Terry Siek and Dr. Linda Adams-Wendling had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Washington, DC to represent the Kansas State Nurses Association at the 2023 Membership Assembly and to attend the 2023 Hill Day at the Capital in Washington, DC. Hill Day kicked off on June 15, 2023, and the ANA Membership Assembly was in session from June 16-17, 2023.

Hill Day

Hill Day began with breakfast and welcome remarks by Dr. Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, President of the American Nurses Association. After an energizing keynote speech by Mesha Jones from the Virginia Nurses Association and an overview of Federal Legislative initiatives we shuttled to Capitol Hill. We were scheduled to meet with Senator Roger Marshall with his assistant Charlotte Pineda, followed by Senator Jerry Moran with his assistant Christina Reasor, then Representative Tracey Mann with his assistant Sarah Ferrell, and then finished with Representative Jake LaTurner with assistant Jake Middlebrooks). Key initiatives and ANA handouts were provided by the ANA, Department of Policy and Government Affairs, 2023, to share at the Hill meetings including A) Addressing the Nurse Staffing Crisis- key points: to prohibit mandatory overtime for nurses, requiring OSHA to issue a national health care workplace violence standard, and to implement safe nursing staffing standards to ensure nurse have the time and resources they need to deliver quality care and positive patient outcomes”; B) Workplace Violence Prevention- key points: to protect nurses and other health care workers from workplace violence to address the issue that 1 in 4 nurses are assaulted at work (ANA, Department of Policy and Government Affairs, 2023); C) National Nursing Workforce Centers (S1150/HR 2411) to ensure accurate data is available to inform supply, demand, and educational pipeline of nurses. Kansas is one of only 11 states that do not have a nursing workforce center so this legislation would support the development of a nursing workforce center in Kansas; D) Understanding the Value of Nurses and Health Care Worker Burnout-with key points shared of actual and looming retirements leading to a deficit of over 200,000+ nurses, burnout, leading to poor patient outcomes, turnover, increased health care cost, staff shortages, extended and extra shifts, not feeling valued as a nurse, unsafe patient work-loads, including the burden of documentation; Throughout our appointments we were able to relate these national initiatives to our statewide legislative goals and KSNA Legislative and Advocacy Platform, using the approach of Head (provide Kansas facts), Heart (provide personal stories), and Health (apply to the health outcomes of constituents). The day was rewarding, and we believe our Kansas Nursing Voice was heard.

Membership Assembly

As reported by the ANA:

Membership Assembly (MA) brings together over 350 elected representatives and is the governing body and official voting body of the American Nurses Association (ANA). At MA issues are identified and discussed that may be of concern to members and to provide direction to the ANA Board of Directors. Policy and Positions are key responsibilities of the ANA Membership Assembly. The ANA Membership Assembly is comprised of ANA members representing the C/SNA State Associations, Individual Member Division (IMD), affiliated organizations, members of the ANA Board of Directors (ANA, www.nursingworld.org ).

Day 1 Membership Assembly: June 16, 2023 (ANA, www.nursingworld.org )

President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy opened the 2023 Membership Assembly (MA) meeting sharing the importance of Membership Assembly. She reported on key nursing issues for discussion at MA including the nursing staffing crisis, the need for the use of National Provider Numbers (NPIs) for nurses to enhance visibility of the value of nursing in hospital data, the importance of the focus on workplace violence, permanently removing practice barriers for APRNs, and the progress that has been made in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging with the ANA Racial Reckoning Statement adopted at MA 2022. The first day also included arguments/dialogue forums on seven proposed amendments to the ANA Bylaws. In addition, membership attendees were able to meet with candidates and network throughout the day and evening.

Day 2 Membership Assembly: June 17, 2023 (ANA, www.nursingworld.org )

On the second day, nine members were elected to the open positions on the ANA Board of directors, as well as the election of the Nominations and Elections Committee (https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2023/american-nurses- association-elects-new-national-leaders-at-its-2023-membership-assembly/ ).

Recommendations that emerged from the ANA MA included, to advocate for legislation to address safety and firearm access, to increase funding allocated towards mental health services, gun violence, and prevention research including research on gun violence against health care workers and in health care settings. The MA also recommended to endorse the American Academy of Nursing Statement on Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention and to update ANAs position statement on incivility, bullying, and workplace violence to include gun violence and prevention in health care settings. Membership Assembly recommendations also included an urgent call to limit availability of handguns, ban assault weapons, and require waiting periods and background checks for gun purchasers. ANA membership voiced a commitment to take a strong leadership position on addressing gun violence.

The Assembly concluded by celebrating the wonderful years of commitment and success from Larissa Cole as she retires from her role as the CEO of ANA Enterprise and shared the process for her replacement. Finally, the new Board of Directors were inducted and announced their roles.

Attending the ANA Membership Assembly is an amazing experience. We encourage all members to explore running for this position to have this incredible, energizing, experience and opportunity. Thank you for the opportunity to attend and represent the KSNA members.