Yvette Twum-Danso, MSN, CCRN-K, PhDc
Columbia VA Health Care System, Columbia, SC
NOVA Chapter 362

Michelle R. Anthony-Richardson, PhD, RN, MBA, HCM

Nurse Manager, Mental Health Outpatient Services

Published Article: Nurse Leaders as Problem-Solvers: Addressing Lateral and Horizontal Violence

Nursing Management: DOI-10.1097/01.NUMA.0000688928.78513.86

Samaria Beautfort-Baylock, MSN, RN (Cardiology Nurse Case Manager): graduated from Jacksonville University with her MSN. She is a recipient of the VA National Nursing Education Initiative (NNEI) Scholarship.

Tanya Henry, RN, BSN, MSHM (Acute Medicine II Nurse Manager): received a “Coin Award” from VA Secretary Robert Wilkie for Outstanding Contributions During COVID19 Pandemic Operations. Tanya ensured adequate staffing for the  COVID-19 screening area at the Columbia VA Health Care System during the coronavirus outbreak.

India Nelson, MHA, BSN, RN (Nurse Case Manager): recipient of the Silver Nurse Ambassador Award at the Columbia VA Health Care System.

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Wanda Cooper, BSN, RN (Cardiology Mobile Heart Nurse Case Manager): recipient of the Silver Nurse Ambassador Award at the Columbia VA Health Care System.

Kimberley J. Bond, BSN, RN (Cardiology Mobile Heart Case Manager): recipient of the Silver Nurse Ambassador Award at the Columbia VA Health Care System.

Kelly D. Skinner, DNP, APRN, NP-C, GNP-BC, CRRN, WCC, CFCN

NOVA Chapter 226

VA Boston Healthcare System

NOVA’s 40^th Annual Meeting

Several NOVA Chapter 226 Members took advantage of the opportunity to attend the virtual NOVA’s 40^th Annual Meeting in October 2020.

 

NOVA Chapter 226 Watch Party

On October 29-30, 2020, a small group of NOVA members had a Watch Party to view NOVA’s 40^th Annual Meeting. Even with the mask-wearing, it was a fun way to celebrate NOVA’s ruby anniversary with NOVA friends.

NOVA Chapter 226 Award Recipients

Congratulations to the 2020 NOVA Chapter 226 Award Winners!

Poster Presentations

VA Boston staff presented three poster presentations at the virtual 2020 NOVA Conference.

• Cause for Concern with Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy

Kelly D. Skinner, DNP, APRN, NP-C, GNP-BC, CRRN, WCC, CFCN; Nancy Brooks, MSN, RN, WCC, CFCN; Melissa Varela-Manso, MSN, RN, CRRN

 

• Implications of VHA’s Journey to High Reliability on Nursing

Valentina Ward, BSN, RN, MPS, CPPS

 

• Front-Line Innovation: Implementation of Nurse Driven Protocol for COVID-19 Outpatients

Sherry Clement, BSN, RN, CFN, CWCN, CCN; Barbara Hayes, MSN, RN, GCNS-BC, CHPN; Jane A. Driver, MD, MPH

 

NOVA Annual Meeting Bag

The NOVA 40th Annual Meeting Bag was spotted at some prominent Boston locations.

1st Virtual NOVA Nursing Heroes 5K

Two NOVA Chapter 226 Teams have completed the virtual NOVA Nursing Heroes 5K from VA Boston!

• NOVA Chapter 226 Walpole Rebels: Karen Boenig, Linda Costello, Ellen McCarthy and Kelly Skinner

• Run Like the Winded: Julie Szegda, Carolyn Blackham, and Casey Atkins

Thank you for supporting VA nurses by joining the 1st virtual NOVA Nursing Heroes 5K!

NOVA Chapter 226 Thankfulness Raffle

Mindy Shackelford, Theresa Presley, Nacha Pierre, Danielle Newman and Kelly Skinner met at the Yard House in Dedham, MA to compile all the 2020 Thankfulness Calendar Raffle tickets sold. The raffle winners will be announced soon. Stay tuned!

Urology Nurses and Associates Week

Urology Nurses care for patients across the lifespan, providing guidance and treatment for a variety of urologic diseases and concerns. They specialize in such areas as continence care, sexual dysfunction, infertility, oncology, surgery, cystoscopy, and urodynamics. During Urology Nurses and Associates Week, NOVA Chapter 226 recognized the NOVA nurses: Tracey Bent, John Huether and Deanne Costello.

National Nurse Practitioner Week (NP)

National Nurse Practitioner Week (NP) 2020 is November 8-14. NOVA Chapter 226 celebrated the nurse practitioners at the VA Boston Healthcare System. Here are some of the NOVA Chapter 226 NPs.

Perioperative Nurses Week  (November 8-14,2020)

Perioperative Nurses are a crucial part of any OR team. These nurses provide surgical patient care by assessing, planning, and implementing the nursing care patients receive before, during, and after surgery. NOVA Chapter 226 recognized the hard work and continued commitment to patient safety by the perioperative nurses at the VA Boston Healthcare System. Here are some of the NOVA Chapter 226 Perioperative Nurses.

Teresa Morris, Director, Advocacy & Government Relations

Greetings NOVA Members –

As I write this article, the Election has been called for Vice President Biden. The House remains controlled by the Democrats and the Senate is razor thin in favor of Republicans with a Georgia run-off to determine control in January. Final election results will change the dynamics of the 117^th Congress and among leadership roles within the Administration. I will have more on the congressional breakdown in the December NOVA News.

The current congress will convene in a lame duck session to wrap up priorities before ending the 116^th second and final session. One critical item that remains is funding to keep the government open and running until the new year. Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through December 11 in September. The CR basically takes the place of funding all 11 appropriations bills and is a “stop gap” to keep agencies running, meaning another CR or funding package has to be cleared before December 11.

In other news, the President signed into law several Veterans bills that look to combat suicide prevention and expand mental health services within VA. They included S. 785, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement, Act, H.R.1812, Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act, H.R. 2372, the Veterans' Care Quality Transparency Act. Among the collective bill’s provisions  are creating a strategic plan for veterans transitioning from active duty, pilot programs that integrate alternative therapies, establishing a VA-DOD clinical provider treatment toolkit, improving care and services for women veterans, expanding access to Vet Centers, mandating GAO to assess suicide prevention and mental health services of non-VA entities who have entered into a MOU with VA, and increasing the mental health medical workforce.

It is worth noting that suicide prevention was the number one priority for the House and Senate VA Committees and VSO community this Congress. NOVA commented throughout the process on the bills.

NOVA’s thoughts on legislation can be found on our website at: https://www.vanurse.org/page/congressionalstatements

A list of the bills and all current VA Committee legislative activity can be found on the HVAC and SVAC websites at

https://veterans.house.gov/

https://www.veterans.senate.gov/

I would like to take the time to thank all of the NOVA Legislative committee members who helped pave the way for our successful advocacy this year.   Keep an eye out for our year-end report which will provide all NOVA’s legislative and advocacy for the 116^th Congress--Its was a remarkably busy and active year!

I would also like to take this opportunity to ask any NOVA member who is interested in advocacy and policy to consider joining the NOVA Legislative Committee. A call for new members will be going out soon with more information and details about the committee. We are always looking for individuals to help develop our annual legislative agenda and priority goals and to educate and mobilize other members on the best way to advocate for the VA Nursing community.

Stay Tuned!

Dear APRN Colleagues,

Happy Veterans Day! Today is time to remember that our freedom isn’t guaranteed. Our freedoms are protected by the men and women in our Armed Services. To those who have served, we thank you! We are privileged to care for our Nation’s heroes each and every day. Thank you to all for the outstanding care you provide to our Veteran patients, especially during the COVID pandemic. This has been a very challenging year for all of us.

In honor of Florence Nightingale's 200th birthday, the World Health Organization has chosen 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. The Office of Nursing Service (ONS) and the National Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Council have selected November as APRN month. In addition to APRN month, the VA also celebrates National Nurse Practitioner (NP) Week this week, November 8-14, 2020!

The National APRN Council is launching APRN E-Cards as a way to thank your colleagues for their contributions to APRN practice and Veteran care. Special thanks to Carlene Ferrier, MPH, RN, NEA-BC, Nurse Recruiter for spearheading this endeavor. She contacted me in late July and felt this would be a wonderful way to acknowledge our colleagues during “NP Week,” as was done during “Nurses Week” when over 10,000 E-cards were exchanged. We have the opportunity to include all APRNs and highlight their contributions as we celebrate the Year of the Nurse and Midwife during the month of November. Take this opportunity to acknowledge your APRN colleagues!

Please access the E- Cards using a VA device at https://leaf.va.gov/NATIONAL/10A1/aprn/report.php?a=Main_Page

Celebrating National Nurse Practitioner (NP) Week

November 8–14, 2020

NP Week is a time to celebrate the professional accomplishments and raise awareness of the extraordinary contributions NPs make to the health and well-being for millions of Americans including our Nation’s Veterans. This week affords the us the opportunity to reflect upon the important role NPs play in today’s healthcare environment and the critical roles NPs will play in the future. NOVA wishes to acknowledge and thank the dedicated 6,625 NPs who tirelessly care for our Nation’s heroes.

As the VA continues to make great strides in improving access to healthcare, NPs have long been on the forefront, providing access to care through face-to-face appointments and quickly adapting to virtual platforms in order to connect with their patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant and positive advancements in ensuring that 100% of the VHA Healthcare Systems have updated their medical staff bylaws to grant NPs “full practice authority” has demonstrated the critical role NPs play throughout the VA Healthcare system, and has extended VA’s ability to provide the timely and quality care our Veterans expect and deserve! Happy NP Week!

Ordering Home Health

Per my Legislative Update, which was included in the September/October APRN Newsletter, I reported the following information. My last bullet point stated that the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) was compiling a list of states that allow NPs to order home health. CLICK HERE to access the list. I have recently received this information from AANP and have attached the list to this email. Please contact me if you have additional questions.

According to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)2 Certification for Payment of Medicare Home Health Services: As required under section 3708 of the CARES Act, CMS is allowing nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and physician assistants to certify the need for home health services as defined under 42CFR § 424.507(b)(1) payment requirements for covered Part A or Part B home health services.

• Plans of Care and Certifying/Recertifying Patient Eligibility: In addition to a physician, section 3708 of the CARES Act allows a Medicare-eligible home health patient to be under the care of a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, or a physician assistant who is working in accordance with State law. These physicians/practitioners can: (1) order home health services; (2) establish and periodically review a plan of care for home health services (e.g., sign the plan of care), (3) certify and re-certify that the patient is eligible for Medicare home health services. These changes, effective March 1, 2020, provide the flexibility needed for more timely initiation of services for home health patients, while allowing providers and patients to practice social distancing. Specifically, for Medicare, these changes are effective for Medicare claims with a “claim through date” on or after March 1, 2020.
• Although the CARES Act allows NPs, CNSs and PAs to certify and recertify home health orders, the law defers to the state of licensure, therefore, the ability to authorize home health orders falls under the scope of state practice laws.
• APRNs ordering home health are encouraged to check with their state Board of Nursing if unsure of state statue.
• Currently, AANP reports that they have seen positive movement on the state level with 5 states permanently updating their regulations, 10 states in the process of permanently updating their regulations, and 13 other states having taken temporary action during the COVID pandemic. A list of states is being compiled and will soon be available.

Best Regards,

Penny Kaye Jensen