreach initiatives is a priority for the national NOVA Board. The 2021 national NOVA Board of Directors: President Kelly D. Skinner, President Elect: TJ Wilcox-Olson, Treasurer/Secretary Ruth Holmes, Membership Secretary Cathy Giasson, Immediate Past President Thelma Roach-Serry, and Directors: Theresa Presley, Yvette Twum-Danso, Betty Ogren, Steven Powell, Miriam Rogers Holy and Cindy Solomon are passionate about NOVA’s mission to educate, communicate, and advocate for the VA nurse professionally, personally and legislatively. NOVA’s vision is for VA nurses to provide high quality nursing care, have an optimal work environment, and be informed on relevant issues that impact VA health care and nursing practice. We strive to maintain a strong voice in the legislative arena, have a presence at the VHA corporate leadership level and aim for VA nurses to be NOVA members. NOVA continuously invests in its board members to promote strategic vision. In August 2021, NOVA board members: Kelly D. Skinner, Ruth Holmes, Cathy Giasson, Thelma Roach-Serry, Betty Ogren, Cindy Solomon, Miriam Rogers Holy, Deb Dupnik and TJ Wilcox Olson attended the Nursing Alliance Leadership Academy (NALA) Virtual Event. The presentations addressed knowledge related to board leadership roles, responsibilities, governance, and organizational strategies for success. This was a great educational opportunity to increase innovation and improve board performance. To better serve you, the NOVA Board is eager to enhance knowledge and to raise awareness related to the numerous benefits of NOVA membership including education, certification partnerships, tuition discounts, education scholarships, mentorship, networking, committee participation opportunities, webinars, blog, newsletter, and many more. In 2021, Eula Davis, MPH, MSN, RN-AMB, Nurse Educator, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Pennsylvania; Kim Schmidt, MSN, CCRN, Deputy Educator, Tomah VAMC, Wisconsin; and Tess Ramos, MSN-Ed, RN, Chief Nurse, Education, Salt Lake City VA, Utah reached out to NOVA and requested support to help promote NOVA at their facility. NOVA board members: Kelly D. Skinner, TJ Wilcox-Olson, and Cathy Giasson; Nurse Emeritus/NOVA Past President Nancy Claflin; and Director of Advocacy and Government Relations Teresa Morris discussed the positive impact of belonging to a professional nursing organization with the nurses. While in Utah, Teresa Morris and I were able to visit with Penny Kaye Jensen, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, FAAN, FAANP VACO/ONS, National APRN Program Manager and NOVA APRN Committee Chairperson. It is essential to establish and continue a beneficial relationship and trust between NOVA and our members. Please do not hesitate to contact NOVA by emailing nova@vanurse.org to schedule a virtual or in person presentation. NOVA board members are from the states of Massachusetts, Oregon, Virginia, South Carolina, Indiana, Texas, and Maryland, and are also willing to drive to a nearby VA facility for an in person visit. Since NOVA was founded in 1980, it has grown to represent all VA nurses – APRNs, RNs, LPNs/LVNs, and is the only professional organization for VA nurses who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Let’s get the word out! With appreciation, 
Kelly D. Skinner, DNP, APRN, NP-C, GNP-BC, CRRN, WCC, CFCN
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Monday, September 27, 2021
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Nurse Emeritus Members have been very active. We now number 59 members and continue to grow. We meet the last Tuesday of every other month on the even months at 5pm via Zoom. This is a very committed and talented group of individuals. Members include nurses who have held a variety of positions while employed with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Plans were made for the 2021 Annual Meeting focusing on the Silent Auction and other creative means of fundraising. Unfortunately, the pandemic seems to not want to leave us and this years' annual meeting has been cancelled. We all look forward to the meeting in Las Vegas 2023 but will plan to see you all in New Orleans 2022.
This past year a Nurse Emeritus pin and t-shirt have been developed and are available for purchase in the NOVA store. VA nurses can join our ranks six months ahead of their planned retirement; the current rate of membership is $50 per year. Multiple year membership is available, three (3) years for $150 and five (5) years for $250.
The greatest accomplishment for the Nurse Emeritus Committee was the outstanding response and support for the Mary Raymer Scholarship. Nurse Emeritus members outdid themselves this year by surpassing the goal of $1,500; we successfully raised $1,856 for the support of a VA Nurse’s Education. All the funds will be used for the Mary Raymer Scholarship.
Please join us so that you can remain connected to your VA colleagues, gain continuing education credits, stay updated on key legislative issues, and have fun with each other. Don’t forget to check out the Nurse Emeritus Facebook page that is maintained and edited by Sharon Simpson, RN. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.
NOVA is welcoming Nurse Emeritus applications. Click here to apply.
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Friday, September 24, 2021
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Thelma Roach-Serry, BSN, RN, NE-BC National NOVA Immediate Past President Central Virginia VA HCS, Richmond, VA NOVA Chapter 420
Robyn Jones Roots Robyn Jones Roots, MSN, RN, CDN, VHA-CM is a native of Tampa, Florida. She works for the Central Virginia VA Health Care System (CVHCS) in Richmond, Virginia. Her nursing background has focused on Nephrology since 1991 as a clinician, educator, researcher, and administrator. She is currently a Nursing Professional Development Practitioner and is the coordinator of the New Nurse Orientation and National Nursing Education Initiative programs. Robyn is actively involved with committees and initiatives for CVHCS such as the Preventive Ethics Team, Employee Incentive Scholarship Program as chair, and Certified Mentoring Program. She is also a Clinical Instructor for Valor Nursing students. Robyn is a nurse advocate in the health community both nationally and locally through the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA), St. Paul's Baptist Church Caring Hearts Nursing Ministry, the American Diabetes Association and National Kidney Foundation, Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) along with committees such as Adult Vascular Access/Venous Catheter Care and Healthcare Initiative, Black Nurses of Hillsborough County Historical Organization and the NOVA Chapter 420. Robyn is an entrepreneur, life coach and the CEO of Kidneykeeper and Canaroots Consultants, LLC. She is involved with shaping healthcare policy, development of workshops and health fairs to educate the public about hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease and the medicinal use of cannabis. As a nurse by day and film director during evenings and weekends, Ms. Roots is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and visionary of Klosa’ Productions. She started her film making career in 2016 as Executive Producer of the award-winning film The Turnaround. Her passion for nursing is always at the forefront of her movie development. Robyn has been executive producer and/or co-producer for several films including Truthless, Jump and a short film about her own life called Did Showing Up Save My Life? Ms. Roots demonstrated her honed finesse with the production of 2020 Year of the Nurse which was launched on May 6, 2021 in celebration of Nurses Week. This project is told from the perspective of people of color who share their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic and racism as a medical professional. The film was submitted to multiple film festivals including PBS. The film was nominated in the Bronzelens Film Festival for Best Documentary with over 700 film submissions. The world premiere of the film on August 18, 2021 with viewers as far as Australia and Granada received rave reviews. The 2020 Year of the Nurse was awarded the title “Best Documentary” at the 12th Annual Bronzelens Film Festival. The trailer is available for viewing on YouTube. Robyn has been featured in national publications and a guest on several social media platforms for her expertise with filmmaking, nursing, renal healthcare, entrepreneurship and the empowerment of women. For more information, contact Robyn at robyn.klosaproductions@gmail.com or via Instagram and Facebook at 2020 Year of the Nurse Movie. 
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Friday, September 24, 2021
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The Bylaws and Policy Committee has been integral to the foundation of NOVA and was previously called the Bylaws Committee. Early 2021, the name change was recommended and approved by the NOVA Board. The committee is committed to review and develop guiding documents for the organization that includes the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs. Did you know that our bylaws were originally adopted on October 2, 1982 and have been amended twelve times? Most recently the document was amended and restated on June 14, 2019. The Committee goals are to conduct a review of the thirteen articles of the NOVA Bylaws and/or develop new policies or other business guiding documents of NOVA. The responsibilities of the committee include developing, revising and archiving the governing documents of NOVA.
The current committee chair is Thelma Roach-Serry, Immediate Past President (2018-2019), Central Virginia VA HCS, Virginia and Co-Chair Sharon Johnson, Past President (2016-2017) and Nurse Emeritus, Maryland. Committee Members include Nancy Claflin, Past President (2008-2010), Nurse Emeritus, Arizona, Joan Clifford, Past President (2010-2013), Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Massachusetts, Kelly D. Skinner, NOVA President (2020-2021), Boston VA HCS, Massachusetts, and Teresa Acosta, NOVA Director (2018-2019) and Membership Secretary (2020), El Paso, VA HCS, Texas.
The work of the committee is identified by the Board of Directors and/or NOVA Standing Committees. Specific policies and procedures are assigned for development by the members and undergo concurrent review by respective committees and the Board of Directors. Once in the final draft, the Board of Directors gives formal approval for the specific policy or procedure. If approved then the policy or procedure becomes part of NOVA records and will be scheduled for review no later than every two years.
Status List of Work by the Bylaws and Policy Committee:
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(these are not listed in the order of completion)
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Policies Presently under Review or Draft:
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Policies to be Scheduled for Review:
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The committee reviews the NOVA Bylaws articles during each meeting. In addition, the chair highlights each article during Board Meetings. A list of amendments will be drafted for presentation to the Board. If approved, the next step will be to announce the amendments to the general membership for review and vote.
The Bylaws and Policy Committee meetings are held every other month on the second Thursday at 6:00pm. Committee members must be committed to meeting participation, possess writing and proofreading skills along with good time management skills and over dedication to completing the work of the committee.
If you are interested in being considered to serve on the Bylaws and Policy Committee or any other NOVA committees, please complete the online form here.
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Friday, September 24, 2021
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Niamh Daly, BSN, RN Assistant Nurse Manager, Ambulatory Surgery Unit VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA NOVA Chapter 226
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is an exclusive membership with a mission to “maintain a bond of brotherhood among living recipients, to promote patriotism and the principles on which our nation was founded”.
Thirty of the nation's sixty-nine living Medal of Honor Recipients returned to Boston September 7-11, 2021 for an unprecedented fourth time. Throughout the week, the Veterans and their loved ones had the opportunity to attend many outreach events including the 2020 & 2021 Citizen Honors Award for Valor Ceremony. On Friday, September 10, 2021, the Veterans gathered at Our Lady of Good Voyage to celebrate those that have passed away. Saturday, September 11, 2021 marked the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, and the Veterans boarded the USS Constitution and enjoyed a cruise of the Boston Harbor on a beautiful summer's evening. During their stay, the recipients and their families were greeted by other Veterans, active-duty military personnel, and members of the community.
Many thanks to the Boston Medal of Honor Convention Committee for organizing a flawless event. A heartfelt thank you to Ted Mulvehill and Jane Barnes who requested that the VA Boston Healthcare System Nurses be onsite to welcome and provide assistance to the recipients and their loved ones. NOVA Nurses were honored to be present in the company of our nation’s most courageous and selfless Veterans.
Volunteers: Mike Meegan, UC JP; Kattie Davis, NM ASU; Lisa Robinson; AMN ASU; Niamh Daly, ANM ASU; Owen McDonald, PBNR; Haley Richard, PBNR; Sophia Door, PBRN; Danielle Newman, NM UC; Kelly Sullivan, CRN; Laikyn Nadeau, ANM MICU; Kelly Lister, JP OR; Bing Drew, ANM SC LB; Michael Joseph, Heme/Onc JP; and Billy Jo Watson, UC JP. 
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Friday, September 24, 2021
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Eula Davis, MPH, MSN, RN-AMB Corporal Michael Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOVA Chapter 348
The NOVA Chapter 348 Election took place on June 11, 2021. Congratulations to the newly elected Board of Directors!
NOVA Chapter 348 Board President: Eula Davis, RN President Elect: Clara Apuleni, RN Treasurer: Barbara Miller, RN Membership Secretary: Juanita Tunstall, RN Secretary: Janene Mason, LPN Directors: Carol McCurdy, RN Mercedes Moore, CRNP Eric Sintim-Aboagye, RN Shilpa Patel, RN
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Friday, September 24, 2021
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If you're looking for a chance to interact with like-minded colleagues while strengthening your ostomy education, please consider registering for the award-winning WOCN
® Ostomy Education Day! Take a look at the all-star lineup of speakers and sessions and register (FOR FREE!) by
clicking here. Don't forget to mark your calendar for Saturday, October 2, from 10:00 AM - 5:15 PM ET.
Back for its second year, this full day of free online engagement and education is aimed at
celebrating ostomy awareness, dispelling myths, and increasing ostomy education to improve patient outcomes. It will feature 8 engaging sessions brought to you by experienced wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) nursing professionals and subject matter experts and will award a total of 6.75 Contact Hours.
Contact info@wocn.org for more information.
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