NNA Panhandle MIG Update

EMMA JOHNSON was the “Student Nurse of the Year” UNMC CON- Scottsbluff division program. Congrats Emma!
The Panhandle MIG collaborated with Regional West Medical Center (RWMC), UNMC- alumni, Panhandle Public Health District, NNA, and the Nebraska Panhandle Area Health Education Center (NP-AHEC) to organize a Nurses Day event held Tuesday, 5/14, during Hospital Week at RWMC. Snacks and swag bags were provided to over 100 nurses. NNA President Linda Hardy provided a CE presentation titled: “Empowering Nurses: The Impact of a Professional Nursing Organization on Wellbeing and Career Development.” Thank you, Linda!

We will meet on September 16 at 5:30 via Zoom or live at the Steel Grill in Gering to make plans for next year.

Nebraska School Nurses Association Update

THE NEBRASKA SCHOOL NURSES ASSOCIATION, the official affiliate of the National Association of School Nurses, in collaboration with the Central Nebraska School Nurses Association, hosted the 40th Annual School Health Conference on June 9 – 11, 2024. The conference was held in Kearney, Nebraska and was attended by over 200 school nurses across the state.

The Keynote Speaker, Martha Dewey Bergren, PhD, RN, NCSN, PHNA-BC, FNASN, FASHA, FAAN, presented on Ethics in School Nursing. Additional speakers presented on topics such as special education, common teen gynecological conditions, autism awareness, emergency response, school health dental screening, data gathering, tick and mosquito borne diseases in Nebraska, youth drug trends, and childhood trauma.

Additionally, the Nebraska School Nurses Association held its Annual All Members Meeting and installed newly elected NSNA Board of Director members. Multiple members also attended the National Association of School Nurses Annual Conference in Chicago on June 28 – July 1, 2024.

NNF Hosts Successful Giving Day!

THE NEBRASKA NURSES FOUNDATION hosted their inaugural NNF Giving Day on May 8-9, 2024 and exceeded the donation goal by 10%! $3295 dollars in net contributions were raised during the event. Fifty-one individual donors contributed to the total with the majority also covering the processing fees above and beyond their charitable donation. Four NNF Board members set-up ‘personal fundraising’ pages and by networking and reaching out to family and friends, over $2120 of the total resulted from that direct outreach. These donations will go into the general fund to help fund nursing scholarships, frontline nurses project grants and to support conference speaker honorariums and travel costs.

The NNF had a gift from an anonymous donor to cover most costs for the online application that was used to support the fundraiser. The generosity of our NNF Board members, NNA members and staff, and support from the wider community helped to make this a success. Mark your calendars now for the 2025 NNF Nurses’ Week Giving campaign already being planned for next year, May 6-12, 2025.