Message from the CEO
Happy 2014! This is the time of year when we are in full swing with our new year’s resolutions and are brimming with enthusiasm and conviction. We are going to make lasting changes in our daily lives, including getting more sleep, eating healthier, exercising more, spending more time with family, and saving more money—just to name a few goals that always seem to be at the top of our lists.
For NPWH, 2014 is also a year of new resolutions, plans, and changes; the excitement has already begun! We welcome two new Board of Director (BOD) members, while saying goodbye to some people who have contributed greatly during their tenure on the board. We are also pleased to welcome Susan E. Hoffstetter as the new Chair of the NPWH BOD.
We have been hard at work revising the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Practice and Guidelines and will roll out the seventh edition in April. We will launch our new mobile STI App for healthcare providers in the late spring, we will offer a new Certificate Female Sexual Health Course for NPs this summer, and we are in the process of making changes to our website and educational platform to make them more user friendly and easier to navigate. We plan to offer more continuing education opportunities so that you can receive the most current information in formats that will benefit you and your learning style.
We will continue to increase our visibility within the policy and advocacy arenas. We are increasing our collaboration with a variety of stakeholders and partners, which include government agencies and private and public entities that will strengthen our reach and ultimately positively affect the health outcomes of women across the nation. And of course we are already working hard to create yet another excellent clinical conference where you can acquire the in-depth knowledge and specialized skills needed to provide high-quality healthcare to women.
NPWH needs your support in order to accomplish our goals. We want to make a difference in your lives and in those of your patients, and we need to ensure the growth of our organization. Please share the new and exciting developments of NPWH with your colleagues and encourage them to join. Together we will make 2014 the best year ever!
– Gay Johnson
Chief Executive Officer, NPWH
Message from the Chair
As Chair of the Board of Directors (BOD) of NPWH,
I welcome you to the second issue of our online journal. Our organization continues moving to the forefront of women’s healthcare: in our educational opportunities, in our leadership roles, and in fostering health policy that is reflective of women’s needs throughout the lifespan. Adoption of this new mission statement signifies our commitment to women’s health:
The mission of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH) is to ensure the provision of quality primary and specialty healthcare to women of all ages by women’s health and women’s health-focused nurse practitioners. Our mission includes protecting and promoting a woman’s right to make her own choices regarding her health within the context of her personal, religious, cultural, and family beliefs.
Some of our members may be unaware of the duties and responsibilities of our BOD. The BOD, in conjunction with our CEO, Gay Johnson, is responsible for the administration and general management of NPWH, as outlined in the bylaws. NPWH members bring their expertise to the board to promote the development and growth of the organization. Board member service is voluntary and non-salaried for 2-year terms of office. We meet twice a year, once at the annual fall conference and again in the spring. NPWH members may run for board positions as they become available in the different regions—North
Atlantic, Southeast, Great Lakes, South Central, and Western—or they may run for an “at large” position. Current BOD members who have served at least 2 years may run for office (e.g., chair, vice-chair) by winning a majority of votes cast by NPWH members for that office.
Most of the BOD’s efforts are devoted to the working committees, which meet primarily through teleconferences. Committee participation is critical to our success as an organization. The education and conference committees work to ensure that the NPWH annual conference is a continuing success. In addition, the education committee is a credentialing body for continuing education credits. This committee keeps busy all year long reviewing materials for NPWH and other NP-focused programs. The research committee focuses on fostering research in women’s health areas, developing a research agenda, and encouraging researchers to submit their studies to us for dissemination in this journal or at our conference. The membership committee has its sights on student groups because the future of our organization depends on these up-and-coming NPs. Health policy committee members have become vital participants in national-
level NP organizations and governmental agencies/groups to ensure that gender-specific women-focused healthcare is represented in all venues.
NPWH serves and represents its members. I encourage you to become an active member; get involved by joining one of our working committees or by volunteering in some capacity. We can further the reach of our organization by increasing our membership, by having our members engage with other healthcare professionals and peers, and by holding conversations to inspire others to improve women’s health.
As WHNPs and women’s health-focused NPs, we must strive to provide competent and compassionate healthcare—care that is ethical and reflective of the changing economic climate. I am confident that we will rise to the emerging challenges as implementation of a national health policy evolves.
– Susan E. Hoffstetter, PhD, WHNP-BC, FAANP
Chair, NPWH Board of
Directors