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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Thursday, October 22, 2020
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Yvette M. Twum-Danso, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, PhDc
Columbia VA Health Care System, Columbia, SC
NOVA Chapter 362
 Dr. James McCallum and Ashley Jacobs, BSN, RN
Ms. Ashley Jacobs, NOVA Chapter 362 Member and Infectious Disease Nurse Manager, Columbia, South Carolina VAHCS is a graduate of the VA LEAD (Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability, and Development) Program. She graduated August 2020. Her LEAD
project title: "Cultivating a Positive Work Culture: One Unit at a Time". The VA LEAD program is a one-year developmental program for highly motivated employees who have the desire to learn and work extra hard to develop their leadership skills.Ashley is receiving a LEAD certificate from Dr. James McCallum, Chief of Education in the photo above. Congratulations, Ashley Jacobs!
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Thursday, October 22, 2020
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Dear NOVA Members,
As the 2020 Election approaches, I would like to take a moment to remind everyone of the importance of your VOTE. Do you think that your one VOTE can’t make a difference? Please reconsider. Although voting is not mandatory, it is our civic duty. If nurses don’t participate, health care policy decisions will be made without nursing input. Therefore, we should make our voices be heard. There is power in numbers. After all, nursing is the nation’s largest and most trusted healthcare profession. NOVA continues to post information regarding our GET OUT THE VOTE! campaign. This year we have all faced challenges and changes in how we will VOTE due to COVID/coronavirus. NOVA has provided two comprehensive websites that review what you need to know about voting during the pandemic. The websites provide State-by-State voter information and guidelines on how to register, request an absentee, or receive a mail in ballot. Remember to check important dates and deadlines in your State. You have power. Your voice matters. I encourage you to make your voice heard. So, VOTE LIKE A NOVA NURSE! For me, this means to be well informed, politically engaged and VOTE for what you believe in. Make sure you cast your ballot on or before November 3rd! Stay safe and healthy!
With appreciation, 
Kelly D. Skinner, DNP, APRN, NP-C, GNP-BC, CRRN, WCC, CFCN 
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Thursday, October 22, 2020
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Teresa Morris, Director, Advocacy & Government Relations
Kathy Pham, BSN, RN
NOVA member Kathy-Nguyet Pham has taken advocacy to a new level. A nurse for over 13 years, Kathy serves Veterans at the VA Long Beach Health Care System. She also is the Planning Commissioner for the City of Westminster. With her experience as Planning Commissioner, she is now running for the position of Municipal Water District of Orange County. Her experience on the frontline during the Pandemic and BSN/RN have given her the confidence to step up and make a difference.
Kathy is committed to “Using my nursing voice effectively to make sure that we provide the highest quality of water to our communities. I will also continue to advocate, to work hard, and collaborate with other agencies to eliminate waste properly, and safely conserve water.” Kathy was born in Da Lat City, South Vietnam and immigrated to the United States in 1984 under difficult circumstances. She found a home in California and raised her children while attending college to earn an Associates Degree in Nursing and would later go back for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2014. She has demonstrated her passion for serving her community and Veterans and was deployed to Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria, and more recently to Arizona to serve the Navajo Nation as they fought a COVID-19 outbreak.
Kathy continues to add to her resume. She teaches yoga at Long Beach and has received two Daisy awards and has been nominated several times for the Daisy Extraordinary Nursing of the Year Award.
As we continue to move through a stressful global health crisis, it is reassuring to have an experienced health care professional and community supporter like Kathy - NOVA is lucky to have her as member!
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Thursday, October 22, 2020
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Kelly D. Skinner, DNP, APRN, NP-C, GNP-BC, CRRN, WCC, CFCN NOVA Chapter 226 VA Boston Healthcare System NOVA Chapter 226 Raffle Congratulations, Valentina Ward! She is the lucky winner of the free conference registration for NOVA’s 40th Annual Meeting. The conference is virtual and will take place on October 29-30, 2020. 
Welcome to NOVA!
National LPN/LVN Week During National LPN/LVN Recognition Week (October 4-10, 2020), the NOVA Chapter 226 Board of Directors honored LPNs dedicated to providing quality care to our Veterans at the VA Boston Healthcare System.
1st Virtual NOVA Nursing Heroes 5K Three NOVA Chapter 226 Teams have registered for the virtual NOVA Nursing Heroes 5K from VA Boston! Not Fast but Fabulous: Kelly Skinner, Theresa Presley, Anastasia Aryee, and Danielle Newman; NOVA Chapter 226 Walpole Rebels: Karen Boenig, Linda Costello, Ellen McCarthy and Kelly Skinner; and Run Like the Winded: Julie Szegda, Cory Atkins, Carolyn Blackham, and Casey Atkins have their running shoes ready for walking! Support VA nurses by joining the 1st virtual NOVA Nursing Heroes 5K. Every registrant will get a custom NOVA medal. For more information go to: https://www.vanurse.org/page/NOVAVirtual5k   
NOVA Chapter 226 Thankfulness Raffle 
Flu Warriors The mobile Flu Warriors provided flu shots at the Lowell VFW on September 30, 2020. Way to go NOVA nurses: Danielle Newman and Melinda Shackelford! 
National Case Management Week National Case Management Week 2020 was October 11–17. NOVA Chapter 226 recognized the commitment and compassion of case management professionals who are positively impacting the lives of our Veterans at the VA Boston Healthcare System. 
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Thursday, October 22, 2020
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Teresa Acosta, DNP, RN
El Paso VA Health Care System, El Paso, TX
NOVA Membership Secretary
Teresa Acosta, DNP, RN, is currently the Occupational Health Nurse for the El Paso VA HCS, overseeing the management of the health and wellness for all employees, staff and volunteers. She coordinates Employee Occupational Health Program efforts to ensure that all areas influence and develop integrated process procedures to improve the overall operation of employee occupational health programs. Teresa presented at Nurse Call on Needle Stick and Sharp Injuries, Employee Influenza Vaccine Acceptance and Employee TB Surveillance Program. She created a tracking system for pre-employment physicals to meet the President's initiative for hiring and recruitment.
Teresa has been a nurse for 28 years. She joined the VA system in 2010 at the El Paso VA HCS – El Paso Texas, and brings diverse nursing experiences comprising public health, community, psychiatric, quality, infection control and ambulatory care nursing. She is active in multiple professional VA activities including the Accident Review Board, Construction Committee, Consultative Ethics Committee, and Infection Control Committee. She is the Co-Chair, Retention and Recruitment Committee and Nurse Professional Standards Board, El Paso VAHCS. Teresa is also a Flu Team Champion at her facility.
Teresa is a post master's graduate of Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Lubbock. She obtained a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nursing Administration from Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Lubbock, Texas in 2013. Teresa has a master’s degree in Community Health Nursing and a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and Spanish from University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas. She is a clinical instructor in mental health nursing at the University of Texas at El Paso for the undergraduate nursing program.
Teresa upholds professional standards of practice in the delivery of Veteran- centered care. Since 2012, she has been an active NOVA member and a member of the NOVA Legislative Committee. Teresa joined NOVA’s Board of Directors in 2015. She was appointed as NOVA’s Membership Secretary for a 1-year term which began in January 2020. Teresa is also a member of the American Nurses Association, for which NOVA is a proud Organizational Affiliate. She is a member of the Texas Nurses Association District 1 and Sigma Theta Tau. Teresa is the current President of the Texas Nurses Association District 1 and a member of Texas Nurses Association Governmental Affairs Committee for District 1. Teresa is passionate about nursing and understands the significance of the nurse’s role in advocating for nurses, the nursing profession, and quality health care for all in today’s complex health care system.
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
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Mary Hill, LPN, BS VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA NOVA Chapter 226 Mary Hill has been an LPN for 30 years. She proudly shared that she has worked in every department but the OR over the course of her career. In September 2019, Mary transferred from the White River Junction VAMC to the VA Boston Healthcare System when she first met Carol McTavish, co-chairperson of the NOVA LPN/LVN Committee, during New Employee Orientation. At that time, Mary was not familiar with NOVA. Carol explained to Mary what NOVA is, NOVA’s mission, and the numerous NOVA membership benefits. Mary didn’t take much convincing. She joined NOVA on the spot. Mary enjoys calling into the monthly NOVA LPN/LVN committee meetings on the second Tuesday at 12:00pm EST while she is on her lunch break. Mary currently works in the telehealth department at the VA Boston Healthcare System. She has worked there since September 2019. However, Mary worked in telehealth at the White River Junction VAMC prior to transferring, so she has a total of 2.5 years of experience working in telehealth. In her role, she is responsible for patient and provider VA Video Connect (VVC) training. VVC provides Veterans and their caregivers real-time access to their health care providers through live video on any computer. During the coronavirus pandemic, telehealth has expanded across the healthcare continuum. Mary admits that she is busy but her priority is to ensure the Veterans’ health care needs are met. Mary has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Penn State University. She is finishing her first semester at UMass Boston in the Master's in Rehabilitation Counseling Program. Mary hopes to better serve the Veterans after obtaining the counseling degree. She truly believes that education is essential to growing as an individual and a professional. When Mary is not at work or studying, she enjoys taking long walks and spending time with her family and pets.
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
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Teresa Morris, Director, Advocacy & Government Relations
Greetings NOVA Members –
We are nearing the end of the 116th Congress with less than a few weeks left of what may be a lame duck session. Unable to get funding cleared for FY 2021 (which began October 1) Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through December 11.
The bill will extend current funding levels (FY 2020) for all federal agencies, but another stopgap measure could become necessary if the lame duck Congress decides to punt on line-by-line funding measures in the weeks immediately following the election. As a reminder, the House has passed 10 of the 12 annual spending bills, and the Senate has yet to approve any of its bills, even at the committee level.
In other news, the House passed several Veterans bills which had cleared the VA Committee in late September. Three of the bills contain provisions to enhance mental health and combat suicide among Veterans – a top priority for both House and Senate VA Committees. NOVA commented on several of the bills and provided our thoughts on provisions we believed should be part of any package. Unfortunately, none of the provisions were included in final language, but we intend to continue advocating for these critical issues in the 117th.
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 VA Committee legislative activity can be found on the HVAC website: https://veterans.house.gov/
As we inch closer to the 2020 Election, NOVA continues its
Get Out the Vote campaign. I hope all of you have had a chance to look at your State information on the websites we provided as part of the informational campaign. Stay tuned to our social media for more in the coming weeks leading up to November.
I would also like to take this opportunity to ask any NOVA member who is interested in advocacy and policy and helping us move our agenda and priorities forward to consider joining the NOVA Legislative Committee. As we enter into a new Congress (117th) in January, we will need individuals to help us develop our annual legislative agenda and priority goals and help to educate other members on the best way to advocate for the VA Nursing community.
A call for new members will be going out soon with more information and details about the committee.
Stay Tuned!
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
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Bridget Keefe, BSN, RN
VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA NOVA Chapter 226
Bridget Keefe, BSN, RN
Bridget Keefe is a full-time nurse on nights in the Surgical ICU at the West Roxbury Campus at the VA Boston Healthcare System. She is a graduate of Norwich University’s Nursing Program of 2018 where she received her commission as an Officer into the Army. Bridget is a U.S. Army First Lieutenant Nurse with the Massachusetts Army National Guard and serves as a Medical Treatment Platoon Leader within the 182nd Area Support Medical Company. During the Commonwealth of Massachusetts crisis, she was placed on active military duty with her National Guard unit to support the patients impacted with the Virus at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. The virus devastated the elderly residents, and The National Guard was tasked to deliver care, establish protocols to help control the spread of the virus, and provide acute care to the patients. From March through August 2020, Bridget oversaw 60 Army and Air Force medics, and 20 Army and Air Force nurses and 8 military Doctors. She filled the role of Acting Night Shift Supervisor at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, implementing training to both military and civilian personnel on the new policies and procedures to control the COVID-19 outbreak. She assisted the Infectious Disease administration in creating a PPE policy, COVID testing policy, aerosol medication administration policy, End of life COVID management policy, and COVID patient transfer policies. “When we first got to the Holyoke Soldiers Home, we were told we would mostly be assisting in nutrition repletion and assisting the staff in any way we could. It quickly turned into us filling in roles as nurses, nursing assistants, and administration personnel along with the decimated Holyoke Soldiers’ Home staff due to the severity of the COVID outbreak within the facility. As soon as we walked in the facility, we were 100% invested with the Soldiers’ Home Staff in doing whatever we could to take care of and support these Veterans and their families.” Bridget took this opportunity to put her nursing skills and military leadership to use by also serving as a Day Nurse Supervisor to the Holyoke Soldiers Home. She coordinated scheduling and staffing for the units, implemented education and training for staff, continued to facilitate end of life measures, implemented infectious disease policies, as well as coordinated family visitation and computer “FaceTime” meetings with the use of iPads donated by the Military Friends Foundation. “COVID-19 definitely showed how strong and versatile nurses are as well as how critical they are throughout the healthcare field. We wear many hats, as I quickly learned during the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home mission. I am thankful I had such a strong support system with my National Guard unit and my amazing co-workers at the VA continuously checking in with me, giving me the guidance and support needed during these very trying times. I realized how much I have learned from serving as a VA Nurse. The mentoring and teaching I received from our great VA healthcare professionals allowed me to make a difference. It gave me the tools I needed to accomplish our mission, and make sure the patients that recovered from the virus, and those that we kept from becoming infected, were protected and received the medical attention all patients and Veterans hope for when entering a medical facility.” 
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
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NOVA Past Presidents
NOVA is proud to recognize and thank the following Past Presidents for their tremendous service to NOVA and VA Nurses. 
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Posted By Ashley Lovelace,
Monday, September 21, 2020
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Every year since 2008, Congress proclaims a Saturday in December as National Wreaths Across America Day. This year, on Saturday, December 19, 2020, NOVA will be helping Arlington National Cemetery to Remember and Honor our Veterans by sponsoring Remembrance wreaths on the graves of our country's fallen heroes. Please help us honor and remember as many fallen heroes as possible by sponsoring remembrance wreaths, volunteering on Wreaths Day, or inviting your family and friends to attend with you. 2020 Theme: Be an American Worth Fighting For Inspired by Staff Sgt. Daniel Strong and his keynote address during the 2018 escort to Arlington at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (Monty Tech), located in Fitchburg, MA. As an infantryman in the Marine Corps, he lost 18 Marines during his service, three were his friends when he was a Lance Corporal, six as their Squad Leader, and the remaining nine as their Platoon Sergeant. SSgt. Strong's raw emotion was felt by all on that cold December day, as he spoke about his strong conviction to teach his JROTC students to exemplify, on a daily basis, the Wreaths Across America mission. “Be an American worth the sacrifice. In your daily operations, and in how you deal with one another and how you live your life. Those young men and women who are in Arlington National Cemetery and other cemeteries, they earned the right for you to be an "American worth fighting for.” Order online through the direct link to the NOVA page by November 30th https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/NJ0179P - Click Sponsor Wreaths
- Select the # of wreaths to sponsor
- Add other options (grave specifics, etc.) as desired.
- Complete checkout process with credit/debit card or PayPal. Be sure to verify that NOVA’s group ID: Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs and location ID: Arlington National Cemetery are indicated on your order prior to submitting. Thank you so much for supporting the Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs and Wreaths Across America!
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