Kathleen Lehmann, Ed.S, M.Ed, BSN, BA, RN-BC, PMHN

Nurse Emeritus

NOVA Chapter 224

Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Hospital, Bedford, MA

Kathleen Lehmann

I am a Nurse Emeritus member in semi-retirement.  I live on a peninsula between the Atlantic and Boston Harbor under the flight path to Logan Airport - which I love as I was an active private pilot before living in Europe for 20 years. I also owned a motorcycle and rode until recently retiring my bike as well. I love music, plants, and the ocean. 

I retired from the Bedford VAMC with 30 years of federal (USAF NC, VHA, and DOD) service and over 43 years of nursing service. While I miss people, being retired has allowed me to focus more on me and I have greatly improved my health and quality of life, although I fight my circadian rhythms after decades of shift work and off tours. I also do not miss the 100-mile daily commute!

I graduated from Rhode Island College with my BSN/BA in 1977. I accepted one of the highest paying jobs of my classmates at that time $12,000 – to work at the VA! Unprepared to work in the challenging post-Vietnam era environment of 1,500 patients, I decided to enter the military and left New England to be stationed in Texas, and then in Germany. I served in the USAF Nurse Corps, resigning my commission 6 years later as a Captain. I married in Germany and remained there until 1997 – returning home to ‘repatriate’ via the QE2 Luxury Liner to cruise into New York City. I returned to school and earned my M.Ed. and worked in research at UMass Boston and Boston University before returning to the same VA (now 400 beds).  I had left over 25 years previously – even to the same inpatient mental health unit!

One of the first things I did was to make new friends and work over the next decade to establish and grow an active NOVA Chapter. I chaired a national committee for NOVA and remain an active mentor. I rarely missed an Annual NOVA Meeting – and brought that information back to my facility and chapter. It was priceless to connect with members and leaders at the national level to allow me to learn and work within the VA system. We had many great adventures – most memorably the Boston City Scavenger Hunt, spending a day with NOVA members building a house with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans post-Katrina, making our Kentucky Derby Hats and watching the race (best part was feeling the joy of folks reacting to our hats all the way back to Boston), completing the USMC Marathon in D.C., and the many Advocacy visits to Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. It was a NOVA member (thank you Kelly D. Skinner!) who taught me how to make my first poster – and I spent the following decade actively presenting poster and oral sessions at nursing conferences around the world.

My focus and interests remain in Suicide, PTSD, Psychosis, and Substance Use Disorders. I continue to work as a consultant to a national publishing house as a Subject Matter Expert on mental issues. I was a NOVA scholarship recipient and earned a Doctorate level Ed.S. degree at Liberty University. I was also honored to be named the ANCC Certified PMHN of 2017.  I retired from Edith Nourse Rogers VA Memorial Hospital before COVID-19 to allow me to complete my Doctoral Degree in Education. I am now conducting data collection with Nurse Executives on Nursing Workplace Violence to complete my Doctorate in Education. - my "retirement plan". It has certainly helped keep me focused throughout these tumultuous times. I expect to defend my dissertation and graduate in the spring of 2021, a decade after beginning the journey.

Once school is finished, I have some books to write! I am proud to be a nurse and it makes great sense to stay connected as a Nurse Emeritus. I loved being in the military and traveling throughout the world. Being a part of NOVA has expanded my professional world to encompass VA nurses throughout this great country. It has made all the difference to me both personally and professionally. Stay Safe!

During the Pandemic, NOVA nurses have been  on the frontline working at hospitals, VA Medical Centers, Outpatient Clinics and travelling to hot spots to assist when needed.

NOVA, as the only professional nursing organization dedicated to VA nurses, remained vigilant in ensuring nurses across the country had the needed  resources to protect themselves and the Veterans they serve. 

We shared those concerns with House and Senate VA Committee staff and the Veterans Service Community through our survey results taken during March-April, May and August-September.

We worked with our partners in the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) as they shared priorities for stimulus relief packages with leaders in Congress while remaining committed to the healthcare needs of the nation.

We provided COVID-19 Resources page and posted Survey Results on our Website – the information on our continuing efforts can be found here: NOVA COVID-19 RESOURCE CENTER - Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs (vanurse.org)

Cathy Wogamon, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CWON, CFCN

Lake City VA Medical Center, Lake City, FL

NOVA Chapter 160

To celebrate Pressure Injury Awareness Day, the Wound/Ostomy Team at the Lake City VA Medical Center once again rolled out the mobile education cart to provide educational awareness, but this time the topic was pressure injury prevention. The Team provided educational materials from the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) with descriptions and photos of the various pressure injury stages. The mobile cart was decorated with the “STOP” theme, and taken to units for the nurses and staff  to review. The Wound/Ostomy Team provided information on the products that are used throughout the facility. The name of each participant  was entered for a drawing for a  gift card. The staff were very appreciative to receive this education that was provided. 

Thelma Roach-Serry, BSN, RN, NE-BC

NOVA Immediate Past President

Central Virginia Health Care System, Richmond, VA

NOVA Chapter 420

Ms. Thelma Roach-Serry, BSN, RN, NE-BC is currently serving as NOVA Immediate Past President through December 2021. In this capacity, she is responsible for chairing the Bylaws & Policy and Nominations Committees, a member of the Executive and Finance committees, and serving with the board of directors among other responsibilities.

Thelma has been a professional nurse for almost 40 years and works in VISN (Veteran Integrated Service Network) 6, Central Virginia VA Health Care System at Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center Richmond, Virginia (RVAMC). Her love of nursing started when she was five years old hearing her aunt, Mary Walden, talk about her nursing training to become a diploma nurse. Her aunt had to leave Virginia to go north to Philadelphia and then New York to complete her nursing training requirements due to the Jim Crow laws in Virginia in the 1940’s. Through perseverance and having an “I can do all things” attitude, Mrs. Walden was able to complete her training requirements and graduated from Hampton Institute – School of Nursing; now known as Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. Hearing her aunt share her struggles and ultimate successes inspired and provoked Thelma to follow in her aunt’s footsteps to a career in nursing.  

Thelma was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Ohio where she attended high school and graduated with honors. She then proceeded to Washington, DC where she obtained a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Howard University (HU) – College of Nursing (a historically black university). She started her nursing career at Howard University Hospital in acute surgery and trauma. After marrying her husband, Henry P. Serry, also an alum of HU, she relocated to Richmond, Virginia. In 1985, she joined the RVAMC. Thelma’s vast nursing background includes medical-surgical, intensive care, emergency and ambulatory care nursing. She is certified in nursing administration and has held a variety of leadership roles throughout her nursing career, receiving numerous accolades. She is currently the nurse manager of Surgical Specialty Clinics and is a servant leader who loves working as a frontline manager. This role affords her the opportunity to mentor and influence aspiring future nurse leaders. She is confident that her purpose is to inspire others to function to their full potential and be all that they can be as nurse professionals.  

Thelma firmly believes that as professionals, we should not only serve in our places of employment but we must be involved in the advancement of the profession of nursing through active membership in professional nursing organizations. She has done just that at the college, local, state and national levels. Her service to nursing organizations started at HU where she served as the HU Student Nurses Association Chapter President and pledged Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority, Inc. Alpha Beta Chapter and was a founder and charter member of Alpha Delta Beta Chapter while at HU.  

Thelma has served the local nursing community on various boards and for the past eight years, she has served as the leader of the Cedar Street Baptist Church of God Health Ministry. At the state level, Thelma served as Vice-President of the Virginia Nurses Association and served on the Board of Trustees for the Virginia Nurses Foundation. At the national level, she has continued to serve as a volunteer and a voice for nursing through NOVA starting with the national membership committee and later NOVA board of directors. Thelma was the first to serve in the combined position of NOVA Secretary/Treasurer prior to serving as President-Elect and then as the national NOVA President from 2018-2019.

During the recent Nursing Organizations Alliance (NOA) Virtual Fall Summit, Thelma was elected to the NOA Coordinating Team that will now be referred to as the NOA Board of Directors. She will assume the new position January 1, 2021. Thelma is eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to work with the nursing organizations that form the Alliance. 

Teresa Morris, Director, Advocacy & Government Relations

It is early in what has become the worst public healthcare crisis in over 100 years, As the nation continued to fight against the novel coronavirus known as COVD-19, some VA nurses received orders to deploy to hard hit areas as part of the Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System (DEMPS) program.

Many VA healthcare workers were called to action to help in areas with large numbers of COVID-19 cases or “hot spots.” One of those hardest hit areas were Native American communities in the western United States. In May, its per capita infection rate was  one of the highest in the country .

As part of the CARES Act (passed in March), the federal government provided $8 billion to tribal nations of which each tribe was given $600 million in relief, but for most places the money did not arrive until May.

VA was asked to step in as part of its fourth mission and healthcare workers began deploying to several Native American areas. Many of the tribal members do not speak English and translators were often used, but VA has reported that some nurses deployed to the Native communities began learning the language and the various customs.

NOVA recognizes the exceptional work being delivered by nurses and other providers using their talent and expertise to help Native American communities during the pandemic .

Tracey Bent

Tracey Bent, an RN from the VA Boston Healthcare System with twenty years of experience in the ED received her orders to Show Low, Arizona and immediately had to Google the location.  After a five-hour drive from Phoenix she arrived at what would be her home for two weeks in July and August. Tracey worked at Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center, where she treated patients from nearby Navajo and Apache Reservations. She recalled that the hospital lacked infection control measures and PPE, as well as strong COVID-19 testing and treatment. Patient testing often took 5-10 days to return results.

Staff worked 12 hour shifts with few breaks while providing additional manpower and expertise to the only hospital within hundreds of miles. Complicating things even more were the unique health challenges facing some Native American patients. “I saw patients in their 30's with pulmonary issues, liver disease, obesity and emaciation. There is a lot of poverty in the area and alcohol consumption begins at an early age,” Bent said.

At the end of her deployment, Bent believed they made a difference – “we gave the overworked nursing staff some much needed help and advocated and addressed issues with COVID-19”. When asked if she would do it again, Bent replied, “I would do it all again in a heartbeat!”

Kathy Pham

Kathy Pham, an RN from the VA Long Beach Health Care System, was deployed to Tuba City, Arizona to assist the Tuba City Regional Health Care System which is a part of Indian Health Services (IHS). VA has long worked with IHS collaborating and sharing resources to improve the health status of American Indian and Native American Veterans. The goal is to foster an environment that brings together the strengths and expertise of each organization to actively improve the care and services provided by both.

During COVID-19, Pham assisted the local communities, nursing homes and Navajo and Hopi Natives.  She found the people in the community to be humble and modest. She commented that they value and respect their elders and do not like to ask for help. “It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of the DEMPS team that went in to help the Navajo Nation in Arizona.” Pham said.

Justin Chamberland

Justin Chamberland, an RN from West Palm Beach VA Medical Center had the unique challenge of deploying to Gallup, New Mexico – which is surrounded by the largest Indian Reservation in the country.  He worked during June and July at the Gallup Indian Medical Center (GIMC) as a healthcare provider in the ED. The ED at GIMC had tents set up outside that would screen patients and treat COVID-19 patients. Chamberland was stationed at the tents for his entire deployment. While serving the Navajo Indian Nation, he asked and found out why COVID-19 was so devastating among the Navajo people. He put together information to better understand and help the unique population. Chamberland found that “most of the population live in nuclear households that includes multiple generations all living in a small area. They lack electricity and running water which makes washing their hands difficult, and many have to drive over 50 miles just to get clean water.” During his stay in New Mexico, Chamberland learned some of the language, ate blue mush and mutton and found “the Navajo were some of the most appreciative people I ever met.” Mr. Chamberland has worked at the VA for over 6 years and is currently a Clinical Nurse Coordinator for the ED.

VA continues to work in these hard-hit communities and many healthcare providers have stepped up to help. NOVA thanks these nurses for going above and beyond to take care of our nation’s Native American communities.

Photos from Native American Communities in Tuba City, AZ