2015 FNA Book of Reports

2015 Florida Nurses Association
6. Maintain a strong organizational structure that advances nursing.
Members, Board of Directors and Staff
The members, through the Membership Assembly set the Goals and Priorities for the Association and the Legislative
Agenda. Additionally, they adopt Reference Proposals which become the Position Statements of the association. The Board
of Directors and staff then work together to advance these actions through various activities and initiatives. In addition,
as other issues arise throughout the year, the Board through their election by the membership, has the authority to make
decisions that impact the organization and/or the profession, making us a nimble, responsive organization.
FNA and it’s affiliated arms provide a multi-tiered organization with a wide variety of services that support a strong
mission of advocacy for nurses. The Board of Directors with the adoption of the Regional Structure is continuing to develop
and advance this concept to support the creation of programs that advance the association’s mission in all areas of the state.
Special Interest Groups, such as the HP-SIG, have the opportunity to use this Regional Structure to mobilize like-minded
advocates in each region to add strength to our legislative activity. This work has begun with the introduction of Regional
Legislative Liaisons two years ago.
There are still many opportunities to explore under the current structure and we are beginning to see progress as we
continue to explore the possibilities.
The Florida Nurses Foundation (FNF) creates exciting opportunities while engaging both students and members by
offering scholarships and grants. FNF also creates great potential for growth and the opportunity for even greater growth by
focusing on developing our Foundation into a major funder of nursing research. The Foundation has grown from an initial
donation of $10,000 in 1983, to a million dollar foundation in 2013. We have the potential to increase our presence in the
nursing community and make an even greater impact on the future of our profession.
Florida Nurses Political Action Committees (FN-PAC)- during each election cycle, candidates seek us out for both
endorsements and contributions. Legislators respond to our questionnaires and attend our interview sessions and actively
seek support. The PAC has expertly leveraged nursing’s position as “most trusted” to keep FNPAC and FNA as a desired
supporter in political campaigns. Having our named listed is a favored position for FNA as an advocacy organization and
is an important component of our public relations strategy. As a state, we are unique in being one of the few state nursing
organizations with a strong PAC. As with other arms of the association, we can strengthen our impact with greater revenue
and more involvement from our members. While our goal is to do more, we can be proud of our accomplishment and the
work of our PAC.
Labor Employment Relations Council (LERC) is the governance body of our collective bargaining units. Although collective
bargaining has taken a hit in Florida, our team with the support of Jeanie Demshar, Director of Professional Practice
Advocacy and Labor Attorney Don Slesnick have been able to make some gains for the members of our units. Individual
members receive assistance on a daily basis and strong contract negotiations give employees a voice in their daily work
lives.
As with all organizations, FNA is a work in progress with many challenges but even greater potential and opportunities.
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