Iowa - September 2020

Dear Colleagues,
INA PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Welcome to the virtual business meeting of the Iowa Nurse Association! Who would
have thought that our lives could have changed so much in one year! This is not
how I envisioned my first year as your president, but I am so proud of the things
the Association has accomplished this year while working through these challenging
times. As we were packing up after the Annual Conference last October, we had
started to make plans for the 2020 Annual Conference and celebrating the Year of
the Nurse. While the conference was canceled, we were still able to celebrate the
Year of the Nurse during Nurse Week in May in a virtual format. I hope you enjoyed
your gift and the other offerings throughout the month of May.
Lisa Caffery, MS,
BSN, RN-BC, CIC,
FAPIC
I am most proud of INA’s response to the pandemic and ensuring that nursing’s voice is heard in Iowa. The
COVID task force has worked tirelessly since March writing letters to government leaders, hosting virtual
support communities and taking calls from nurses across the state who needed someone to talk too. I am
forever grateful to all of the Task Force members for their commitment and work. THANK-YOU! As a result
of their work INA had a number of requests for interviews with media outlet across the state.
The last ANA event that I attend in person was the ANA Leadership Summit in December 2019. At that
meeting we discussed membership engagement and increasing nursing visibility in the media. This year
INA has seen an increase in membership and we now have over 1400 members and as I above I have done
multiple media interviews related to the pandemic. Tobi Lyon, Andrea Starmer, and the team at Ngage
have assisted with coordinating interviews and preparing press releases and statements. Their guidance
and support this year has been invaluable. ANA Membership Assembly and Lobby Day were held virtually
and while the virtual format worked for this year, I do hope that we can meet in person again in 2021. I
missed networking and sharing of ideas with other nursing leaders.
Throughout the pandemic ANA has offered several webinars for members and non-members. The webinars
that I have watched are excellent and I encourage you to sign-up for those that are of interest to you and
your practice area.
The future of INA is bright, and I am looking forward to working with the Board as we continue our work
to implement the strategic plan and move the organization forward. Thank-you for being a member of
INA and supporting the mission of the organization, “To connect, advocate and support for nurses and
healthcare in Iowa.”
Lisa Caffery, MS, BSN, RN-BC, CIC, FAPIC
2020 ANNUAL BOOK OF REPORTS | YEAR OF THE NURSE
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