With the elimination of District Nurse Associations and the change to Constituent Associations (CA) voted on at the CNA 2024 Membership Assembly, DNA 20 changed its name to Nurses Furthering Knowledge. We voted to modify our bylaws versus changing to the less structured Constituent Association Rules of Organization. The CA name reflects the nursing knowledge shared at our monthly meetings by presenters. These presentations are open to all CNA members. While our CA is open to any CNA member, our focus for community outreach will mainly be in Jefferson County. Despite this focus, we hosted a celebration of the holidays at the Corner Bakery Café in Centennial on December 14 allowing us to connect in person with fellow nurses from various counties. Diapers and infant clothing were collected for our holiday donations to local non-profits. This year we donated to The Action Center in Lakewood and Rocky Mountain Children’s Foundation in Arvada.
Please reach out to Allison Windes at allisonwindes@gmail.com if you are interested in attending our fundraiser on March 30 when we will attend the Lakewood Cultural Center’s presentation of the musical Fiddler on the Roof. This fundraiser is open to CNA members as well as their friends and family. The cost of the ticket is $36.
The DNA 20 scholarship administered through the Colorado Nurses Foundation went to Maya Lindgren. Maya lives in Arvada, works as an RN in the Cardiac ICU at CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood and is a part-time graduate student in the FNP MSN Program at Colorado Mesa University.
Our January 19 speaker was Judy Davidson MSN, RN, Supervisor of Nursing Support Programs, University Health System. In her presentation “Pathways into and within Nursing Practice,” Ms. Davidson introduced attendees to entry into academies, continuing education opportunities and support, job-share opportunities, and pathway programs.
As the president of Nurses Furthering Knowledge and Jefferson County Coroner, Annette Cannon PhD, MA, RN, MSN, D-ABMDI, DF-AFN has teamed up with the president of the International Nurses Society of Additions, Dana Murphy-Parker MS, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP, FIAAN to address gaps in expertise and the importance of nurses having a seat at the table with Colorado regions, councils, task forces, and committees who are working to combat the opioid crisis. Annette says nurses play a vital role and are at the forefront of the opioid crisis. They can make significant contributions during this time of national urgency.
Congratulations to Norma Tubman who served on the CNF Scholarship Selection Committee representing former DNA 20. She has been reappointed to the CNA Finance Committee. Kudos to Rita Beam who is mentoring a nursing student at Metropolitan State University through the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence Mentoring Program for Ethnically and Racially Diverse Nursing Students.
Look for information on the CNA website on future Nurses Furthering Knowledge events.
Look for information on the CNA website on our February presentation: Children 2.0 presented by Jean Schroeder.
