President’s Message

Lucy Laeser, MSN, RN, CRNI

PNA-OR/WA President

January, 2009

 

On behalf of the Philippine Nurses Association of Oregon and Washington (PNA-OR/WA), I would like to wish you all the best of the coming year, may love and peace reign throughout the year, and may all your wishes and aspirations prevail.

 

As the year 2008 ends, our association has made many accomplishments considering the small size of our membership, with a total of 25 regular members and 16 auxiliary members. I am proud to share with you our past accomplishments, which were made possible, because of your support and commitment to the association.

 

PNA-OR/WA 2008 Past Accomplishments:

 

Community Alliances and Bridges to the Community:

 

a). Philippine Medical Mission – January, 2008 at Imugan, Sta. Fe, Nueva Viscaya.

 

b). Washington County Immunization Clinic Volunteer Activities – January 18 & February 4, 2008.

 

c). Faith Café – July 27, 2008 at First United Methodist Church, Beaverton, OR.

 

d). Represented PNA-OR/WA at the Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing by serving at the Multicultural AdvisoryCouncil, December 11, 2008.

 

e). Donated $50.00 to the Sentosa 27 Legal Defense Trust in support of new nurses, January 2008.

 

f). Donated $50.00 to the Tualatin Historical Society Center – for brick construction of the Tualatin Heritage Center patio.

 

Fiscal Sustainability & Fundraising Events:

 

 a). Bowling  -  May 4, 2008 – raised $532.00

 

 b). Fundraising within the members every meeting by preparing & serving Filipino dishes for dinner and snack, cookbook, embroidery bags, & medical mission DVDs – raised $ 170.00.

 

 c). Ocean Park, WA Retreat with Fundraising – raised $120.00.

 

Educational Participations:

 

PNA-OR/WA Delegates attended the 29th PNAA      Annual National Convention in South Padre Island, TX, July 2008.

 

Award & Recognition:

 

Health Initiative – Healthy PNAA Welterweight        Award – Gold, 2007 Currently participating in the 2008-2009 “Trim to a Healthy Heart” Initiative. I would like to urge everyone to get involved, as we plan for the year 2009, and take our previous accomplishments as our guide in the planning for the next year’s activities. We must remember that our chapter activities must conform to our mother organization’s initiatives.

 

The Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) President Leo-Felix Jurado shared his initiatives with us, with its theme as “Shining Through the PRISM of PNAA – Honoring Our Traditions, Advancing Our Future.” PRISM stands for the following:

 

Professional Linkages – PNAA Chapters, PNAAF, PNA, ANA, NCEMNA, NOLF, and other professional organizations

 

Regulatory & Legislative Agenda – Boards of Nursing, NCSBN, Professional Regulatory Commission, Political Action Committees, Human Rights Coalitions

 

Interagency Collaboration – Ethnic Minority Groups, NAFFAA, Community Organizations

 

Services & Program Development – Education, Mentoring, Fellowship, Grant Writing, Scholarship & Research

 

Managing Organizational Resources - Effectively and Ethically

 

As we face the many challenges before us, I ask for your full support and commitment. I am very much aware that the obstacles that lie ahead cannot be tackled single-handedly. We, as a strong and committed team, have demonstrated our abilities, special talents, and understanding of our responsibilities to the association in the past. So, let’s do it all over again, and make room for improvement to grow and to succeed in this journey together.

 

Thank you.