As the year comes to an end, we have much to celebrate. In less than six months, ANA-Ohio was established and approved as the American Nurses Association state organizational affiliate. Distinguished by robust programs and a rapid growth, the membership has reached over 1200 members and is growing every day with a diverse membership.
Our progress in Ohio is no accident. Motivated by a needed change to have an association that represents the interest of all nurses, ANA-Ohio was created. The amalgamation of colleagues with varying nursing roles, visions, experience, and education is helping to shrink the chasm among Ohio nurses and build the agenda to address issues of importance.
The year 2023 finished strong in measurable terms. ANA-Ohio’s Policy Hackathon attracted national attention. National speakers like Congresswoman Lauren Underwood participated in this first ever nurse-led event. Focused on identifying policy solutions, nursing teams assembled innovative options. Ohio state legislators participated as judges and heard firsthand policy solutions to issues.
The Annual Meeting in September was hosted at The Ohio State University School of Nursing’s new building which provided a wonderful venue. This was an opportunity to bring together nurses and students to celebrate the ANA-Ohio successes and to plan our preferred future. Several nursing programs and the Ohio Student Nurses’ Association had students participating. American Nurses Association Past President Ernie Grant spent the weekend with us and kicked off the business meeting with an inspirational keynote address. He reminded and challenged us to provide strong leadership for the profession. A special personal highlight was receiving ANA-Ohio’s first wooden gavel that will be used for years to come to govern this great association.
As we reflect on 2023, there is much to prepare for 2024. One example is this print issue of the ANA-Ohio News Journal, which comes quarterly as a membership benefit. All licensed nurses in Ohio will receive an e-version. In addition to the News Journal, twice a month, members receive “Member Update”. Sensitive to the number of emails many receive, we are consolidating pertinent information, announcements from ANA and other associations in the “Member Update”. Let us know what you think about it and what content you would like to see included.
ANA-Ohio’s calendar in 2024 provides a solid roadmap for member engagement. The Board of Directors meetings are open to members and occur on the second Monday of each month. The directions to participate are on the website. The CE committee has planned excellent monthly programs which are listed under events. Finally, plans are underway for our second annual meeting next fall.
As a profession, we have no shortage of issues that need to be addressed. As an association we have begun the exciting work of strategic planning to determine our priorities. There are many ANA-Ohio groups and committees contributing to the process and collaborating on the issues identified. The Ohio Fellows in the American Academy of Nursing (FAANs) will have their second meeting and continue their Ohio work plan. This spring, ANA-Ohio will sponsor an Ohio Summit for Nursing Associations to find common ground and create an agenda to work on issues together.
There are many opportunities for member engagement. In addition to those mentioned in this column, and those listed on our website, another is the creation of “Special Interest Groups” (SIG). These are groups that will be formed around identified topics of interest to groups of members. The first SIG created focuses on mentoring new nurses in the Columbus area.
Overall, I’m excited and encouraged by our progress and potential. Let us hear from you. Share your ideas on what you would like to see or how you would like to get involved. Meeting the challenges that lay ahead will require us to build on all our strengths and use our diversity to achieve our vision and show the undeniable value of all nurses.
Rebecca M Patton
DNP, RN, CNOR, FAAN
president@ana-ohio.org
