Vermont Nurse Connection - November 2021

November, December 2021, January 2022 Vermont Nurse Connection • Page 5
information concerning reports of domestic and sexual
violence, and establish the ten-member Intercollegiate
Sexual Violence Prevention Council, which includes a
SANE nurse. ANA-VT is part of the VT SANE Board.
H. 210, now Act 33, addresses disparities and promotes
equity in the health care system; establishing a 27 member
Health Equity Advisory Commission “to promote
health equity and eradicate health disparities among
Vermonters,” and guides the formation of a state Office
of Health Equity. Multiple other bills were discussed, and
how, on National Hill day, the PPE in America Act, the
CONNECT for Health Act, and the Workplace Violence
Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers
Act were supported.
Dr. Roberts shared that our coalition with school nurse
leaders helped to ensure nurse voices were present to
provide insight on the best way for schools to open safely.
The Coalition also includes Vermont Nurse Practitioners,
and we fight to ensure their practice is protected. Mental
health resources were discussed including, the grant
that enabled Vermont nurses to receive the free resource
RNconnect 2 Well-Being (in partnership with the
American Nurses Foundation), as well as Luminos mental
health support for free drop-in sessions to reduce stress.
Dr. Roberts shared some of the efforts focused on
by ANA this past year as they continued to advocate on
behalf of nurses, including:
• Press releases such as ANA’s stand that “Under no
circumstances should a nurse be pressured to work
when COVID-19 positive less than ten days, and
employers should not retaliate against nor penalize a
nurse for prioritizing self-care” and
• Survey results revealed that over half of nurses felt
exhausted, and 43% were overwhelmed and nearly
¼ depressed.
on nursing and now they are renowned for their skill in
relaxing troubled patients. Their language of healing
made them so popular that they had to train others in
their techniques, which made nursing fun again for them,
as well as benefiting patients. Their art of nursing was
nurturing, giving techniques to nurses that could be used
instantly, most at the bedside, and that encouraged success
while giving control and improving relaxation. Their
presentation included sharing such strategies as using
tactile and auditory techniques, and using tools like BP
cuffs in a beneficial way. These strategies can be easily
incorporated without increasing the amount of time spent
with the patient.
Following Marc and Roger, the business aspect of the
meeting began. Financial reporting was provided by ANA
Treasurer Amy Swarr who discussed how costs have
been cut, services shared with the NEMSD, and storage
and projections explained. Membership has been stable
with some growth under the stewardship of Membership
Director Amy Visser-Lynch. Carol Hodges, Foundation
President, provided the Foundation report and discussed
the separation of the Foundation from ANA-VT as a
collaborative effort to benefit members.
Member discussion was facilitated by Executive
Director Meredith Roberts. There was much concern
over the nursing shortage and lack of sufficient students
graduating to replace nurses who are fatigued and weary.
How do we heal nursing? Stories and ideas were shared.
How do we support one another? The idea of a multi-state
plan came up, funding a task force, to look at the gaps and
solutions, using the nursing pipeline workforce, and how
our most talented students should be educated to go into
nursing. Raising salaries will not help exhausted nurses
work more hours or prevent burnout. ANA pledges to help.
Highlights from the Membership Assembly included
that universal health care coverage was endorsed around
the nation, establishing a strategic initiative to integrate
Precision Health and Genomics into nursing practice, and
support for the full practice role of APRNs in nursing
homes, removing barriers to APRN scope of practice.
Our collaboration with the Vermont Climate Health
Alliance was shared and an opportunity for participation.
Safe staffing was confirmed as the top member priority,
followed by climate and mental health, and telehealth.
Eighty seven and a half percent of nurses responding to
the survey felt vaccines should be mandated. Raffle items
were then drawn. The winners were: Carolyn Stannard-
Carlo, Amy Martone, Carmela Townsend, Nancy Noble,
Sharon Laskevich, and Laura Lang.
After a lunch break,
Health Commissioner Mark
Levine, MD, provided much
information useful for nurses,
such as how one vaccine dose
is not adequate to protect you
from the delta variant (below
40% efficacy) and how we had
the highest vaccination rates
in the country for at least one
dose, but our rates were not as
shining in the 18-29 year old
category. He noted that it was
the unvaccinated that were
filling the ICUs. He expected that the vaccine for children
could be out by Halloween, but could not guarantee it,
answering many questions about long covid that can affect
up to 30% of the unvaccinated, breakthrough concerns
and more. Dr. Levine’s presentation was followed by a
relaxing guided meditation by Amy Visser-Lynch, CNO-
Mt. Ascutney.
• Inpatient Medical Surgical Unit
• Charge RN- Emergency Room
• Primary Care
• Flex Pool RN
• Operating Room
• PACU
• Maternal/Child Health
• OB/GYN Practice
• Cardiology Office
Roger Woods, RN, CRNH, BCH, CI, and Marc
Sacco, RN, CRNH, CEN, BCH, both Board Certified
Hypnotist nurses, NLP Practitioners, with expertise
in Emergency Medicine and Management, Disaster
Preparedness, FEMA/Homeland Security and more were
next. These authors of Verbal Medicine, the Language
of Healers are the founders of “The Patient Whisperers”
and they provided wonderful tips, sharing many stories.
Learning their techniques changed their whole outlook