NAINA Newsletter Executive Board Vimala George, MA, MSN, RN, ANPC President Thangamani Aravindan, MSN, RN, CCRN Executive Vice President Tissy Cyriac, MSN, RN Vice President Shainy Varghese, PhD, RN, CPNP Secretary Beena Vallikalam, RN, MSN Treasurer Advisory Board Solymole Kuruvilla, PhD, ACNP, BC Chair Sara Gabriel, MSN, RN, MBA Omana Simon, DNP, FNP-BC Marykutty Kuriakose, MBA, BSN, RN Aleyamma Samuel, BS, RN Committee Chairs Nancy Dias, RN, MSN, CNE Education Catherine Poornaselvan Conference Education Solly Mannakulathil Awards & Scholarship Mary Thomas, RN, MSN, ARNP By-laws Beatress Pathiyil, MSN, RNC, CCRN, FNP-C Cultural Pauline Alookaran, MSc(A), RNC Election Jainamma Cherian, MSN, RN Election Toby Abraham, BSN, RN Membership Rosie Narikkattu Finance & Fundraising Racheael Zachariah, DNSc, RN Research & Grant Mary Abraham Public Relations Sumana G Public Relations Winter 2014 SAVE THE DATE NAINA s 4th BIENNIAL EDUCATIONAL CONVENTION AT SEA July 31 st August 4 th, 2014 Aboard Carnival Splendor From NewYork to Canada and back THEME: "Health, Wellness, and Innovations: Recent Advances in Education, Practice, and Research. Hosted by American Association of Indian Nurses of New Jersey, Chapter 1 Editorial Board Rachel Koshy, MSN, ANP-C, RN Newsletter & Website Editor Tanvi Bhogal, BSN, RN Kamal Shinto, BSN, RN
Page 2 NAINA Newsletter President s Message Dear NAINA family and friends, May the New Year 2014 bring cheerfulness, victory, harmony, hope, and togetherness to you and your family. I am very proud and happy to announce that NAINA is moving forward very quickly. Our organization has become more visible to others because of your support and cooperation. The saying is true: nothing comes from nothing, but everything comes from something. That something is your skills, hard work, and cooperation. There is a Roman God Janus. He has two faces: one looking backward to the past, and the other looking forward to the future. We, look backward to see what we have achieved in the past, and we look forward to see what we would like to achieve this coming year. The present achievements are numerous: (1) Fundraising: After only six months, our fundraising program raised more than enough money to meet NAINA s immediate expenses. This means a lighter burden on all of us. (2) Free Educational Conference through Teleconference: We have started our educational teleconference involving all members. If you have any topic of interest, please let us know. Selected topics will be presented by a national expert. (3) Visibility: NAINA was invited to New York State s Nurses Association invited NAINA for their Convention and we were able to make NAINA visible through a positive message from NAINA leaders. I also received an opportunity to introduce NAINA during the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Nursing Roundtable Meeting in Washington, D.C. Because of NAINA s visibility we also have a Educational Alliance Partnership with Grand Canyon University, whereby our members and their spouses get 15% scholarship towards their educational advancement with baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees. (4) NAINA s first educational convention at Sea: My sincere gratitude and appreciation to the INA- NY chapter for taking the opportunity to officially Kick-off our first NAINA educational convention at sea during their holiday celebration..the convention is scheduled from July 31 st to August 4 th aboard the Carnival Splendor cruise ship as it sails from New York to Canada. I invite all of you to join us as this will be a time of learning, networking and fun. This will be a great opportunity to gather educational contact hours, connect with your chapters, family, friends and above all networking with members of NAINA. I sincerely request each one of you to encourage those you know to attend our educational convention at Sea. May the good times and treasures of the present become the golden memories of tomorrow I wish you, your families, and friends lots of love, joy and, and happiness. Thank you, God bless! Sincerely, Vimala George, MA, MSN, ANP-C, RN
Page 3 Letter from the Editor Dear NAINA Members, I welcome each and everyone one of you to the winter edition of the newsletter. By His Grace and Blessings we were able to withstand this harsh winter successfully to some extent. The preparation for the educational convention is at full swing and I would like to thank each and every one who are actively participating in making this year s educational convention at sea, something different and one of the most exciting and memorable for our NAINA members. I request each member to enroll at least five nurses and their families for this educational convention. The speakers Dr. Cathy Rick and Dr. Lisa Oldham are exceptionally phenomenal, and we are expected to give 14 CEU s. I would request every chapter to support the educational convention by sending articles related to the theme and also their personal advertisement to be published in the souvenir, at nainascnj@gmail.com no later than May 1st, 2014. I would request the chapter presidents to please inform their membership. I am thankful for this opportunity to serve our NAINA members. I look forward to your continued support as I do my job to the fullest. Please feel free to email me at racbets@yahoo.com, any articles you have written or any accomplishments you would like to announce in the newsletter. The deadline for the next newsletter s submissions is June 15th, 2014. Thank you all once again, Sincerely, Rachel Koshy, DNPc, RN, ANP-C. Newsletter and Website Chair
Page 4 NAINA Newsletter Greetings from the American Association of Indian Nurses of NJ-2 New Jersey Chapter 2 The AAIN-NJ2 Meet and Greet was held at Aroma restaurant on Oct 22nd, 2013 which started with a silent prayer and Welcome speech by our President Varsha Singh. All the members introduced themselves followed by a presentation by Thangamani Aravindan about the advantages of being a chapter member and the benefits of being a NAINA member and how it gives membership in NAINA and about the various activities done nationally. The meeting was supported by a Retirement Financial planner from New York MetLife who donated towards the lunch. She presented about retirement planning and how to make best use of your money now for better retirement in future. There were about 7 new nurses who joined the meeting with a promise to become AAIN-NJ2 member. Catherine Poornaselvan our education chair proposed the Vote of Thanks after which there were several group pictures taken following which the meeting adjourned around 130pm. The NAINA cruise kick-off along with the holiday celebration was held at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Rahway on Jan 17th in the boardroom, 2 nd floor from 6pm -8pm. There were about 13 members and guest who attended the program. The program started with self introduction and a delicious dinner. NAINA President Vimala George and Mariamma Koshy from AAIN-NJ1 attended the kick-off function. The NAINA President spoke about NAINA educational cruise and the online registration. Varsha Singh the AAIN-NJ2 President spoke about the NAINA Cruise and online registration and Rachel Koshy introduced the speakers of the conference along with Catherine Poornaselvan. The treasurer Soffy Vilson was also present. The New Jersey State Nurses Association (NJ SNA) President for region 3 Rose Marie graced the occasion with her presence and spoke about the importance of being a member of NJSNA. There were lot of questions about the cruise registration from the audience.
Page 5 Greetings from IANA-Houston IANA celebrated Nurses Day on May 3 rd, 2013 with an attendance of over 150 nurses. IANA provided five scholarships of $500 each for a total of $2500.00 for the qualified nursing students. The evening concluded with a colorful variety entertainment and a sumptuous dinner enjoyed by all participants. IANA Houston held an all-day Education seminar titled: Trends in Nursing Practice on August 3rd, 2013 for 7.7 CEU credits. The speakers consisted of national and regional experts including our members. The program evaluation consisted of numerous accolades and commendations for the quality of the sessions. Several valuable door prizes were given away. Many of our members assisted and motivated high school students to elect nursing career by giving them educational talks and discussions about the benefits of nursing career. Many members who are in the management assisted placement of ethnic minority nurses in different hospitals, agencies and facilities. Community outreach programs IANA Houston donated $1000 emergency funds to the family of Krishnaja Sai, whose husband was involved in an accidental death. Family was very appreciative of the timely assistance from the nursing association. IANA also conducted a health fair for Nepali refugee camp in April. IANA Houston actively contributes to the Star of Hope Homeless shelter each year. On December 14th, 2013 IANA donated food and numerous gifts to the star of hope children during the Christmas celebrations and this event was very was successful. Residents were encouraged; children & women presented their talents through music, skit, dance etc. The program uplifted and raised the self-esteem of residents at this transitional living center. We also provided gifts and a meal for more than 100 residents. The children and parents at the Star of Hope were very thankful. IANA Houston donated $500.00 towards the Philippines Hurricane disaster relief. Thank you, Sally J. Joseph BSN. RN IANA-Houston President
Page 6 Report from Indian Nurses Association of Illinois Greetings from Indian Nurses Association of Illinois (INAI) The year 2013, was filled with many professional and educational events. Multiple professional and educational activities were provided for nurses and nursing students. A computer class for nurses was conducted in July. INAI assisted its members in obtaining free CE hours in November. Twice, last year, INAI offered mentoring & supporting activities for nurses and nursing students. In October we offered a preparation class for nurses to enroll for higher nursing education and another class on tips for taking online nursing courses, writing papers, and APA format. INAI receives calls and emails from individuals and assistance is provided on an individual basis as well. INAI participated in a career planning event in March for high school students. INAI assists new graduate nurses in searching for jobs and networking. In October, the officials of INAI met with Grand Canyon University delegates to discuss further educational opportunities for our nurses and a possibility of obtaining tuition discount through NAINA. Health fair and basic screening /health education for the community was conducted in August and a picnic for INAI members and their families was also conducted in August. INAI members participated in four Legislative activities related to healthcare by responding via e-mails last year. In September, INAI representative participated in a conference call meeting lead by Vice President Joe Biden to discuss the upcoming launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace. Holiday celebration along with NAINA convention at sea kick-off was conducted in December. INAI website reconstruction is all complete and visit www.inai.com for news and information and please like our Face book page at https://www.facebook.com/indiannursesil Sincerely, Ajimol Lukose, RN-BC, MS. President
Greetings from Indian Nurses Association of NewYork (INA-NY) Greetings to you all from Indian Nurses Association of New York.. Page 7 INA-NY holiday celebrations and Educational seminar was held on12/07/13 at Kerala Cultural Center 222-66 Braddock Ave Queens Village NY from 9 :30am to1.00pm. The educational seminar were led by Dr. Solymole Kuruvilla: Pre-diabetes as a Global Health Problem: Implications. Dr. Aney Paul : Choose to Change : Challenges and Choices. Holiday Celebration was started with opening remarks by Judy Panicker and a welcome speech by Aleyamma Appukuttan. The President of INA-NY Ms. Usha George in her presidential address mentioned about the various activities of the organization, its growth over the years, and also emphasized the charitable obligations carried out by this organizations. She encouraged more participation from its members. In her speech she also mentioned about the mission and vision of INA-NY, and continued support needed by its members to increase participation in charity, community activities, health fairs and educational seminars. Following the Lamp Lighting the inaugural address was by no other than the chief guest Assembly woman Hon. Michelle C. Solages. The Holiday message was delivered by our Youth Pastor Mr. Biju Alexander, RN. Our Special thanks goes to Mrs. Vimala George (NAINA President) for her registration kick off message & allowing us to host the first NAINA 2014, conference registration kick off. In her speech she addressed the various activities and the benefits of national level involvement. The cultural program was coordinated by Ms Aleyamma Appukuttan ( convener) Emcees for holiday celebration were Ujwala Moses & Judy Panicker. There were various cultural programs performed by INA-NY members. It was a very happy occasion and appreciated all the members. Raffle drawing and distribution were organized by Rose Joseph and Rachel David. A donation of $ 500 for Typhoon Haiyan Relief Effort was handed over to the Philippine Association by Ms. Aleyamma Mathew, past president Ms. Sosamma Andrews, past NAINA president Dr. Solymole Kuruvilla and current INA-NY president Ms. Usha George. Vote of thanks was proposed by Sherly Alexander (Secretary) and meeting ended, following a delicious lunch. We also donated funds to support nursing students in India based on their financial needs after careful review of their financial need. INA-NY is proud to be part of our national association (NAINA) and appreciate all guidance and support provided from executive board. Sherly Alexander, RN. Secretary www.inany.org
Page 8 Recent Accomplishments: Awards and Recognition Congratulations to Sally Samuel RN, BSN, IANA Houston chapter president, received ' I Care Award from the Veteran's Affairs. Ancy John, RN, for the Best Nurse award from the Methodist Hospital Sugarland, Texas. Shiela Mathews RN, BSN and Theresa Joseph RN recognized as SCT Employee of the month from M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Hospital, Texas. Jiji Thomas RN, MSN selected as an ambassador for American Association of Critical care nurses and also as a member for NCLEX test taking board and development panel. Lovely Ellankiyil RN, MSN is selected as members for NCLEX test taking Board and developmental panel. Aleyamma Baby RN, MSN received recognition award for poster presentation for annual Evidence Based Practice conference in Arkansas and Galveston. Beena Benny, MSN, RN, CPN from New York. A recipient of the CPN Certification Advocate Award by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board that recognizes a Certified Pediatric Nurse who is an outstanding advocate for certification at the local/ hospital, regional, or national level. She also received a $1000.00 honorarium and was recognized at the annual SPN conference held in Arizona from April 10-13, 2014. She was the Education Chair for 2012 NAINA Biennial Educational Convention.
Page 9 Winter 2014 AAIN-NJ 1, NAINA Convention Kick-Off, with donation to Philippines Typhoon Haiyan disaster relief. Check from NAINA accepted by Philippines Red Cross