The Hawai'i Nurse - August 2022

Page 4 • Hawaiʻi Nurse August, September, October 2022
A Memoir of the 2022 American Nurses Association
(ANA) Membership Assembly by Hawaiʻi-ANA
President-Elect Dr. Nancy Atmospera-Walch
June was a very exciting month for the Hawaiʻi
- American Nurses Association as it is the month
where the three of its Executive Board Members
were excitedly planning their trip to Washington D.C.
to attend the first Face to Face ANA Membership
Assembly post-covid. Talking about covid,
unfortunately, President, Katie Kemp, could not join
Executive Director/Vice-President Dr. Linda Beechinor
and I, as covid got to her on the day we were all
going to fly out!
Upon arrival in Washington D.C. on June 8,
2022, my husband Gerhardt Walch and I invited
Dr. Beechinor and some of my dear friends from
Philippines Nurses Association of American (PNAA)
Metropolitan DC chapter: Dr. Christine Garcia-Pabico
(also Director, Pathway to Excellence Program at
American Nurses Credentialing Center) and her
husband, with Maricon Banzon-Dans (also Assistant
Director, Pathway to Excellence Program at ANCC), to
the prestigious Sulgrave Club. The evening went fast
as everyone had stories to share about their favorite
travel places while enjoying our sumptuous dinner
and a private tour after. What a beautiful beginning
for an exciting visit in the nation’s capital.
(LEFT) ANA President Dr. Ernest Grant with Hawaiʻi-ANA President-Elect Dr. Nancy Atmospera-Walch
(RIGHT) Hawaiʻi-ANA President-Elect Dr. Nancy Atmospera-Walch with Executive Director/
Vice President Dr. Linda Beechinor
The ANA Membership Assembly officially started
on June 9, 2022. Dr. Beechinor and I went down to
the meeting proudly wearing our Lei Poʻo (Haku Leis),
which immediately communicated to all that we are
the Hawaiʻi-ANA representatives. It is amazing how
many praises we received. Thanks to Dr. Beechinor
for hand-carrying them and we were able to wear
them for the entire Convention.
Welcome Remarks from ANA President Dr. Ernest
Grant were followed by a keynote address from U.S.
Congresswoman Lucille Royball-Allard (D-CA).
The power of nursing returns to Washington, DC in force
Jun 10th 2022
For the first time in three years, nurses, students,
and other leaders gathered today in Washington, DC
for ANA Hill Day on June 9, a related event to the ANA
Membership Assembly Meeting June 10-11. They will
bring nursing priorities to meetings with members of
Congress and their staff to build support for federal
legislation addressing workplace violence and burnout,
preventing unnecessary delays in patient care, and
removing barriers to APRN full practice authority.
Nearly 300 participants from across the country
are sharing their perspectives and expertise during
hundreds of scheduled visits on Capitol Hill and virtually.
Before setting out, participants attended a breakfast
briefing, where they learned more about ANA-supported
legislation and were welcomed by ANA President Ernest
J. Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN.
“We are here today to do what nurses do best:
advocate,” Grant said. “The meetings you will take part
in today will forge and strengthen the relationships
with your elected lawmakers and their staff that will
ensure that our voices are heard, and that the nursing
profession is given its well-deserved, hard-earned seat at
the table,” said Grant.
The three key issues that Hill Day attendees are
calling attention to are:
• Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act
(3018/H.R. 3173)
• Full practice authority for Advanced Practice
Registered Nurses (APRNs)
• Valuing the Nursing Workforce – Workplace
Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social
Service Workers Act (4182/H.R. 1195)
Grant participated in the ANA Hill Day version of a
“fireside chat” with U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-
CA), the first Mexican-American woman elected to
Congress and co-chair of the Congressional Nursing
Caucus. Roybal-Allard, whose health policy analyst is an
RN, who talked about the need to pass legislation that
would grant full practice authority to APRNs through the
Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured
Federal Workers Act (H.R. 6087), which would expand
the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in
providing services to injured federal workers under the
federal workers’ compensation program. The bill passed
the House in early June and is expected to pass the
Senate.
Roybal-Allard encouraged RNs to take steps in their
own communities to advocate for patients and the
profession. “Get to know your elected officials and their
staffs at the state and local level. They are the ones who
create the laws and policies that affect your profession.
Offer to help and educate them.”
What’s next
ANA and its organizational affiliates, comprised largely
of specialty nursing associations, are poised today to
share updates and explore areas for collaboration on key
issues.
In a ceremony later Thursday evening, ANA will honor
the recipients of the 2022 President’s and National Awards.
The 2022 ANA Membership Assembly, a meeting of
the association’s governing body, begins Friday, June
10 to address a range of issues, including the impact of
climate change on health, workplace violence, and nurse
staffing, as well as organizational-focused actions.
Stay up to date and join the conversation
For news on ANA Membership Assembly and related
activities, follow us on ANA’s Facebook and Twitter
channels. To follow Hill Day, search #ANAHillDay on
Twitter.