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Community Health Nurses of Alberta (CHNAlberta)

2013 Annual General Meeting & CHNC Certification Webinar

2013 September 16th

1830 – 2000 hours

Ready Talk

1-866-740-1260, access 2127150 (moderator 4828)

Minutes

  1. Members Attendance:

Judy Evans (Chair)Carla FerreiraAmanda Preston

Roxie Thompson IsherwoodGenevieve CurrieElaine Williams Rosemary McGinnis Patty LeMay Ashley Langman Fletcher Hamilton Debra Ramson Betty McMorrow (CARNA rep)

Dawn Mercer RiselliSharon YanickiMargaret Yellowega Collette Benbow Connie Ferguson Alison Nelson

  1. Approvals
  2. Recorder – Carla Ferreira
  3. 2013 AGM Agenda accepted by Genevieve Currie and Rosemary McGinnis
  4. 2012 AGM Minutes accepted by Genevieve Currie and Alison Nelson Alison also added that 2012 and 2013 AGM minutes should go out to whole membership. Minutes are also available online via CHNAb website.
  1. Reports

a. Membership (Report given by Elaine Williams – Membership Coordinator) CHNAlberta membership year January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012 - 77 paid memberships ($45 each) from Community Health Nurses (CHNs) in every area across the province including Public Health Nurses, Home Health/Care Nurses and nurses working in/with communities.

There was a marked decrease of CHNAlberta memberships from First Nations Inuit Health (FNIH) from 57 in 2011 to 7 members from FNIH in 2012 and there is a need to promote more memberships from this group. In 2011, FNIH had paid group membership for their community health nurses but in 2012 no group membership was sponsored/paid for and as a result membership numbers from FNIH decreased.

There was another increase of $5.00 to the CHNAlberta membership fees in 2012 from 2011 to $45.00 due to an increase in fees paid to CHNC. CHNAlberta offered no major conferences or workshops in 2012, therefore, these factors could have accounted for the lower number of members in 2012. Percentage of members from rural areas also remains low and promotion of memberships in these areas is also needed. Differences between percentages of members from the major urban centres (Calgary 49% & Edmonton 25%) remained about the same in 2012 as 2011 with Calgary accounting for a greater percentage of urban CHNAlberta members.

For comparison of membership from 2009 to 2012, please see Appendix A. Currently, there are 99 members. Elaine will also continue as membership coordinator for another year.

b. Finance (Report given by Amanda Preston – Treasurer)

Current balance in account is $13,818. Balance at the beginning of 2012 is $22,953.84. Expenses for 2012 include conference expenses ($2,788.59), CHNC membership payments ($971.48), Ready Talk ($844.88), bank fees ($45.00), and treasurer expenses ($15.06).

MOTION: Appointment of two 2012 Financial Auditors to complete a financial audit for 2012 report to ensure accuracy

ACTION: Fletcher and Debra Ramson to connect with Amanda

c. VP National (Report given by Genevieve Currie)

Goals are to enhance and sustain an effective organization, build capacity, strengthen the profile of CHNC and CHN. Activities named as per Genevieve’s report to CHNAb board (see Appendix B).

d. VP Provincial (Report given by Rosemary McGinnis)

Goal is to gain more members and start work on certification support. Chair of finance committee up until December 2012.

e. Communications

No report for 2012 as position was vacant. Members at large and executive board members filled this position.

f. Education and CHN Certification (Report given by Roxie Thompson Isherwood)

Position shared with Lynn Corcoran until Lynn left the position in 2012. Due to multiple factors the education perspective was not a huge focus. Summer/Fall 2012 moved to a project focus i.e. certification support. Two areas of focus: certification sponsorship project and webinars (see Appendix C – CHNAb annual report 2012 for AGM).

Application for Certification Sponsorship Project due September 15. 2014 CNA Certification in Community Health Nursing webinar also part of this initiative (facilitated by Patty LeMay, Amanda Preston, and Carla Ferreira).

g. Update from CNA Certification Program

CNA approved that certified nurses will now receive 4 hrs of credit towards their re-certification requirements for joining a affiliate organization (example CHNC/CHNAlberta). This is primarily to motivate certified nurses to join the affiliate organizations.

4 hrs/year - could be 20 hrs towards the100 hrs requirement for recertification

  1. Board Activities
  2. CHNAlberta Executive Board Report to Members: Year 2012 (Judy) – accepted by Patty LeMay and Rosemary McGinnis
  3. Nominations and Election of Board Members for 2013-2015
  4. President – Nominee: Judy Evans (nominated by acclamation)
  5. Public Health Practice Lead
  6. Home Health Practice Lead
  7. Communications – Nominee: Ashley Langman (nominated by acclamation)
  8. Secretary – Nominee: Carla Ferreira (nominated by acclamation)
  9. Members at Large – Nominees: Patty LeMay (for 1 year), Dawn Mercer Riselli, and Collette Benbow (all nominated by acclamation)
  10. Draw for a free 2014 membership from AGM member attendees – WINNER: Connie Ferguson
  11. Update: 2013 National CHN Conference, Kelowna, BC (Report given by Genevieve Currie) Highlights: Conference was based on Blueprint for Action from CHNC. Elaine Williams and Genevieve Currie both presented at the conference. CHNAb also hosted a wine and cheese event opened to CHNs from Alberta. There were about 20 attendees. During this time, CHNAb was also approached by two provinces that are in the process of establishing a provincial organization much like CHNAb. Roxie led this conversation and met with BC CHNs. At this meeting, Roxie mentioned about a possibility that CHNC is looking at new profit sharing and conference processes which can impact provincial CHN organizations. Anne Claroto, the new president of CHNC, is aware and will bring this discussion to the CHNC board members.
  12. The executive board members will be hosting a planning session on the 29th of September in Red Deer, AB. Members encouraged to forward any questions/comments to Judy Evans and/or other members of the board so that these can be addressed during the upcoming planning session.
  1. Adjournment

CHNAb meeting adjourned at 2000hrs.

Appendix A

CHNAlberta Membership

Area (Zone Boundaries) where members live / Dec 2012 / Dec 2011 / Dec 2010 / Dec 2009
South / 8 / 15 / 12 / 26
Calgary / 38 / 40 / 34 / 55
Central / 7 / 12 / 8 / 38
Edmonton / 20 / 21 / 29 / 43
North / 4 / 18 / 13 / 38
Unknown / 0 / 45 / 0 / 31
Employers / Dec 2012 / Dec. 2011 / Dec 2010 / Dec 2009
AHS / 49 / 63 / 56 / 90
FNIH / 7 / 57 / 11 / 116
University/College / 16 / 20 / 23 / 18
Other / 5 / 11 / 6 / 8
Total Members / 77 / 151 / 96 / 232

Appendix B

Report to CHNAlberta Board 2013 Sept.9

VP National

2012 ReportBecame representative for CHNAlberta VP National in August of 2012.

Representative: Genevieve Currie

A. Enhance and Sustain an Effective Organization
Activities/Events
  • Responded to opportunities to provide a voice for community health nursing at the national level by disseminating requests for feedback from CHNC to CHNAlberta members regarding home health nursing competencies and participation in a virtual focus group, CNA pandemic guidance project, NCLEX national exam, CNA Marijuana for medical purposes regulation, etc.

B. Building our Capacity
Activities/Events
  • Abstract accepted for the CHNC 2013 conference with 5 nurse educators across Canada regarding strategies that can be shared for use in the classroom and clinical areas in community health nursing.
  • Abstract accepted for relaying results of virtual focus groups and national survey to nursing leaders regarding home health nursing competencies
  • Accepted to be part of a writing group for the NCLEX national exam

C. Strengthen the Profile of CHNC and CHN
Activities/Events
  • Provincial representative on CHNC Board representing the province of Alberta
  • Representative on the Standards and Competence Standing Committee
  • Serving on a subcommittee of the Standards and Competence Committee on acquiring input on the utilization and support of the CHNC Home Health Nursing (HHN) Competencies. Facilitated one virtual focus group within the MST time zone to acquire information on the barriers and facilitators for uptake of the HHN competencies. The standing committee has now developed a survey to be sent out to a larger cohort of home health nurses from across Canada to obtain a larger sample size with more data.
  • An abstract submitted to the CHNC 2013 conference on the Home Health Competencies virtual focus group project was accepted for presentation in June.
  • Project proposal submissions continue to be streamlined for submission to the CHNAlberta Executive Board. Have been working on a project to sponsor certification for CHNAlberta members for writing the CNA Community Health Nursing certification.
  • Continued to explore with the CHNAlbeta Executive the implications of having CHNAlberta members renew their memberships directly online with CHNC instead of CHNAlberta.

Respectfully Submitted

Genevieve Currie

Appendix C

Community Health Nurses in Alberta (CHNAlberta) Annual Report 2012 for AGM

Membership (January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012) –

A total of seventy-seven (77) registered nurses working in either Public Health, Home Health/Care or working within the community became members of CHNAlberta were registered with CHNAlberta in 2012. AHS zones where the nurses lived/worked:

  • South (8)
  • Calgary (38)
  • Central (7)
  • Edmonton (20;
  • North (4)

CHNAlberta 2011 Goals/Objectives

  1. To acknowledge and advance the collective knowledge, skills and expertise of community health nursing (CHN) practice in Alberta.

a. To provide on-line access to community health nursing resources and best practice innovations.

b. To provide opportunities for continuous learning for CHNs

2. To support and disseminate community health nursing research

3. To increase the public’s awareness of the knowledge, skills and expertise of CHNs in Alberta

a. To maintain a public CHNAlberta website

b. To promote community health nursing and CHNAlberta through various public communication

avenues

4. To create a community of practice for CHNs in Alberta

a. To provide an on-line forum for professional networking

b. To engage CHNAlberta members in CHNAlberta activities

5. To fulfill the requirements of a CARNA Special Interest Group

a. To submit an annual report and regular provincial council updates to CARNA

b. To respond to requests from CARNA for document reviews

c. To attend the CARNA annual convention

6. To have relationships with other associations interested in community health

a. To maintain a relationship with the Alberta Public Health Association (APHA)

b. To develop a relationship with the Home Care Association of Alberta (HCAA)

c. To promote and attend conferences related to community health nursing

7. To represent CHNAlberta nursing specialty group in the Community Health Nurses of Canada (CHNC).

a. To promote the CHN certification through the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)

b. To support national and provincial CHNC activities

Activities (01 January to 31 December 2012)

  1. CHNAlberta Collaboration (Provincial and National)
  • Continue as CARNA Specialty Practice Group
  • Participated in document review and Advocacy Pillar Development - Seniors Care, and contributed to CARNA’s Critical Success Factors; Promoting Excellence in Nursing Practice and Influencing Health Policy (Rosemary McGinnis, Vice-President Provincial)
  • Attended Alberta Public Health Association (APHA) AGM June 2012 (Maryann Kusmirski, Vice-President, National).
  • Attended National Community Health Nurses of Canada (CHNC) Conference May 2012:
  • Presented and facilitated a one hour Networking Café entitled “Home Health Nursing and Public Health Nursing: Understanding Our Common-ground in Community Health Nursing” – (L. Corcoran, Co-Chair Education Coordinator; M. Kusmirski, Vice-President, National; R. McGinnis, Vice-President Provincial; R. Thompson Isherwood, Co-Chair Education Coordinator; and P. Wilson, Member-at-Large) .
  • Participants generated innovative strategies to enhance collaboration among nurses who work across community settings.
  • Sponsored CHNAlberta VP board member national’s registration and travel to the National CHNC Conference May 2012
  • Organized hospitality event for CHNAlberta members ( Maryann Kusmurski, Rosemary McGinnis, and Roxie Thompson –Isherwood)
  • Represented CHNAlberta on National CHNC Board as Provincial Group Affiliate (Maryann Kusmirski and Genevieve Currie, in-coming Vice-President National)
  • Served on the following CHNC committees: (Contributed to CARNA’s Critical Success Factors- Promoting Effective Relationships, Promoting Excellence in Nursing Practice and Communicating Strategically )
  • Membership Committee (June – Dec/11) and CHNC Conference Standing Committee Chair (Maryann Kusmirski)
  • CHNC Finance Committee member (Maryann Kusmirski)
  • Marketing committee representative for the 2012 Conference (Toronto) (Maryann Kusmirski)
  • Professional Practice working group members (Maryann Kusmirski & Rosemary McGinnis)
  • Co-chiar of the Standards and Competency Committee and various subcommittees (Genevieve Currie)
  1. CHNAlberta Connections
  • Provided an opportunity for CHNAlberta members to virtually share their experiences and connect with other CHNAlberta members - (Contributed to CARNA’s Critical Success Factors- Promoting Effective Relationships and Promoting Excellence in Nursing Practice)
  • Roxie Thompson -Isherwood and Lyn Cocoran invited CHNAlberta members to take a few minutes out of their busy schedules to Link to a thought-provoking online video clip about “The Power of Words”. A series of questions were developed to help members to Think through their thoughts and feelings about the video topic and offered an opportunity to Share their responses through an online poll and a chance to instantly see how other CHNs responded. Suggestions on ways to Act, such as where to find additional resources, ways to have conversations with colleagues and other opportunities were offered.
  1. Education
  • Presented a 2- part (January and March) CHN Webinar on Cultural Competence ( Patty LeMay); guest presenter, Dr. Linda Ogilvy, University of Alberta March 20th session. Objectives:
  • Explore dimensions of cultural competence in clinical nursing practice
  • Discuss elements of effective cross-cultural communication, including issues related to language, translation and interpretation
  • Differentiate between individual and institutional cultural competence
  • Provide examples of situations that can generate or exacerbate cross-cultural tension or conflict and suggest ways to avoid escalating misunderstanding
  • Analyze the merits of engaging cultural brokers in community health nursing practice
  • Examine strategies for assessing success in cross-cultural clinical encounters
  1. Organization
  • Executive Board Meetings
  • Memberships Recruitment/Renewal
  • Finances Accounting/Reports
  • AGM Meeting & Bylaws Updates
  • Surveys/polls

Issues of Concern

  • Board member vacancies:
  • Unable to retain volunteer board members due to increasing paid workloads within health services in Alberta
  • Maintaining current membership and meeting the needs of members across the province
  • CNA certification for community health nurses
  • Need to find a way to generate interest in writing the exam

2012 AGM

Board members emphasized they needed to explore a new way of doing business, and expressed an interest in project planning. The Board committed to investigating projects of interest to the membership, with a focus on support for certification.

Submitted by: Judy Evans, Acting President, September 4, 2013 on behalf of the CHNAlberta Executive Board: Alison Nelson, President, CHNAlberta - term ended Sep 30, 2012 – position vacant; Judy Evans (acting chair)

  • Maryann Kusmirski, Vice President National - term ended Sep 30, 2012 replaced by Genevieve Currie
  • Amanda Preston, Treasurer
  • Fletcher Hamilton, Secretary - until Dec/11; replaced by Patty Lemay
  • Elaine Williams, Membership Coordinator
  • Roxie Thompson Isherwood & Lynn Corcoran, Education Co-Coordinators
  • Penni Wilson, Member at Large

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