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The official publication of the West Virginia Nurses AssociationThe official publication of the West Virginia Nurses AssociationQuarterly publication distributed to approximately 19,600 RNs & LPNs in West Virginia.Quarterly publication distributed to approximately 19,600 RNs & LPNs in West Virginia.

“Nurses working together for a healthy West Virginia”

W E S T V I R G I N I A N U R S E

October, November, December 2021 Volume 22 • No. 4

Inside:

Joyce Wilson

To My Nursing Comrades,

Take Care of YourselfI recently did an interview for

a TV news station on the topic of compassion fatigue. It’s a topic that I had heard of but knew little about. I assumed it to be a new word for burnout – a condition that nurses know all too much about.

As it turns out, compassion fatigue and burnout do have overlapping qualities, but they are not quite the same thing.

As nurses we are called to relieve pain and suffering and to make a difference in society. Compassion fatigue (CF) comes unpredictably and suddenly, when a caregiver has been exposed to day after heart-wrenching day of emotional challenges (Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, 2021).

In the past nearly two years, nurses across the country have experienced long hours of caring for people with a disease that we knew little about. Some patients were cared for in makeshift hospital tents. In the beginning there were not enough ventilators. Decisions had to be made about who would get the lifesaving measures that were available, and who would not. Nurses held the hands of dying patients because families were not allowed in. We all know the stories.

Nurses and other health care workers are now suffering from CF. According to Barbara Rubel (2021), there are four major differences between CF and burnout.

1. “CF is caused by exposure to traumatic material. Burnout is caused by work-related attributes such as the job, co-workers, one’s supervisor, and poor work culture.

2. CF has a rapid onset and can be felt after the first experience of absorbing one’s traumatic material. Burnout emerges gradually, as the work-related attributes such as too much paperwork, lack of resources, and long shifts pile up.

3. CF is a term that describes the impact of helping others. Burnout is a term that describes the impact of a stressful workplace.

4. CF has a quicker recovery if managed early. Burnout has a longer recovery time.”

Another term for CF is secondary traumatic stress (STS). Symptoms of CF include mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion that manifests as grief: a deep wound to the soul. Symptoms include headaches, restlessness, sleeplessness, nightmares, and c/o feeling foggy-headed. And extreme fatigue. If you’ve experienced grief, you may remember how much energy grief takes.

If you have any combination of these symptoms, and feel that you may have compassion fatigue, you probably do have CF.

The first step to healing is being aware and asking yourself this question: Do I want to be happy and

healthy? If the answer is no, then keep doing what you are doing. If the answer is yes, you must make a change. That change must be self-care.

It doesn’t have to be something out of your reach, like a two-week vacation (although if you can, then go). It can simply be taking small breaks during the day to be quiet and take some deep breaths. Take breaks from your phone, set a time in the evening that you will not look at emails, texts, or social media. These are just a few simple suggestions; you will know what will work best for you. If you are worn out and want to feel better, make the change. It really will help, and you deserve it.

WVNA’s WorkThe WVNA has been meeting with Jim Kaufman, the new

president and CEO of the West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA), to identify possible reasons for the nursing shortage in WV and to develop a plan of correction. We are at the beginning phases of development and we value input from nurses who are working in, or who have worked in, WV hospitals. And if you are a student nurse and are planning to work in a hospital, let us know what would make your working conditions good or what would make you decide to leave. The more input we have from you, the more information we can take to the WVHA. Both the WVNA and the WVHA want to hear from you. Both associations know that nursing is of crucial importance and that West Virginians need and deserve good nursing care. Please send your input to centraloffice@wvnurses.org. Of course we can keep your views confidential, or we can use your name. Just let us know.

Help us figure out the cause of the nursing shortage in WV and help us make the changes necessary to recruit and retain nurses in WV.

The Health Policy and Legislation (HP&L) Committee members are preparing for the upcoming West Virginia legislative session. Jodi Biller and Teresa Hovatter are co-chairs of this committee. The HP&L statement can be viewed on the WVNA website, and it is printed in this issue of West Virginia Nurse on pages 12-13. The HP&L statement guides our legislative and policy work as an organization.

Our newest committee is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Luke Velickoff and Sarah Vincelli are co-chairs. They have worked hard in developing this committee and in June 2021 (PRIDE Month) hosted free weekly mini-conferences offering CEs. It was ambitious – and very successful.

Our executive director, Julie A. Huron, is leading us in working with a group called Ngage for our virtual Fall Membership Assembly and Conference. Ngage is the same organization which helped with our Virtual Policy Summit on March 25 of this year, which was a big hit. Ngage works with other ANA state constituent members, too. We feel fortunate that we’ve found a group whose expertise is state nursing associations! (Don’t reinvent the wheel, right?)

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

President’s Message continued on page 6

President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Executive Director’s Message . . . . . . . .2

ANA Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Your Membership Dollars at Work . . .4

New Breastfeeding Education and Consult Community Center to Open in Morgantown . . . . . . . . 5-6

Membership Update . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

West Virginia Organization for Nursing Leadership . . . . . . . . . .7

Interprofessional Education at WVU . 8-9

Count the Kicks Initiative . . . . . . . . . .10

Conferences & Meetings . . . . . . . . .11

Proposed 2022 Health Policy and Legislation (HP&L) Position Statement . . . . . . . . . 12-13

Two West Virginia Nursing Leaders Win AANP Awards . . . . .14

Marshall Health Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner Fellowship Program Wraps Up Second Year . .14

The Ongoing Battle Against COVID: Planning for the Next Steps . . . . .15

Page 2 West Virginia Nurse October, November, December 2021

West Virginia Nurse Official Publication of the

West Virginia Nurses Association

P.O. Box 1946 | Charleston, WV 25327Phone: 866.986.8773 or 866.WVNURSE

Email: centraloffice@wvnurses.org

Webpage: www.wvnurses.org

Published quarterly every January, April, July, and October for the West Virginia Nurses Association, a constituent member of the American

Nurses Association.

The opinions contained herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Association.

WV Nurse reserves the right to edit all materials to its style and space requirements and to clarify presentations.

WVNA Mission StatementThe mission of the WVNA is to support WV nurses and to work for a healthier West Virginia.

WVNA Executive BoardPresident: Joyce Wilson joycewilsonfnp@gmail.com

President-Elect: Teresa Hovatter contessiaenterprises@gmail.comVice President: Lori McComas Chaffins messenger2772@gmail.com

Treasurer: Roger Carpenter rcarpenter@hsc.wvu.eduSecretary: Jon H. Casto jonwvrn@gmail.com

Immediate Past President: Toni DiChiacchio dichiacchio@yahoo.comDistrict Leader Representative:

Crystal Chapman chapmanclynn@yahoo.comEarly Career Nurse: Luke Velickoff lukevelickoff@gmail.com

Committee ChairsBylaws / Policy and Procedures Chair: Luke Velickoff lukevelickoff@gmail.com

APRN Congress Chair: Jodi Biller jodibiller@gmail.comHealth Policy & Legislative Co-Chairs:

Teresa Hovatter contessiaenterprises@gmail.comJodi Biller jodibiller@gmail.com

PAC Chair: Jon H. Casto jonwvrn@gmail.comImmediate Past PAC Chair: Joyce Wilson joycewilsonfnp@gmail.com

Membership Chair: Anitra Ellis amellis33@icloud.comNominations and Awards Chair:

Toni DiChiacchio dichiacchio@yahoo.comNursing Workforce Initiative:

Heather Glasko-Tully mrstully2010@me.comANA Membership Assembly Delegate:

Moira Tannenbaum moiratan@hotmail.comAd Hoc Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee Chair:

Luke Velickoff lukevelickoff@gmail.com

WVNA StaffJulie Absher Huron, Executive Director, centraloffice@wvnurses.org

WV Nurse StaffMoira Tannenbaum, Editor, moiratan@hotmail.com

West Virginia Nurse Copy Submission GuidelinesAll WVNA members are encouraged to submit material for publication that is of interest to nurses. The material will be reviewed and may be edited for publication. There is no payment for articles published in the West Virginia Nurse.

Article submission is accepted in Microsoft Word or similar format.

Copy submission via email: Please attach a Microsoft Word (or similar) file to email. We ask that you not paste the text of the article into email. Please do not embed photos in Word files; please send photos as separate JPEG files.

Please do not convert the file to a PDF. When sending pictures, please provide a description identifying the people in the pictures and note who the photographer was, if relevant.

Approximately 1,600 words equal a full page in the paper. This does not account for headlines, photos, special graphics, pull quotes, etc.

Submit material to:West Virginia Nurse

PO Box 1946, Charleston, WV 25327 Email: centraloffice@wvnurses.org

For advertising rates and information, please contact Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc., PO Box 216, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613, (800) 626-4081, sales@aldpub.com. WVNA and the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. reserve the right to reject any advertisement. Responsibility for errors in advertising is limited to correction in the next issue or refund of price of advertisement.

Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement or approval by the West Virginia Nurses Association of products advertised, the advertisers, or the claims made. Rejection of an advertisement does not imply a product offered for advertising is without merit, or that the manufacturer lacks integrity, or that this association disapproves of the product or its use. WVNA and the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. shall not be held liable for any consequences resulting from purchase or use of an advertiser’s product. Articles appearing in this publication express the opinions of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect views of the staff, board, or membership of WVNA or those of the national or local associations.

Executive Director’s Message

2022 West Virginia Nurse DeadlinesWV Nurse is a quarterly newspaper, both print

(for members) and electronic (for members and nonmembers). Here’s what we know so far

about due dates for 2022.

• January 2022 issue: Monday, November 22 (this is the week of Thanksgiving), 2021

• April, July, and October 2022 issues: stay tuned for due dates.

For information on how to send material to WVNA for West Virginia Nurse or our monthly e-blast,

see p. 2 of this issue, or the info on WVNA’s website, West Virginia Nurse Copy Submission Guidelines.

Julie A. HuronWVNA Executive Director

Times are truly exhausting and overwhelming for nurses right now. I know I don’t have to tell you this part, but I do want to remind you to go easy on yourself. I don’t have to tell you what nurses are experiencing – you are living it every single day. Nurses can’t seem to catch a break – dealing with stressors at work, at home, with your own health or with the health of family members or friends. We hear reminders that nurses are valued, nurses are needed, they are heroes, but it feels like just talk. We are reminded that nurses should not quit their bedside job, reminded that they should just hang in there, continue showing up working in conditions that are leaving nurses with PTSD – as they are haunted by the patients that died unnecessarily. The reasons range from no one to stay with the confused patient needing oxygen, no one watching the patient that eloped, no ICU beds. I could go on and on. (And as our WVNA president Joyce Wilson describes in her message this month, there is also compassion fatigue and burnout.)

The truth is that nurses are putting their license on the line while working in critical staffing levels every day, while normal events continue to happen in West Virginia. This bothers most nurses that I talk with. This bothers me. As I write this, I am headed to the House of Delegates Government Organization Committee (“Gov Org”) meeting tomorrow for a work group meeting to discuss ideas to recruit and retain health care professionals. WVNA has had a workforce initiative taskforce that has been meeting and surveying nurses no longer working in the profession, and we will be surveying the working nurses in October. Stay tuned and if you have suggestions, reach out to me at centraloffice@wvnurses.org.

Several of us have been involved in planning the WVNA 2021 Virtual Fall Conference and Membership Assembly, which will be held on Thursday, October 21, 2021, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. This event will be held on a virtual platform downloadable for a computer or mobile device. The conference calls us to “Rise Through COVID.” Now more than ever, nurses need resources for support in the nursing profession, and we hope to cast a lifeline to help nurses rise through this current COVID-19 surge. The conference content will include mental health first aid, stories from a family member whose loved one completed suicide, addictions, work-life balance, DEI, poster presentations, and much more! The Membership Assembly portion of the fall conference will include the election results and announcement of WVNA officers. We will ratify the 2022 Health Policy & Legislative (HP&L) Statement, approve the 2022 WVNA budget, and approve any changes to the WVNA Policy and Procedure Manual.

Julie A. Huron

The work that has been happening at WVNA in July, August, and September includes a review and changes to our 2022 WVNA HP&L Statement; attending stakeholder meetings; review of legislative draft rules; WVNA ENews and of course this newspaper edition you are reading; announcing WVNA candidates that are running for office; attending ANA meetings; and numerous WVNA committee meetings. This work happens with the help of countless volunteer board members, committee chairs, and committee members, as well as contracting with our lobbyist and with Ngage association management company. WVNA is mostly a group of nurses who want to be a part of something great and care deeply about nurses and nursing. If you are not a WVNA member yet, I hope you realize while reading this issue that we need your voice and that we are nothing without West Virginia nurses. Not a member yet? To join WVNA, go to Join WVNA-ANA. Just $15/month will make you a WVNA member and an ANA member too.

Nurses are good at putting themselves last for care (self-care). I want to remind you to stop right now, and make your provider appointments, get your bloodwork, schedule your tests, schedule mental health counseling, attend a support group, and/or reconnect with your friends however you responsibly can. The fallout from not taking care of ourselves in the last year and a half is surfacing. Take care of yourself: we truly care about you and we try to give you resources for self-care. If you feel like getting involved in something new or just connecting with fellow nurses, reach out to me at centraloffice@wvnurses.org – send me an email and let me know how we can connect with you. I wish you a fantastic fall and hope you find joyful, safe events to attend in our beautiful state of West Virginia!

Warmest heartfelt regards,

October, November, December 2021 West Virginia Nurse Page 3

ANA Update

Moira Tannenbaum, RNANA Voting Delegate from WVNA, 2021-2022

Last year (2020), I ran for a position within WVNA, and was elected to it. The position was “ANA Voting Delegate.” This year (2021) was my first time serving in the role, as this office pertains to the ANA annual membership assemblies taking place in 2021 and 2022.

To be honest, at first, I wasn’t sure exactly the name of the event I was supposed to be attending! I tried looking at the ANA website, but it wasn’t clear to me. And meanwhile I was busy living my life and keeping up with WV Nurse (of which I am so fortunate to be the editor).

Around April 2021, I started thinking, “Hmm. Julie [Huron, WVNA’s executive director] goes to the ANA meeting in the summer sometime, right?” I looked on the ANA website, trying to figure out what I was supposed to register for. Somehow, I figured it out. But in the world of virtual conferences, it turns out, we were not just going to a one-time conference. On May 21, I got an email:

Moira Tannenbaum,

Thank you for registering for the 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting of the ANA Membership Assembly.

Meetings and events related to the Annual Meeting begin on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, leading up to the Annual Meeting on Friday, June 18, 2021. Please refer to the schedule of events for all meetings and related events that will occur during the month of June related to the Annual Meeting.

Yikes, I thought. A whole month of events? What about my work schedule? My other obligations? And I was also attending the wonderful inaugural WVNA Pride Month events every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in June.

But when I attended the first pre-event in June, while on Zoom, looking at different representatives from different states and U.S. territories, I became awestruck and stopped worrying about my schedule. Looking at all the faces on Zoom was monumental. We were

ANA Voting Delegate Updaterepresenting the most trusted profession, the largest profession in health care, NURSES. I made it through that event fine, but then as I got more updates about the main event of conference, I was stumbling over new things like vocabulary (like what was C/SNA?). Maybe there was a glossary somewhere of ANA terminology? I didn’t find one.

Fortunately, experienced ANA conference attenders Julie Huron and Joyce Wilson [WVNA president] were attending the conference, too, as was the alternate delegate, Crystal Chapman. Since we were all virtual, I could text them and say, “Help! Technical problem.”

As it turned out, we coached each other with technical issues. Julie forwarded me emails she was receiving about different candidates running for office nationally and who endorsed them. Momentarily I worried about why I didn’t seem to be receiving these, but I was so caught up in the learning curve that I let it go; whatever Julie forwarded, I studied. Luckily, I was able to attend a candidate forum, too. I was so conscious of voting on behalf of all West Virginia nurses.

When we had finished the pre-conference events, and finally attending the actual ANA Membership Assembly on June 18, 2021, I almost couldn’t believe the day was finally here.

I found the words of ANA president Ernest J. Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN, inspiring and validating.

“Nothing could have prepared us for the long months of uncertainty, the surges in disease, and overall human toll COVID-19 has taken on our nation. …

I don’t need to tell you about the demands this national emergency has put on America’s health care system. As nurses, you have been front and center in this drama. At academic medical centers, mass vaccination sites, critical access hospitals, long-term care facilities: you have engaged with patients in ways most of us have never experienced…

One of the impossible pressures nurses faced was putting themselves at risk – day after day.

Tragically, as many as 3,000 health care workers in the U.S., more than 600 of them nurses, have died from COVID-19, often from exposure to the virus at the workplace.”

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

6:00 PMDialogue Forum: Universal Coverage that Recognizes the Value of Nursing

7:00 PMDialogue Forum: Genomics and Precision Health

Thursday, June 3, 2021

6:00 PMDialogue Forum: APRN Full Practice in Nursing Homes

7:00 PMDialogue Forum: COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Opportunities

Monday, June 14, 2021

4:30 PM-6:00 PM Candidate Forum

6:00 PM-7:00 PMMoving Forward: Addressing Racism in Nursing

Thursday, June 17, 2021

1:00 PM-4:00 PM Organizational Affiliates Meeting

Friday, June 18, 2021

4:00 PM-8:00 PM Membership Assembly

You can watch Grant’s entire address on YouTube, which I highly recommend: ANA President Ernest Grant June 2021.

Debbie Hatmaker, PhD, RN, FAAN, the CNO of ANA, shared history of ANA and spoke of the organization’s first-ever general assembly. At the time, the organization was called “Nurses’ Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada.” (The female form of the word, alumnae, was used because nursing was considered a female profession.) Nurses at that time worked without accreditation or licensure. The purposes of ANA’s precursor at its founding included elevating the standards of nursing education and establishing and maintaining a code of ethics. Like many of

ANA Update continued on page 4

Page 4 West Virginia Nurse October, November, December 2021

Your Membership Dollars at Work

Roger Carpenter, PhD, RN, NE-BC, CNEWVNA Treasurer

The purpose of this column is to inform you, as a WVNA member or prospective member, of the impact of your $15/month WVNA membership fee.

WVNA has a strong and stable financial portfolio. WVNA is a nonprofit professional organization, not an investment organization. The purpose of keeping a strong financial portfolio is to be able to give back to the members and support the mission of WVNA: “To support West Virginia nurses and to work for a healthier West Virginia.”

Your annual membership fee supports the following:• Continuing education for nurses in West Virginia• Contracting with an expert lobbyist, which is

essential to advocating policy to the WV legislature on issues affecting the health and safety of WV residents

• Supporting the WVNA website – a rich source of information for WVNA members and all WV nurses

• Social media to promote WVNA and its events

To maintain the integrity of WVNA funds, an independent certified financial professional routinely audits WVNA financial activities to monitor for adherence to standards for nonprofit organizations, and the responsible stewardship of WVNA funds.

Here is a summary of the Treasurer’s Report for the 2nd quarter of 2021 (April 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021):

Total assets, beginning of 2nd quarter: $172,691.50

Income: + $28,055.65

Expenses: - $35,218.75

Total assets, end of 2nd quarter: $ 165,528.40

Major income, 2nd quarter: $20,806.52 (membership dues)Major expense, 2nd quarter: $15,000.00 (lobbyist cost)

One way you can start taking advantage of being a member of WVNA this quarter is to attend the WVNA Nursing Virtual Conference & Membership Assembly, October 21, 2021. Details are at West Virginia Nurses Association.

Thank you for supporting the West Virginia Nurses Association!

I am honored to be elected as your treasurer for the West Virginia Nurses Association for the term 2021-2023. In this role, I will work to provide accurate information about the financial profile of WVNA and the impact of your membership fees in meeting the mission of WVNA, and I will aim to highlight the benefits of membership.

I will write a column, which I’m calling “Your Membership Dollars at Work,” for each quarterly issue of West Virginia Nurse. This column will focus on the financial profile of WVNA, and how you as a paying member can take advantage of the benefits membership provides. In addition, I will provide periodic informational briefs that explain some background on WVNA policies and procedures related to membership fees and benefits.

Thank you for electing me as your Treasurer in 2020. I look forward to serving the members of WVNA.

A little more about me: I have been an active member with WVNA for over ten years by being involved in the annual Nurse Policy Summit (formerly Unity Day), where I have coordinated poster exhibits and served on planning committees.

I am active with the journal Applied Nursing Research, serving on the editorial board (2012 to present), and as associate editor (2018 to present). I attended Kent State University in Ohio to earn my BSN, Case Western Reserve University in Ohio to earn my MSN, Cleveland State University to earn an MA in communication, and finally West Virginia University to earn my PhD in nursing. I serve as an associate professor at WVU in the School of Nursing’s Adult Health Department.

Roger Carpenter

Bio Sketch

Roger Carpenter

us, I first studied the ANA code of ethics long ago in nursing school, and it hit me that our predecessors were the ones to establish it. I see a direct correlation with WVNA’s work establishing, researching, and updating our HP&L Policy. It speaks to who we are as nurses and what our ethics tell us to do – with policy and legislative work. I find it very reassuring that over 100 years later, ANA/WVNA are still here, adapting to present needs of the profession.

Just as it is doing during the COVID-19 pandemic, ANA membership grew under previous national crises, including yellow fever and World War I. I believe nurses value the work of the organization even more during crisis: we need the research, support, and advocacy. Hatmaker spoke very movingly of the organization’s evolution; I drew so many parallels to our present reality.

Hatmaker shared statistics that as many as 25% of nurses are assaulted on the job. ANA is working legislatively at the national level to continue addressing this and was instrumental in establishing mandatory hospital training on violence against health care workers.

Not only was 2020 the Year of the Nurse (and Midwife), but I learned from Debbie Hatmaker that 2021 is ANA’s 125th anniversary. I cannot recommend her

thirteen-minute YouTube segment highly enough. Go watch it! Debbie Hatmaker ANA CNO June 2021.

Wilhelmina M. Manzano, MA, RN, NEA-BC, is the president of American Nurses Foundation. The Foundation is the philanthropic portion of ANA Enterprise; it invests in all aspects of nursing through funding of programs that support the nursing. Outside of her role with ANA Enterprise, Ms. Manzano is CNO of NewYork-Presbyterian health system in New York City, as well as that institution’s chief operating officer (COO) of perioperative services.

During the Membership Assembly, Manzano spoke very directly and movingly of being at the epicenter of the COVID pandemic and the need to fund evidence-based care for nurses’ well-being, and of overcoming the tremendous stigma nurses feel if they do seek help. And she announced:

“We are launching ‘Reimagining Nursing,’ a program investing $15 million to address new solutions to address educational, regulatory, and practice barriers, with the goal of enabling all nurses to practice fully and truly transform health care.”

I hope you’ll watch the three-minute video of Wilhelmina Manzano’s address to ANA on YouTube: Wilhelmina Manzano AN Foundation June 2021.

Of course, any conference-goer is supposed to fill out an evaluation. My overall feedback: “As this was my first-ever ANA Membership Assembly, it was awe-inspiring to see ANA in action.”

For next year, 2022, I know a lot more of what to expect as the WVNA Voting Delegate to the ANA Membership Assembly. And I plan to put together a “how to serve as WVNA’s ANA voting delegate” handout/e-folder for WVNA, after gathering feedback from others who’ve gone before me in this role. If you’ve ever served in this role, please drop me a line with any info you want to share with those who follow us: Moira Tannenbaum email. And if you have tips for me for next year, please send them. It’s the way of nurses to support each other and to keep making things better.

How did you participate in Dialogue Forum #1, Health Care Delivery System that Fully Incorporates Nursing Services?

I participated in the live event.

I listened to the recording.

I participated in the live event and also listened to the recording.

I did not participate in the live event or listen to the recording.

The time allotted for Dialogue Forum #1, Health Care Delivery System that Fully Incorporates Nursing Services, was:

Too little

Appropriate

Too much

The recommendations resulting from Dialogue Forum #1, Health Care Delivery System that Fully Incorporates Nursing Services, will:

Address a nationally relevant challenge impacting nurses and the practice of nursing

Advance ANA’s strategic priorities

Support ANA’s legislative and regulatory agenda

All the above

None of the above

ANA Update continued from page 3

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October, November, December 2021 West Virginia Nurse Page 5

New Breastfeeding Education and Consult Community Center to Open in Morgantown

Heather ONeal, APRN, MSN, CNM, IBCLC

The sign on the door reads “under construction,” but I have been building towards this site for years.

As an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), certified nurse-midwife (CNM), board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC), nurse entrepreneur, clinical faculty at West Virginia University, and a mother of two kids, I am in a unique position to find gaps in our system when it comes to women’s health care – especially when it comes to lactation.

Typically, I know that I’m onto something when I begin to feel short pulses of rage when confronted with stories of breastfeeding journeys cut short because the breastfeeding person was told, “That’s just the way things are,” or that they have to “Accept the inevitable.” That’s why I’m investing my time and resources into building a new learning and consultation center for breastfeeding parents in north central West Virginia.

I have spent the past two years providing virtual private consults and online breastfeeding classes for postpartum parents all over the country through my business, Breastfeeding for Busy Moms (BFBM). To reach more parents, I built an online breastfeeding/chestfeeding support group, which now has well over 15,000 members. Finally, I also launched and co-host the Milk Minute Podcast, which offers evidence-based lactation support to parents all over the world in a free, audio format.

All these digital resources have been accessible for postpartum families who were isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a significant lack of community and a sense that others are going through similar issues when using digital resources for breastfeeding. As a result of pandemic isolation, I have seen a staggering uptick in postpartum anxiety and postpartum OCD in my virtual lactation consults. As I contemplated “what’s next?” for serving chestfeeding families, the answer did not involve building another online space. Now is the time to add a physical space where families can safely learn about breastfeeding and troubleshoot their lactation issues – a space where we can work to safely build back community for those who need it most.

One of our first orders of business will be to create a space where families can make basic connections with local lactation professionals. Currently, there is no central resource for parents or health care professionals to even find certified lactation

professionals in our state or to know how many of us there really are. According to Molly Scarborough McMillion, BSN, RN, IBCLC, the executive director of the WV Breastfeeding Alliance (WVBA), “There are probably fewer than 70 IBCLCs in the state of WV and most of them don’t even practice anymore.” Molly is responsible for the WV adoption of a nationwide project called ZipMilk® which will begin building the framework for a directory of lactation professionals in our state.

I am excited to support the WV Breastfeeding Alliance, and I encourage all health care workers with a lactation certification to join me in registering for this important project.

Though it may not seem obvious, new perspectives are beginning to reframe infant feeding as a public health issue as opposed to a “simple choice” that parents can make at their 28-week prenatal visit. The significance of the decision to feed babies mothers’ milk should be thought of as something that will affect an individual for their whole life – not just their first year of life. West Virginia parents deserve access to reliable, evidence-based information instead of scary internet searches at 3 a.m. It is my aim to leverage this new physical space to further parents’ education and public health in tandem. Beyond parent education, we will look to offer professional development for health care workers on topical issues. For example, we can educate local health care providers on health issues surrounding breastfeeding and local support available to their patients. If your education was like that of most other nurses, you received little to no training on breastfeeding, but we can step in to help. We also have plans to offer trainings for local businesses on how to become breastfeeding friendly for their employees and customers. These layers of community support and education are critical to addressing the disparities facing chestfeeding parents in West Virginia.

As is the case with so many other health and wellness markers, West Virginia reports statistics on breastfeeding at six months and one year that are significantly below the national average. This points directly to a community support issue where traditional postpartum care ends soon after birth and new parents encounter a serious lack of support – especially surrounding breastfeeding. Ideally, new parents will be supported to breastfeed their children as long as they wish, but in the lactation support world, many professionals initially encourage less intimidating goals for parents – between six months and one year – supported by studies that show great benefits for the children and for the parents feeding them.

To provide some context, using the 2020 Breastfeeding Report Card (CDC, 2020), for infants

born in 2017, West Virginia reported only 69.9% of infants were ever breastfed, compared to the U.S rate of 84.1%. Additionally, WV recorded just 20.9% of infants who were breastfed exclusively at six months, compared to the U.S. rate of 25.6%. I know we can improve these numbers with the right support.

Another critical issue we can improve upon is diversity in representation of IBCLCs of color, who would be crucial allies to serve the approximately 8% of our state population who identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian, or multi-racial (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019 data). There are also extremely limited and competitive spots for lactation students needing

Heather ONeal at new Seneca Center

location

New Breastfeeding Education Center continued on page 6

Breastfeeding center opens at Seneca Center Morgantown

Page 6 West Virginia Nurse October, November, December 2021

WVNA’s Fall Conference & Membership Assembly will take place Thursday, October 21, from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. Go to the WVNA website to register: https://wvnurses.nursingnetwork.com/

Hoping for Better Times AheadAs I am writing this letter to you all, it is the end of

August 2021. Summer is winding down; hints of fall are in the air.

We thought we had weathered the storm of the pandemic. Instead, sadly, we are in the middle of another surge. Most WV counties are at the “red,” or critical, level of COVID-19 infection. Hospitals are at capacity and are beginning to cancel elective procedures because of a shortage of nurses, beds, and equipment.

In the long, long months of this pandemic, we nurses have risen to the call and proven yet again why we are consistently ranked as the most trusted and ethical profession in the U.S. But the pandemic has also lifted a curtain that shows the entire country in a bad light: a light that reveals that – instead of us coming together for a solution – we are instead divided on certain issues.

I have – and I know I’m not alone – experienced hate because I have voiced a difference of opinion, even though I expressed open-mindedness if there was good evidence for another person’s viewpoint.

In my community, I have watched lifelong neighbors, who always had each other’s back, become sworn enemies, and I’ve watched families torn apart because of differences of opinion. This is so foreign to me. In this country and perhaps especially in this state, we help each other. It’s something we have always known we can count on until now.

I believe with all my heart that the ending has not been written. We will do now as we have always done. When it comes down to it and the rubber hits the road, we will come together and find a healing solution, and nurse citizens will be leading the way.

I hope, pray, and visualize that now, as you are reading this, things are already better in West Virginia, the U.S., and the world.

In Peace and Healing,

Joyce Wilson, RNWVNA President

******

ReferencesCompassion Fatigue Awareness Project (CFAP). (2021). What is

compassion fatigue? http://compassionfatigue.org/index.html

Rubel, Barbara. (2021). Compassion fatigue versus burnout. Griefwork Center. https://www.griefworkcenter.com/compassion-fatigue-vs-burnout/

President’s Message continued from page 1New Breastfeeding Education Center continued from page 5

clinical hours to sit for their IBCLC exam. Specifically, Black IBCLC students, who are historically underrepresented, have not been prioritized in these competitive student spots and therefore unless we create a new space in the community to correct this fault, we will never right the issue. Again, I know we can do better in supporting the needs of all parents, especially in a representative and culturally responsive manner. In our Morgantown space, we will prioritize training and support for IBCLCs of color.

Finally, I think most people can agree that the position of a working mother (or childbearing person) is one of the least appreciated and supported (outside of Mother’s Day) roles in our society today. We are expected to do, have, and provide it all. Our lives are full of “choiceless choices,” where we move from least-worst to least-worst decision, day after day. Without more support, not only from our friends and families, but from our communities and every level of government, we have gone as far as we can go – and it isn’t far enough. For me, the baseline measure is how we’re able to feed our babies.

Above all, it must be noted that too often the entire intellectual burden of infant feeding typically falls on the birthing parent (who often also works outside of the home) to self-educate, prepare, shop for, implement, and troubleshoot the feeding plan. Then, that same birthing parent is supposed to muddle their way through an abysmally short postpartum parental leave with an immense pressure to breastfeed perfectly AND produce an entire freezer stash of milk ready for when they return to work. Sounds simple, right? I can attest that it is not.

Couple the need to feed an infant on demand with unreasonable pumping expectations and a lack of health care and community support, and you’ve got a recipe for despair. I can’t tell you the number of sobbing postpartum mothers who’ve told me about

their trawling the infant formula aisle at midnight, grabbing a breastmilk substitute because they weren’t “enough to feed their baby.” That doesn’t feel like much of a choice to me.

I am proud of the work I do creating workbooks, online classes, podcasts, and more for new parents. However, those resources have far from “solved the problem” when it comes to breastfeeding. They have helped to whittle down the inordinate number of issues that families face and pointed me in the direction of what’s next: in-person education, mentorship for IBCLC students, a center for lactation services and community.

Although it is still under construction, my new location at the Seneca Center in Morgantown, WV, will become a hub for classes, private lactation consults, professional development, and community support. This space will also be used for broader topic workshops, like “newborn basics” and “how to wear/wrap your baby,” both of which will be classes for parents as well as partners, family, and friends. We will also host events where breastfeeding/chestfeeding families can come for fun, food, and care. And we’re served by two bus lines (#38 and #39).

There are so many exciting things happening for families in West Virginia! Please don’t forget to support breastfeeding/chestfeeding and please lift up the resources that our lactation leaders are working so hard to build for all of us, our patients, and our fellow West Virginians.

ReferencesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020).

Breastfeeding report card, United States, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/reportcard.htm

U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Quick facts West Virginia. [2019 data]. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/WV

*******

Editor’s Note:Seneca Center is located at 709 Beechurst Avenue

in Morgantown. http://www.senecacenter.com/You can read more about Heather ONeal’s work

with lactation support in the July issue of West Virginia Nurse. There’s easy access to all previous issues of WV Nurse through WVNA’s website, WVNA, and through our publisher’s website, Nursing ALD.

Visit https://www.zipmilk.org/ to register as a lactation consultant in the U.S. ZipMilk® is a project of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition, Inc., which owns the trademark for the name.

Beyond ZipMilk, WVBA works throughout our state to promote and support breastfeeding. Find them on Facebook to keep up with their projects and CE offerings. Facebook WVBFA

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October, November, December 2021 West Virginia Nurse Page 7

WVONL offers conferences every year with presenters from around the state and nation. The conferences aim to give the attendees tools and a chance to network on timely and relevant topics. The 2021 Virtual Fall Conference will be held on Friday, November 5, 2021, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The keynote speaker will be Cy Wakeman. Cy is a drama researcher, global thought leader, and New York Times best-selling author recognized for her counterintuitive, reality-based approach to leadership. The conference will also feature Freida H. Outlaw, PhD, RN, APRN, FAAN, an active member of SAMHSA’s Expert Panel on Psychiatric Mental Health and Substance Abuse, who is highly skilled in dealing with challenges for nurse leaders and for those whom they lead. A panel discussion at the conference will comprise state leaders discussing ways to recruit and retain nurses in West Virginia. There will be members presenting posters on projects completed at various organizations, and the day will end with a creative way to tap into resilience.

If you have ever wondered when a good time would be to get involved, the time is NOW! Please visit our website, WV Organization for Nurse Leadership, to learn more about the organization and how you can be involved in helping to shape the health care of West Virginia with us.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

Julie Absher Huron, Executive Director

WELCOME to WVNA! There is always activity happening with WVNA and we are thrilled to welcome new and reinstated WVNA members and invite you to get involved with WVNA committees. Opportunities exist with our Membership Committee, with Anitra Ellis, DNP, MSN, FNP-C, serving as chair. We also would love to have additional members get involved as a WVNA Legislative Leader. Crystal Chapman, BSN, RN, CAPA, is our Legislative Leader Chair and the upcoming training for Legislative Leaders is November 8, 2021. Legislative Leaders serve in one of the seventeen WV senate districts and are the local contact for their state senators and delegates.

From June through September 10, 2021, the WVNA welcomed 60 new/reinstated members. We love hearing from West Virginia nurses, and we appreciate hearing your lived stories. Believe me, we hear it all, the stories of PTSD, nursing licensure issues, workplace concerns, changes that you have helped to make at your organizations, and the issues you hope to change.

The WVNA is the voice for all West Virginia nurses, and we are nothing without you. With your permission, we share your stories with health care stakeholders, West Virginia legislators, and our congressional elected representatives. We invite you to get to know us, and to get involved however it fits your schedule. We love connecting nurses and feel that it’s great to have a state full of nurses that network and rely on each other. Please watch for our news and announcements, our ENews, quarterly editions of the West Virginia Nurse, and our social media posts. You can also find information on our website at wvnurses.org/nursing-news.

We invite you to attend our virtual fall nursing convention October 21, and we truly need for you to share your voice when surveys or public comments are needed. We want to help you be safe, happy, and valued in your profession.

• Alicia Anderson• Vanessa Bailey• Mary Boggs• Kristina Brooks• Mary Buffington• Lisa Byroads• Alexis Canterbury• Emily Davis• Sarah Davis• Andrea Drake• Jennifer Greathouse• Brandee Harpold• Amanda Hasuly• Tracy Hilton• Paige Holley• Aubrey Huffman• Nichole Michaux• Keilie Moore• Samantha Mullins• Jaime Nichols• Hyeyeon Park-Croston• Rhonda Parker

• Mary Podunavac• Jessica Reinacher• Whitney Rose• Celena Russ• Rebecca Sarich• Deana Sassaman• Kali Seech• Austin Slie• Tiffany Sorgman• Kathryn Sprecher• Casara Spry• Nicki Stewart• Beverly Swisher• William Teufel• Heather Todd• Cara Turley• Latasha Valentino• Brooklyn Vetter• Stephanie Wadford• Melanie Weekley• Bonita Wesley• Stacy Wickline

Lya M. Stroupe, DNP, APRN, CPNP, NEA-BC, NPD-BC | WVONL President-Elect

T h e W e s t V i r g i n i a Organiz at ion for Nursing Leadership ( WONL) is an organization for all nurse leaders from around the state in all settings. WVONL is a state affiliate of the national organization American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL). The mission of WVONL is to shape health care in West Virginia through innovation, expert leadership, and collaborative partnerships. WVONL’s strategic priorities align with national and state needs of the nursing profession.

WVONL’s first strategic priority is to advocate for the profession of nursing and the future of health care. This includes engaging membership in advocacy and influence by having a lobbying presence in the legislature and by formulating position statements on topics for legislation and policy. WVONL also partners with interprofessional colleagues and academic stakeholders to advocate for a healthy work environment.

The second strategic priority of WVONL is to advance and strengthen the organization’s voice through a highly engaged, inclusive, and diverse membership. WVONL encourages membership of all nurse leaders in all settings, including acute care, ambulatory care, home health, academic organizations, and community organizations where nurses work. Members are engaged in presenting their expertise in meetings and conferences. There is also collaboration among WVONL and community partners such as health departments, agencies, school board, banks, chambers of commerce, etc.

West Virginia Organization for Nursing Leadership... The Time is Now!

Lya M. Stroupe

Cy Wakeman

Freida H. Outlaw

Page 8 West Virginia Nurse October, November, December 2021

How Interprofessional Education at WVU Improves Communication for Interdisciplinary Teams and

Provides for Improved Patient OutcomesChristy Barnhart, DHSc, MSN, RN, CHSE;

Gina Baugh, PharmD; Dorian Williams, MD, FAAFP, CPI, CHSE; and Adam Hoffman,

NRP, MCCP, CHSE

What is interprofessional education at WVU?This article aims to discuss the interprofessional

education program at West Virginia University (WVU) and how it changes and improves health care delivery to patients. There are thirteen schools within WVU’s health sciences, who participate in IPE activities as per professional education accreditation requirements. Many activities are offered to students throughout the curriculum. The level of the learner is a consideration when assigning students to an IPE learning activity. Some of the activities include Monday night sessions, IDEAS house, and IPE rounding. Many of these experiences occur at WVU’s STEPS (Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety) center. These opportunities allow students to learn about each others’ professions and how they contribute to patient outcomes. IPE learning experiences create a respectful environment for interprofessional teamwork to occur. These IPE experiences allow students to practice communicating with each other as well as with patients and family members.

The students practice collaborating with each other regarding a care plan for the patient, which builds teamwork in a health care setting. One resource used to help guide the IPE sessions is the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality’s program known as TeamSTEPPS® can be found. TeamSTEPPS includes videos of good and poor communication examples; communication tools such as SBAR, Call-Out, Check-Back, and IPASStheBATON (Introduction, Patient, Assessment, Situation, Safety,

Background, Actions, Timing, Ownership, Next) (AHRQ, 2018). Further elaboration of the IPE learning activities discussed here will follow in this article.

What are IPE Monday Afternoon Sessions?The interprofessional practice and education curriculum

at the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center is a three-phased approach. The students are provided IPE framework through didactic, active learning sessions focused on interprofessional education’s core competencies as defined by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC, 2016). These competencies include

• Value/ ethics for interprofessional practice • Roles/responsibilities • Interprofessional communication • Teams and teamwork

The students then apply this foundational knowledge through simulation and clinical practice experiences, encompassing phases two and three of the IPE curriculum.

The didactic sessions are known as “the Monday afternoon sessions” due to their timing. These sessions are offered to all health professional schools and programs at the Health Sciences Center and include faculty facilitators and students from thirteen programs. These sessions included over 600 students and 75 faculty and student facilitators in the academic year 2020-2021. The sessions were held in person for nearly ten years before transitioning to a virtual setting in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first session held in the fall semester focuses on professional roles and responsibilities. The virtual experience requires students to create short electronic profiles to introduce themselves and their discipline. Students then learn about each other by viewing and commenting on the profiles of their group members.

The second fall semester session is based on values

and ethics. Through a virtual “choose your own adventure game,” students work through a complicated patient case. As they go through the decision-making process, their choices determine their next steps and the information that they receive from the facilitator.

Teams and teamwork are the basis for the third session, which is held in the spring semester. Students navigate their way through a room filled with mistakes and patient safety hazards, first as individuals and then as a team. Through this activity, they see the expertise that each profession brings and the importance of collaboration.

Interprofessional communication is the fourth session’s focus held during the spring semester and serves to transition the student to the simulation setting for patient care. Students hear a lived experience presentation from a health care professional about substance use disorder (SUD) and then interview standardized patients with a SUD history.

A formal debriefing session is held at the end of each session focused on IPE’s four core competencies and the corresponding sub-competencies.

What Is IDEAS House?The Interdisciplinary Educational Apartment Simulation

(IDEAS) is a home-based care initiative designed to teach students to care during home assessment, while practicing and instilling the Interprofessional Educational Collaborative’s Core Competencies (teamwork, roles/responsibilities, communication, and values/ethics). The team consists of nursing, medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, health informatics, and public health students who visit the patient as a team.

The patient is an elderly woman who lives alone and has been recently discharged after coronary artery bypass graft. The team is given time to “pre-round” in a debriefing room adjacent to the apartment to establish priorities and roles before the visit, and to create a shared mental model of the patient’s history and needs. During the visit, the students assess the patient and her condition and do a walk-through of the residence. Various hazards or “errors” exist throughout the patient’s home for the students to find and address with the patient. These include medication errors, improperly stored medications, poor diet choices in the kitchen, mobility hazards (e.g., dog toys, throw rugs, etc.), poor furniture structure, and others that were developed by an interprofessional team of clinicians based on situations commonly seen in homes.

During the visit, an interprofessional team of facilitators observes live via a video recording system. After the encounter, the standardized patient may give the students feedback on their performance, and then a formal debriefing session is conducted by the interprofessional facilitator team. The session focuses on the team’s effectiveness and communication and the various hazards they encountered. Commonly, plus delta Available positions:

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and advocacy/inquiry techniques are used. The students are given a chance to reflect on their performance and ask for feedback to improve their future practice.

What is IPE Rounding?Interprofessional (IP) rounding is quickly becoming a common practice in the

clinical setting and is poised to become the clinicians’ standard. However, until recently, students were not trained in it. Interprofessional rounding was developed to expose students to IP rounds before their clinical rotations. An IP team of facilitators, led by the School of Pharmacy, created two cases where medical, nursing, and pharmacy students round together and develop a care plan with the patient. The cases both utilize a standardized patient – one male, one female – whom the students assess and interview.

The event begins with a group pre-briefing to establish the session’s goals (based on the IPEC competencies). The students are then allowed to “pre-round” on the patients and become acquainted. Then, the students are given 15 minutes to interview the first patient. At the end of their interview and discussion, the patient provides them with feedback on their communication and teamwork. They move on to the second patient and repeat the same process. After receiving feedback from the second patient, they are given 30 minutes to develop an IP care plan.

At the conclusion, a group debriefing is facilitated by an IP team of faculty that uses primarily Plus/Delta techniques to discuss the communication and teamwork of the students.

How do Students Utilize the STEPS Center?The David and Jo Ann Shaw Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety

(“STEPS”) Center is a large, multidisciplinary simulation center that serves all five WVU Health Sciences Center schools, graduate medical and nursing programs, and associated WVU Medicine hospitals. STEPS is accredited by The Society for Simulation in Healthcare in teaching, assessment, research, and systems integration (Society for Simulation in Healthcare, 2021). The center offers all four simulation modalities: human patient computerized simulators, partial-task trainers, standardized patients, and various extended reality applications.

There has been logarithmic growth in simulation education since the STEPS Center opened ten years ago. For the calendar year 2020, there were over 25,000 learner encounters, including 7,695 virtual ones. There were 1,796 different sessions/learning events.

The center’s activities are not confined to the center; for example, in situ sessions in the hospital and surrounding clinics and virtual remote activities have grown extensively due to COVID, and simulated crisis scenarios expose trainees to uncommon, high-risk conditions in the safe environment of the simulation center. Improved patient safety is the ultimate goal.

STEPS has five manikin simulation labs with separate control rooms to allow faculty access and observation without interrupting the scenario in progress. There are two debriefing rooms, two classrooms that can be expanded to a large room, a physical assessment lab, and surgical education space. The center also has a 10-bed clinical skills lab with hospital beds and low-level simulators

and a 10-bed skills lab with stretchers that can be combined to provide a 20-bed space for large classes. All 20 beds have bedside computers and monitors that can be operated from the instructor area, allowing each bed space to have easy access to view educational material. There are 12 patient exam rooms and a standardized patient staging area All of the simulation rooms have the capability for audio/visual recording, providing the ability to do recordings and multiple types of debriefings. All of the debriefing rooms and classrooms have large screens and computers to allow video review or live observation of simulation activities.

STEPS also has portable audio/visual recording capabilities to support the in situ program, allowing review and debriefing. Students from all health care disciplines have required core content throughout their training using simulation as the teaching and assessment modality.

Concluding ThoughtsInterprofessional education can be a valuable resource for students in all health

care disciplines. This education allows students to learn how to communicate with members from other health care disciplines. Interprofessional education will enable students to understand other health care team members’ roles and form respect for them. The goal is for students to learn how to speak up for patient safety and value every health care team member’s concerns. Being aware of patient changes in status is critical to communicate by every health care team member to prevent sentinel events and even death. A reported 250,000 people in the U.S. annually die from medical errors, which includes communication errors (Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, 2000; Makary and Daniel, 2016). Providing interprofessional educational experiences is an important step toward decreasing that number and improving health care outcomes.

All photos courtesy of the authors.

References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (AHRQ). (2018, July: last review). TeamSTEPPS essentials course. https://www.ahrq.gov/teamstepps/instructor/essentials/slessentials.html.

Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. Institute of Medicine. (2000). Errors in health care: A leading cause of death and injury. In: To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. (L. T. Kohn et al., Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK225187/

Interprofessional Education Collaborative. (2016). Core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice: 2016 update. Washington, DC: Author. https://nebula.wsimg.com/2f68a39520b03336b41038c370497473?AccessKeyId=DC06780E69ED19E2B3A5&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

Makary, M. A., & Daniel, M. (2016, May 3). Medical error — The third leading cause of death in the U.S. BMJ, 353, i2139. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i2139

The Society for Simulation in Healthcare. (2021). Full accreditation. https://www.ssih.org/Credentialing/Accreditation/Full-Accreditation

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Shauna Lively, RN, EdD, LCCEDirector of Outreach Education,

WV Perinatal Partnership

October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

Beginning in 2019, a new initiative promoting maternal assessment of fetal movement in the third trimester geared up with the goal to reduce stillbirths in West Virginia by 20%.

Based on the most recent five-year average, the stillbirth rate in WV is 5.28 per 1,000 live births, or about 150 babies every year. The overall U.S. rate is 5.89 per 1,000 live births, and the rate among non-Hispanic Black women is more than twice as high as the rate among non-Hispanic white women (see graph). The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) and the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership (WVPP) began working with Count the Kicks, a proven stillbirth-prevention public awareness campaign. In Iowa, where Count the Kicks began, the state’s stillbirth rate dropped by nearly 32% in the first 10 years of the campaign (2008-2018), and in the first five years of the program, the African-American stillbirth rate decreased nearly 39%, all while rates in the rest of the country remained relatively stagnant.

Research shows a change in a baby’s movement is the earliest, and sometimes only, indication there might be an issue with a pregnancy. Expectant parents can get to know their baby’s normal movement pattern by having a daily kick-counting session.

Through this campaign, we are offering free Count the Kicks resources to expectant moms and the healthcare providers and other professionals who interact with them. Free resources, including educational materials and a Count the Kicks phone app available in Google Play and iTunes, allow an expectant mother to monitor their baby’s movements, record the history, set a daily reminder, and count for single babies and twins. Providers, birth facilities, and social services agencies can order free Count the Kicks educational materials at https://countthekicks.org/statistics/wv/.

Count the Kicks wants to bring success to every state in the U.S., which would save an estimated 7,500 babies’ lives each year. This October, we invite you to join us in raising awareness about this important issue by sharing Count the Kicks.

“After our son Garrett was born still at 35 weeks in 2014, I became pregnant again,” said West Virginia Count the Kicks Ambassador Kristy Edie. “The Count the Kicks app was my lifeline and actually a lot of fun. I counted the kicks during my subsequent pregnancy to make sure that my son was healthy.”

– Kristy Edie

Learn more about our vision to save over 100 West Virginia babies every year and improve birth outcomes at CountTheKicks.org. A free CE for health care professionals about Count The Kicks will be offered on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at 12 noon Eastern time. You can register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7PrhvqEAT6ufMkTcaQAUpw

Count the Kicks Initiative

WVPP Receives Nearly $1 million to Improve Obstetric Care in Rural WVFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Charleston, W.Va. August 18, 2021

The West Virginia Rural Maternity and Obstetric Management Strategies (WV RMOMS)

The WV Perinatal Partnership was awarded $999,685 as a part of up to a $4 million four-year grant by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to enhance perinatal services to eight rural West Virginia counties through its RMOMS Program.

“Place your hand on a map in the middle of West Virginia and you will find few hospitals offering labor and delivery [and no freestanding birth center] and a scarcity of obstetricians, family medicine physicians, certified nurse-midwives, or certified professional midwives who care for pregnant women and their babies,” said RMOMS Program Director Shauna Lively, EdD, RN, LCCE.

The RMOMS Program (Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies) will enhance and create maternity services for more than 1,000 women who give birth annually within an underserved region of our state. Currently, most women and their families must drive at least 30 minutes and up to two to three hours each way to visit their maternity care provider, to access high-risk specialty care, and to give birth. Lost wages, transportation issues, and childcare barriers prevent women from utilizing pregnancy, peripartum, and infant care.

The purpose of West Virginia RMOMS Collaborative is to improve access to and continuity of maternal and obstetrics care in the rural communities of Braxton, Calhoun, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas, Roane, Upshur, and Webster counties in West Virginia.

The goals of the program are to:

1. Improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in this rural region;2. Develop a sustainable network approach to increase the delivery and access of preconception, pregnancy, labor and delivery,

and postpartum services; 3. Develop a safe childbirth environment with the support and access to specialty care for perinatal women and infants; and4. Develop sustainable financing models for the provision of maternity and obstetrics care in rural hospitals and communities.

“The Partnership submitted the RMOMS grant to help us achieve our purpose and vision for all West Virginia mothers and babies to have high quality maternity services no matter where they live,” Lively said. “We are particularly excited to develop or enhance those ‘wraparound’ services such as childbirth and parenting education, breastfeeding and infant nutrition assistance, and doula care. Our plan is to have a mother’s care coordinator to assist families with high-risk pregnancies, infants, and those who require assistance in navigating the health care system and finding appropriate community resources.

Lively pointed to nationwide statistics that tell us that more than half of U.S. counties lack hospital maternity care services, and that nationwide maternal mortality and morbidity are rising. Further, closures are more common in small, rural community hospitals. Within the past five years, West Virginia has seen the closure of three hospitals, while two other hospitals permanently closed their maternity care facilities, leaving families to travel further in many cases. To address these issues, HRSA created the RMOMS Program. “We plan to implement mothers’ focus groups as well as health care providers’ input, as we work together toward improving continuity of maternity care for women from preconception through pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum,” she said.

“WV RMOMS is a four-year program structured by one year of planning followed by three years of implementation and will also include an evaluation process to determine what helps and hinders maternity care and the delivery of high-quality, culturally responsive care in rural areas,” Lively said.

Project partners include Camden on Gauley; Community Care of WV; Minnie Hamilton Health; Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital; New River Health; Summersville Regional Medical Center; WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital; WVU Medicine Braxton Memorial Hospital; CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital; WV Primary Care Association; CAMC Health Research and Education Institute; CAMC WV Health Network; WV Health Information Network; Partners in Health Network WV Department of Health, and Human Resources and Bureau for Medical Services.

The West Virginia Perinatal Partnership is a not-for-profit organization comprising health care professionals, insurers, community health workers, and government representatives and policy makers, working together to improve health outcomes for pregnant women and their babies in West Virginia. Funding sources include the WV Higher Education Policy Commission, WV Bureau of Public Health, WV Department of Health and Human Resources, and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), among other national and local agencies.

For more information, contact Shauna Lively at (304) 516-1083 or slively@wvperinatal.org. West Virginia Perinatal Partnership’s website is WVPP. More info on the HRSA RMOMS Grant program can be found at the link.

West Virginia Geriatrics Society Supporting the Care of Older Adults and Geriatric

Education in the Mountain State.

Virtual Annual Summit“Moving Forward”

Thursday January 20, 2022 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.CE’s available. For info go to www.wvgeriatrics.org

October, November, December 2021 West Virginia Nurse Page 11

As we went to press with our previous (July) issue, in-person conferences were making a comeback, then many pivoted back to virtual. Conferences listed here are “on” as of press time, whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person. For any conference you’re interested in attending, WVNA recommends checking for updates on the organization’s website and subscribing to email alerts.

Conferences & Meetings

Virtual Conferences

October 10-13, 2021 (Sunday-Wednesday)Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)Virtual ConferenceAWHONN Convention 2021

October 13-16, 2021 (Wednesday-Saturday)American Psychiatric Nurses Association 35th Annual Conference“Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses: Revolutionizing Access to Person-Centered Care”APNA Annual Conference 2021

October 20-22, 2021 (Wednesday-Thursday)29th Annual WV Rural Health Association Conference“Reimagining Rural Health: Responding to Unprecedented Challenges”WV Rural Health Assn 2021 Conference

October 28-29, 2021 (Thursday-Friday)DONA International Summit: world’s first and largest doula organizationNew: Now a virtual conference DONA Summit 2021

November 2-4, 2021 (Tuesday-Thursday)International Council of Nurses (ICN)/Consejo Internacional de Enfermeras/Conseil International des Infermières“Nursing Around the World”International Council of Nurses (ICN) Virtual Conference 2021

November 5, 2021 (Friday)West Virginia Organization for Nursing LeadershipWV Organization for Nurse Leadership

November 5-7, 2021 (Friday-Sunday)“Promoting Diversity, Inclusion, and Health Equity in Genomic Nursing”International Society of Nurses in Genetics (ISONG)ISONG 2021 Conference

In-Person Conferences

October 8-10, 2021 (Friday-Sunday)West Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (WVANA)Fall Meeting Daniels, W.Va.WVANA 2021 Conference

October 14-15, 2021 (Thursday-Friday)& Reception Wed. Oct. 13WV Perinatal Partnership Summit Stonewall Resort, Roanoke, W.Va.WV Perinatal Partnership Summit 2021

November 16-19, 2021 (Tuesday-Friday)National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN)46th Annual ConferencePuerto Rico: Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel and CasinoNAHN 2021 Conference

December 2, 2021 (Thursday)Nursing Bundle Boot Camp“Equipping & inspiring others for positive change in healthcare”Eaton Rapids, Mich. December 2021 Nursing Bundle Boot Camp

March 24-26, 2022 (Thursday-Saturday)Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Assn. 28th Annual Cardiovascular Nursing SymposiumLas Vegas, Nev. Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium 2022

April 27-30, 2022 (Wednesday-Saturday)Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN)“Embracing the Magic of Innovation”Anaheim, Calif. SPN 2022 Conference

Conferences that are “Both” (Virtual and In Person)

November 9-12, 2021 (Tuesday-Friday)ARN Reach: Association of Rehabilitation NursesProvidence, RI, & Virtual ConferenceRehab Nurses’ Conference

Page 12 West Virginia Nurse October, November, December 2021

The goal of West Virginia Nurses Association (WVNA) is to support enactment and implementation of policy that will benefit the health and welfare of all citizens. The WVNA strives to provide information, advocacy, representation and protection for the state’s professional nurses. As part of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the organization establishes policies and goals for the profession that form the basis for nursing’s contribution to the advancement of health care policy.

I. PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

WVNA supports regulatory legislation that:1. Assures the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses

(WVRNB) retains authority and autonomy to regulate the nursing profession with a culture that is fair, just, collaborative, and adherent to fiduciary responsibilities;

2. Supports the implementation of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health recommendations (IOM, 2010; National Academy of Medicine, 2015);

3. Recognizes the full scope of practice and autonomy of RNs as established by professional licensure and delineated by professional organizations;

4. Promotes APRNs (certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, and clinical nurse specialist) as licensed independent practitioners, promotes full compensation for APRNs, prevents professional liability carriers from limiting coverage or restricting the full APRN scope of practice, prevents restraint of trade through collaborative requirements, and supports the APRN Compact to facilitate interstate practice (ACNM, 2011; NCSBN, 2014);

5. Supports APRNs in the autonomous management of opioid use disorder, including medication assisted treatments (MAT) and therapies;

6. Improves health care access through modernizing statutory language and eliminating restrictions in nursing practice and prescriptive authority (AANP, 2015);

7. Promotes the use of appropriate, scientifically correct, and inclusive terminology in proposed legislation and health policy; and

8. Promote full practice authority for APRNs within their educational standards of practice, specific to the national credentialing standards (NCSBN, 2012).

WVNA supports workplace initiatives that:1. Uphold individual nurses’ right to make moral-ethical decisions (ANA Code of

Ethics, 2015);2. Support safe staffing initiatives determined by nurses, that take into account

patient acuity and that maximize standard quality outcomes;3. Recognize the RN as the coordinator for patient care;4. Provide flexible work schedules that lessen the risk of fatigue-related errors; 5. Prohibit forced overtime and fairly compensate RNs and other health care

providers utilizing traditional payment scales for overtime hours (ANA Code of Ethics, 2015);

6. Improve patient and staff safety with supplied devices and personal equipment to protect the patient and staff from injury and infection;

7. Standardize policies and procedures, equipment and medication delivery systems, including but not limited to information technology, to provide seamless care to rural populations (e.g., telehealth);

8. Support unrestricted use of titles appropriate to educational degrees and credentials (e.g., Doctor of Nursing practice, DNP); and

9. Disseminate education to each nurse regarding prevention, treatment and recovery for nurses with substance use or mental health disorders through the alternative to discipline program (WV RESTORE).

II. HEALTH CARE DELIVERY

WVNA supports a health care delivery system that:1. Encourages a culture of health through education, public awareness, and the

full impact of the media;2. Actively addresses leading health indicators including physical activity,

responsible sexual behavior, maternal health, oral health, mental health, environmental quality, immunization, social determinants, access to health services, and prevention of substance abuse, obesity, tobacco use, injury and violence, and racial disparities in health (Healthy People 2020, 2015);

3. Supports patient safety though adequate staffing patterns with RN supervision and appropriate delegation of licensed and unlicensed assistive nursing personnel;

4. Assures compliance with WV Code: “The legislature finds that regulation should be imposed on an occupation or profession only when necessary for the protection of public health and safety” (WV Code, Chapter 30-1A-1);

5. Promotes nurses practicing to the full extent of their education and competency. Modernizes state regulations to eliminate those that have anticompetitive effects with no contribution to the health and safety of the public (IOM, 2010; FTC, 2012);

6. Provides interprofessional person-centered care, employs evidence-based practice, applies quality improvement, and utilizes informatics (IOM, 2010; NAM, 2015);

7. Facilitates antibiotic stewardship by all who administer, receive, or prescribe antibiotics. Antimicrobial medications have transformed health care, but 20-50% are unnecessary or inappropriate. Patients exposed to unnecessary antibiotics are at risk for adverse events with no benefit, and can exacerbate antibiotic resistance, one of the most serious and growing threats to public health (CDC, 2014; National Quality Forum, 2016; WV DHHR, 2017; ANA, 2017); and

8. Encourages the expansion of nurse-led models of care.

WVNA supports public policies that:1. Promote equal access to quality, comprehensive health care for all West

Virginians;2. Promote a commitment to the principle that all persons are entitled to

affordable, readily accessible, high-quality health services (AHRQ, 2008; ACA, 2010);

3. Promote reimbursement parity for all health services, including but not limited to medications, complementary care, reproductive services, and mental health services (ACA, 2010);

4. Assure that quality supportive/palliative end-of-life care is accessible to all people, including effective symptom control, and psychosocial and spiritual support;

5. Maintain current West Virginia immunization standards and strongly recommend ongoing immunization guideline modifications as outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2017);

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6. Encourage senior West Virginians to maintain active, healthy, and independent lifestyles. Promote access to quality in-home long term or intermediate care when desired and needed;

7. Identify, report, and prevent elder abuse and neglect, including physical, mental, and financial abuse, and provide victim support (WV State Auditor’s Office, 2012);

8. Eradicate prescription drug abuse, reduce inappropriate prescribing and dispensing, and reduce opiate use and abuse in WV (WVNA, WV Office of the Attorney General, 2016);

9. Eliminate the flow of illegal drugs into the state (DEA, 2018); 10. Support the safe, regulated legal prescribing of therapeutic marijuana by

all prescribing providers, as appropriate (ANA, 2016);11. Recognize the importance of patient confidentiality, given the impact of

social media on professional practice (ANA, 2012).12. Eradicate HIV/AIDS through harm reduction strategies, increased

screening, and expanded early treatment including the use of PrEP in primary care settings for persons at high risk (HIV.gov, 2019);

13. Protect consumers from surprise billing and provides transparency in drug pricing;

14. Include best practices in harm reduction services for persons suffering from substance use disorder; and

15. Achieve statewide broadband coverage.

WVNA supports school health initiatives that:1. Support a minimum of one certified school nurse in every WV public

school building to promote health and wellness; manage students with acute and chronic diseases; provide drug prevention education and referrals; administer stock naloxone and epinephrine; and provide mental health services, support, and referrals to ensure an educated and healthy workforce for economic growth and development in WV (American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement, 2016);

2. Support the need for safe administration of insulin at school for students with diabetes – only a certified school nurse, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, parent/guardian, trained parent designee (not employed by the board of education), and/or student may legally administer insulin in the school setting (WVASN and WVCOSN Position Papers, 2014);

3. Promote the coordination and linkage of students to a health home, including oral health, through the certified school nurse;

4. Promote the role of the certified school nurse in the enrollment of children and families in comprehensive insurance programs which include oral health;

5. Recognize the certified school nurse as the coordinator of health care intervention with the authority to make appropriate health care task delegations and assignments within the educational setting and the nurse’s scope and ability;

6. Promote collaboration between the certified school nurse and school-based clinics for health promotion and disease management. (A certified school nurse covers all children enrolled in public school; the school-based clinic provides care only to established patients);

7. Recognize the certified school nurse as the professional who ensures quality health care instruction for pre-K through 12th grade students, including comprehensive, age-appropriate human sexuality education, as well as in asthma and diabetes care (WVDE School Nurse Needs Assessment, 2010);

8. Support certified school nurses’ pay parity within educational funding formula for teachers;

9. Promote the community school concept, which coordinates programs and services to support healthy lifestyles for students, staff, parents, and the community which each school serves (Communities in Schools; Coalition for Community Schools; CDC Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child, etc.); and

10. Recognize the long-term health impacts of childhood trauma and link students to trauma informed care and programs to build and support resilience.

III. PATIENT RIGHTS

WVNA supports patients’ rights to:1. Health care as a basic human right;2. Safe, error-free health care environments; 3. Transparent information about nurse staffing patterns and patient

outcome benchmarks at health facilities (CMS Rules, 2014);4. Receive health care provided by nursing personnel consistent with their

level of acuity; 5. Privacy and confidentiality;6. Informed decision making about personal health, including end-of-life

care and reproductive health services, without coercion; 7. Information about all treatment options, including the comparative risks

and benefits, at the appropriate literacy level; and8. Designate APRNs as their primary licensed independent provider of health

care.

IV. NURSING RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT

WVNA supports strategies for retention and recruitment, including:1. Practices that promote a safe, professional work environment with shared

nurse governance;2. Funding for undergraduate and graduate education for nurses,

educational opportunities for faculty, and nursing workforce redevelopment programs (ANA, 2010);

3. Economic incentives for nurse educators and preceptors who provide clinical supervision to the next generation of clinicians (RWJF, 2017);

4. Modernizing policy to ensure that all nurses may practice to the full extent of their education and certification (namely, to remove collaborative requirements, restrictive prescribing formularies, and restrictive signatory authority);

5. Reimbursement parity for APRN services;6. Peer monitoring and counseling that is confidential and compassionate

to protect the public and promote retention of recovering nurses in the workforce (ANA, 2010; WV Restore, 2015); and

7. Recognition and appreciation of the role of the professional nurse related to quality of care, patient outcomes, and organizational and financial stability.

V. SOCIAL ISSUES

WVNA supports the following:1. Education focusing on social justice issues;2. Legislation focused on prevention of violence and bullying, particularly the

protection of vulnerable populations in all venues, including social media;3. Initiatives to screen for, educate about, and reduce public health risks,

including but not limited to unclean air and water, harmful additives and toxins, drug and alcohol impairment, distracted driving, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDs, sports injuries, gun violence, and ATV/motorcycle helmet use;

4. Access to programs that identify and treat post-concussive head injuries from sports and other causes (CDC, 2015);

5. Access to trauma-informed care, mental health services, and programs addressing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD);

6. Public disclosure of and education about environmental health risks in homes, and in work, school, and other public settings (ANA, 2010);

7. Adequate funding and public policy to provide smoking and vaping prevention, cessation, and educational programs to eliminate tobacco use and environmental exposure;

8. Education regarding the health benefits of breastfeeding (Baby-Friendly USA, 2016);

9. Ongoing recognition and support of WV nurse veterans;10. Programs developed to identify and treat the high incidence of post-

traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-concussive head injuries in the post-war veteran population (e.g., traumatic brain injury) (AANP, 2012);

11. Access to mental health services for all veterans, with supportive opportunities for the highest quality of independent living (AANP, 2012);

12. Addressing the high incidence and low availability of mental health services (e.g., integrating mental and physical health services, telehealth, and substance abuse treatment) (WV Perinatal Partnership, 2015);

13. Engaging community members and health professionals in threat preparedness efforts (WVREDI, 2015);

14. A realistic living minimum wage;15. Eradication of prescription drug abuse, inappropriate prescribing and

dispensing, and reduced opiate use and abuse in WV (WVNA, WV Office of the Attorney General, 2016);

16. The fundamental principle of respect for the inherent dignity, worth, unique attributes, and human rights of all individuals (ANA, 2015);

17. Increase visibility and contribution of nurses in leadership roles, including service on hospital boards and health-related commissions; and

18. Full staffing of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) at hospitals across the state.

Page 14 West Virginia Nurse October, November, December 2021

Marshall Health Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner Fellowship

Program Wraps Up Second Year

Maria Heck, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, completed Marshall Health’s Nurse Practitioner Fellowship Program, an advanced training program, in September 2021, after a year of rigorous training across a variety of internal medicine specialties. Heck also presented a poster at the WVNA Policy Summit on March 25, 2021.

Maria has now joined the Marshall Health staff as a nurse practitioner in gastroenterology. She will also continue to be part of the Nurse Practitioner Fellowship Program by serving as an educator, mentor, and preceptor for future fellows. In early 2021, the program earned “accreditation with distinction” status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

To learn more about the program, visit Marshall NP Fellowship.

Special to West Virginia Nurse

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) annually gives awards in several categories. Read on for the scoop on West Virginia’s 2021 winners.

State Award for Excellence

Joyce Wilson

Joyce Wilson, MSN, APRN, FNP-CThe APRN State Award for Excellence 2021 awardee is

WVNA President Joyce Wilson, FNP-C. This award is given annually to an individual APRN in each state who has demonstrated excellence in their NP clinical practice. Joyce has worked tirelessly to care for patients both clinically and in the advancement of the autonomous practice of advance practice registered nurses within West Virginia.

Joyce has been a family nurse practitioner since 2012. She earned her ASN from Davis & Elkins college in Davis in 1985, her BSN from Alderson Broaddus College in Philippi, and her MSN from the University of Pittsburgh. Wilson is a family nurse practitioner with the Belington Medical Clinic,

in Barbour County. Joyce has served as the President of the West Virginia Nurses Association since

the fall of 2019 and has served on the WVNA board of directors as Secretary, 1st Vice President, and President Elect.

Joyce has been involved with the West Virginia Nurses Association and the WV Nurses-PAC for several years, and in 2018 she was elected as the WVN-PAC chairperson.

Wilson serves on numerous health care boards across West Virginia, including West Virginians for Affordable Health Care and Davis Health System/Broaddus Hospital in Philippi.

Joyce became a WVNA member to assist with passage of full practice authority for APRNs, she has been a representative for WVNA to the American Nurses Association Advocacy Institute (ANAI) in 2017-2018, and she is passionate about nursing policy and health care legislation in West Virginia.

Two West Virginia Nursing Leaders Win AANP Awards

Pictured left to right are Leah Lewis, APRN, FNP-BC, assistant program director; Beth White, DNP, NP-C, program director; Kati Holland, APRN,

FNP-BC, a 2020 program graduate; Maria Heck, MSN, FNP-BC; and Shannon Browning, MD, medical director of the program.

AANP Advocate State Award for Excellence

Toni DiChiacchio

Toni DiChiacchio, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANPThe 2021 AANP State Advocate Award for Excellence

awardee is WVNA’s immediate past president, Toni DiChiacchio, DNP. This award is given annually to an individual in each state who has made a significant contribution toward increasing awareness and acceptance of APRNs. This award is in recognition for nonclinical practice initiatives related to leadership, policy, politics, research, education, and community affairs. Dr. Toni DiChiacchio has advanced nursing like no other advocate in the state of WV, demonstrating exemplary professionalism in her role in advancing the nursing profession. The pride that shines through her policy leadership is nonpareil. WVNA thanks Toni for her dedication to our profession and for promoting policy to

advance health care for the citizens of West Virginia. Dr. DiChiacchio has been a family nurse practitioner since 2008. She earned an ASN from

Indian River State College (Florida), her MSN with a family nurse practitioner concentration at Florida Atlantic University, and her DNP from WVU. In addition to being a nurse, Dr. DiChiacchio is also a certified public accountant (CPA) and received a bachelor’s degree with a double major in accounting and economics from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown. She worked in tax and accounting for thirteen years before becoming a nurse.

For three years, Dr. DiChiacchio owned Health Thru Care, a primary care clinic in Morgantown, where she worked with patients to maximize their health and wellness by utilizing the nursing model of care. She has also worked as an NP in a rural urgent care setting, at WVU Hospital in the preadmission unit, and as a hospitalist in a community hospital in Florida. Since July 2015, Dr. DiChiacchio has served as WVU School of Nursing’s Assistant Dean for Faculty Practice and Community Engagement.

Toni is a member of, and finance chair for, the Monongalia County Health Department. Prior to her election as president of WVNA, she was WVNA’s Treasurer. She has been recognized by the WV Center for Nursing and Florida Nursing Spectrum magazine with clinical excellence awards. For her work in health care policy and legislation, she was awarded “Politically Active Nurse of the Year” in 2014 by the West Virginia Nurses Association.

************

Editor’s Note: You can read more about the awards and view all the winners for each state at the AANP

website link here: AANP Awards 2021.

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October, November, December 2021 West Virginia Nurse Page 15

The Ongoing Battle Against COVID: Planning for the Next StepsKellon Smith, MHS, APRN, CRNA, NSPM-C

President, West Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (WVANA)

As we settle into our new daily routines, it’s important to reflect on what we’ve experienced during the last year and a half and how we have reached this point in our continued battle against the COVID pandemic, if you will. From the early 1900s to the present, humankind has rarely experienced anything quite like what the COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed on us. In just a matter of months, West Virginia and the rest of the world were suddenly faced with what can only be described as the “unimaginable”—situations and circumstances that no one could possibly have seen coming.

As the number of COVID infections steadily climbed in our state, health care workers braced themselves for a massive influx of patients needing our care. It turned out the numbers were even worse than expected; in fact, they were staggering. In the first quarter of 2020, it seemed as if time itself had stopped. Elective surgery procedures all over the country were being cancelled, restaurants were closing their doors, all nonessential businesses were forced to shut down, and our freedom as we knew it was challenged as we entered a quarantine period intended to flatten the curve of infection and preserve our medical resources. In preparation for the health care crisis that would ensue, state of emergency declarations were made both nationally and at the state level. These declarations quickly mobilized all available health care resources to combat the COVID-19 virus and care for the surging number of critically ill patients flooding the WV and U.S. health care systems.

Health care workers across the state were called on to serve on the frontlines of the crisis. To meet the demand for care that was straining our health care system to the breaking point, it became imperative to eliminate unnecessary practice restrictions for various providers and enable them to answer the call to ensure patient access to safe, high-quality care. By way of an executive order signed by Governor Justice, the temporary removal of these practice restrictions empowered health care providers across the state – among them certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) – to practice to the full scope of their certification, licensure, education and training. With a few strokes of the governor’s pen, outdated requirements were lifted so health care facilities across WV could utilize CRNAs to their full capacity. The same was true of other specialists working alongside CRNAs in these same facilities. In all cases, these providers courageously rose to the challenge and to this day continue fighting to defeat COVID-19.

CRNAs begin their anesthesia training with an average of nearly three years of critical care nursing experience, the only anesthesia professionals in the United States with this level of experience prior to entering their professional anesthesia program. In other words, from the very beginning of their careers, CRNAs are equipped to handle the most critical situations. Other than the magnitude of it, the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. CRNAs have found themselves providing lifesaving measures in operating rooms, intensive care units, emergency rooms, on nursing floors, and wherever they are needed. Through it all, one truth remains constant: CRNAs provide the highest level of patient care possible and will continue to do so.

As we all know, the fight against COVID is far from over. But if there is a light shining at the end of the tunnel, it is in the fact that we have seen dedicated, highly qualified health care professionals in all areas of the state willing to step up in the direst emergencies. As a state, we are now positioned to examine what has

Kellon Smith

unfolded over the last year and a half regarding patient care, honestly assess the results, and continue moving in a forward direction. Why not continue to allow CRNAs and other exceptional providers who have worked so successfully without cumbersome restrictions during the pandemic to continue serving in the same capacity when the pandemic is over? If they excelled during the worst of times, wouldn’t they also continue to excel in the best of times? Don’t patients across West Virginia deserve the right to receive care from the providers of their choice, when they need it, and without having to travel long distances to get it?

I encourage Governor Justice and our state’s lawmakers to stay the course. There’s no need to move backward when such great strides to improve WV’s health care delivery have already occurred. Our health care facilities deserve it. Our health care providers deserve it. And most importantly, our patients and their families deserve it. As uncertain as the future may be, the wisdom “You don’t have to see the whole staircase: just take the first step” may be helpful. The first steps have been taken. Now it’s time to keep climbing and moving forward for the betterment of West Virginia.

****

Editor’s note: WVANA is an organizational affiliate of WVNA. To learn more about the

organizational affiliates, visit WVNA Organizational Affiliates. To learn more about CRNAs in West Virginia and their professional association,

visit WVANA.

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