Standing Committees:

Legislative Committee – Kathy Lewis (Chair), Senora Ruffin, Susan Scheuring, and Jane Kellam
Membership Committee – Nancy Schwartz (Chair), Kathy Donovan, and Beverly Misuna
Education/Programs Committee – Jeanette Troyer (Chair), Lisa Caison, and Ann Lawson

We welcome all interested nurses to attend any of our meetings and welcome new members to District Eleven! If you would are interested in becoming a member of District 11 or participating on any of the above committees, please let us know by contacting Jane Kellam at jkellam@shs-inc.org

A View from District 11 Historian

I celebrated my 40 year anniversary as a nurse this past year and I finally joined the VNA last year. You ask “Why did you wait so long to join something you knew was so important.” Thirty years ago I was going to save the world as Super Nurse, but these past few years I realized as individuals we can’t save the world, but together we can save our little corner of it.

The Eastern Shore is a small corner and in 1933 it was an isolated corner. The graduating class of registered nurses from Northampton-Accomac Memorial Hospital was aware of this and maintained that it was a professional responsibility to belong to an organization that would improve the Healthcare Delivery System in their little corner.

The world is changing, but we are still struggling to make healthcare available to all. As a professional group, the nurses in District 11 can have an impact on the Healthcare Delivery System of the Shore. We can get involved in politics by keeping up with the newest bill before Congress or we can organize and facilitate health screenings for the elderly and programs to prevent obesity in children. These are not impossible goals and the nurses in District 11 have been committed for years not to let their voice be silenced by indifference.

In 1969, there were 65 Registered Nurses on the Active list of members for District 11. As years went by the membership dwindled and a handful of nurses refused to let go of this important organization and the good it could do. They raised money for scholarships for deserving nursing students and hung in there while the rest of the world was going at warp speed to find cures for diseases and procedures to make our problems go away.

Many of these incredible nurses are now ready to retire and are looking to pass the torch. The newly elected officers of District 11 are now ready to take up the torch and continue running toward our goal of promote advocacy and education for nurses in order to advance professional practice and influence the delivery of quality care. They are making plans for educational programs and pushing to expand membership.

Calendar of Events 2009