Author: Peggy L Chinn

feminist, nurse activist, writer, founding editor of ANS Advances in Nursing Science, quilter, grandmother nurturing the future of the amazing children in my life.

Report from meetings at the American Academy of Nursing!

Saturday, October 18th was a momentous day for LGBTQ nurses!  The American Academy of Nursing LGBTQ Expert Panel (established in 2012) met at 8 am, with a significant number of GLMA Nursing Section members present!  In addition, Ed Craft, GLMA VP for External Affairs and Chief Nursing Cheerleader, and Emily Kane-Lee, GLMA staff member

Selfie - Laura and Peggy

Selfie – Laura and Peggy

representing Executive Director Hector Vargas, also joined the meeting to indicate GLMA’s support for a cooperative working relationship between our two organizations! I wish I had more photos to share .. the 2 posted here were selfies with Laura and with Sarah!

After the Expert Panel meeting, GLMA Nursing Section leaders met with Emily

Selfie - Sarah and Peggy

Selfie – Sarah and Peggy

and Ed to follow through on a number of organizational issues. The GLMA Section folks present were Mary Foley, Chair; Laura Hein and Sarah Fogel, GLMA Board members and new inductees in the Academy! I was there as the web manager and because of my role in the creation of the GLMA Nursing Section.

We had a wonderful discussion, dominated by not only a spirit, but explicit intent and actions to assure a positive and constructive ongoing relationship between the Section leadership and the GLMA Board and staff, as well as ongoing collaborative relationships with the Academy Expert Panel.  Here are the “big” specific topics we focused on:

  • The transition from our “Commitment to Join” process for our Section, to the formal and official process to join the GLMA nursing section!  Emily has this process well underway and described how this will work – the system will be ready in the next 1 to 2 weeks – so stay tuned for details on this coming soon!
  • A process to assure coordination and communication with the GLMA staff and board.  Emily and Ed agreed that the great work of our Workgroups needs to move ofrward with the details of specific projects worked out internally.  But when we get to the point of communication and interactions with other nursing organizations and institutions as representatives of the GLMA Nursing Section, we will establish a process to inform GLMA staff and seek their go-ahead for any new initiatives.  Emily will develop a format for letters and emails from the Nursing Section to any external group, and we will communicate to all Workgroup leaders the guidelines for moving forward with this kind of initiative.
  • Follow-up on the topic of financial support for the Section that we had discussed during the Academy LGBT Expert Panel meeting. Members of the Expert Panel suggested the possibility of Expert Panel members seeking financial support for student members of the GLMA Nursing Section for attendance at the annual GLMA Nursing Summit and conference.
  • Exploring the possibility of having a liaison between the GLMA Nursing Section and the Academy Expert Panel – someone who is an active member of both organizations and who can work to assure ongoing cooperation and mutual support between the two groups.

Overall, we established a firm foundation for working together, not only within the GLMA organization, but for collaboration between GLMA and the Academy!  So stay tuned — I am sure much more will come in the days and weeks to come!

Organizational Climate Workgroup underway!

At the 2014 GLMA Nursing Summit we had a small but very dedicated group!  Amy Wilson-Stronks has provided notes from our brainstorming discussion, which are now posted for download on our workgroup page.  Peggy Chinn will be our workgroup leader PLC 2014-09for the coming year, but we are seeking others to help us work on a very specific project – a fact sheet to guide assessing and creating a positive, welcoming organizational culture for LGBTQ people and families.

At the Summit our group discussed general concepts around organizational climate, and what a campaign might look like to promote positive organizational climates for LGBTQ people wherever nurses work.  We are continuing to brainstorm a “bumper sticker” message or slogan that we might use to launch a widespread campaign to promote LGBTQ equity and overcome homophobia in nursing.  We are starting with a relatively “simple” task of putting together a fact sheet that we can distribute far and wide!  Please join us in working on this important, and we think very fun, project!  Complete the contact form workgroup page to join us,  and we will get our workgroup organized!

Meet Ralph Klotzbaugh, our GLMA Nursing Section Budget Officer!
Ralph

Ralph with his spaniels!

Ralph is an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire in the School of Nursing. His research includes issues related to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) health equity and the essential role of nursing in ensuring advocacy for this population.   He is currently working on a research project investigating levels of LGBT inpatient hospital satisfaction, as well as research involving perceptions of care among inpatient psychiatric patients identifying as LGBT. Ralph also works as a family nurse practitioner at a community health clinic in Somersworth, New Hampshire. He has also served as a board member and officer for the Southern Tier AIDS program in Binghamton, New York. He is currently developing an LGBT identified faculty and staff organization at the University of New Hampshire and volunteering at the Southern New Hampshire HIV/AIDS Task Force.  Wow!  Here is a message from Ralph as he assumes this role on the Section leadership team:

Hi, I just wanted to take a moment to say how great it was to meet everyone and how invigorating the nursing summit was to our professional and personal collective health!  Sometimes, in the cold blustery days of winter in New England, the work of an out queer faculty member in nursing doing queer research seems to be a solitary act and commitment.  Of course I know that this is not the case: we may be few (so far) but we are happily not alone and the nursing summit serves as a reminder and motivator for us all to keep up our collective efforts in improving LGBT related healthcare.  For this I thank you all!  I am beyond excited and thrilled to be part of the leadership team in the nursing section of the GLMA.

Join me in welcoming Ralph as our Budget Officer!  Leave your messages and good wishes for Ralph here!

2015 Nursing Summit Planning Group is underway!

Please join us in welcoming the 2015 GLMA Nursing Summit Planning Committee. We welcome your input and ideas over the next eleven months to make Portland a memorable experience!  You can use the planning group contact form on the web site to share your ideas!planning

Caitlin Stover  returning member and Planning group Chair
Michele McKelvey
Kelli Dunham
Madelyne Greene
Pamela Lin
Eileen Glover
Rob Carroll  returning member
Jose Pares-Avila  returning member
Sarah Sanders     returning member
Mary Foley
Emily Kane-Lee
Pamela Levesque
Amy Wilson-Stronks
Alison McManus  returning member

Message from Mary Foley, founding Chair of the GLMA Nursing Section!

Over the next few weeks, we will feature messages from our new Leadership Team!  We start with a message from Mary E. Foley PhD, RN, FAAN, our first Chair!  Mary is a past President of the American Nurses Association (2000-2002, the first “out” lesbian in this position) and brings heaps of leadership experience to the Section!  You can see more about her in the brief bio she provided at the time of our election!  Here is Mary’s message!

Hello Everyone: Congratulations on the successful launch of the GLMA Nursing Section ! This work is the result of commitment and dedication on the part of many nurse advocates, and I especially want to thank Peggy Chinn, Laura Hein, and Sarah Fogel (Laura and Sarah are on the GLMA Board and need our support). The on-site summit was a success, and this year, we heard some wonderful presentation on our history, and on the potential for Interprofessional collaboration. The balance of the meeting focused primarily on the business of starting the section. Next year in

Mary Foley & Catherine Dodd

Mary Foley & Catherine Dodd

Portland, we will be hosting a lively and informative program, which is already in the active planning process with a really talented program committee. We hope we will have your support as we realize our first year as the FIRST section in GLMA. Please join GLMA and the Nursing Section (we have our own budget, so please help us support our board members and continue our outreach) I look forward to working with all of you in the next year. Please let us know how to better represent our nursing issues. My photo is from last month with my nurse life partner Catherine Dodd. I couldn’t do this work without her love and support.
In Unity, Mary

GLMA Nursing Section Leadership Team Elected!

2014 Leaders

 

Our newly elected 2014-15 Leadership Team!

Seated: Michael Johnson – Chair-Elect, Mary Foley – Chair

Standing (L to R) – Patty Zuzelo – Recorder, Laura Hein – Past Chair,  Ralph Klotzbaugh – Budget Officer, Kaity Molé – Student/Health Professional-in-Training Representative

Congratulations!  And thanks to all who made the Nursing Summit a FABULOUS day!  Watch this blog for more detail!

2014 Nursing Summit Agenda!

What a terrific day this promises to be!  The Planning Committee has been hard at work packing a host of fabulous features in to the day of September 10!  And two Schools of Nursing have stepped up to sponsor the Summit – University of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing!  If it is at all possible, join us!  

Goal and Learning Objectives:

The goal of the GLMA Nursing Summit is to bring together LGBT and ally nurses and nurse supporters to develop an action plan to improve critical LGBT issues in the nursing profession. 

Learning Objectives  

  • Describe major recent accomplishments in nursing related to LGBT health.  
  • Report, evaluate, and build on progress toward a GLMA-sponsored action plan for LGBT health in nursing relating to: education and curricula, patient/clinical care, policy, research, and climate (including homophobia in the profession).  
  • Provide a forum of opportunities for mentorship, support, and networking for nurses and nursing students in the areas of research, academia, policy, and patient care.  
  • Assign leadership for fulfilling the goals of the action plan.  
  • Identify key areas for focus in strengthening nursing participation in GLMA.    

Here is the final agenda for this very important day! (Of course we all know the difference between well-laid plans and reality, right!)  You can also download the agenda here.

2014 GLMA Nursing Summit Agenda 

7:30 – 8:30 am  –   Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 9:00 am  –   Welcome & Announcements

Henry Ng, MD, MPH, GLMA President  
Hector Vargas, JD, GLMA Executive Director
Laura Hein, PhD, MSN, GLMA Board Member at Large
Sarah Fogel, PhD, RN, GLMA Board Member at Large
Sarah Sanders, RN, Nursing Summit Planning Committee Chair  
Peggy Chinn, RN, PhD 

9:00 – 9:15 am   –   Recognition of Special Guests, Dr. Janet Allan and Dr. Bev Hall 

Peggy Chinn, RN, PhD 

9:15 – 9:30 am   –   Participant Introductions  

9:30 – 10:15 am  – Nursing Section Announcement & Special Recognition (Candidates for Section leadership will be asked to introduce themselves.  There will be an opportunity for floor nominations for those not already on the ballot)

Laura Hein, PhD, MSN & Peggy Chinn, RN, PhD 

10:15 – 10:30 am – Coffee Break & Poster Viewing 

10:30 – 11:00 am – Plenary #1: History and Current Landscape 

Sarah Fogel, PhD, RN 
Mickey Eliason, PhD 

11:00am – 12:00pm – Breakout #1: Action Planning Orientation 

Breakout Groups: Education and Curricula, Patient/Clinical Care, Policy, Research, and Climate 

12:00 – 12:45pm – Networking Lunch  

12:45 – 1:15 pm  – Nursing Section Business: Officer Floor Nominations & Elections  

Sarah Fogel, PhD, RN 

1:15 – 2:00 pm  –  Plenary #2: Breaking Down Silos: How Interprofessionalism Can Advance the LGBT Health Agenda 

Heather Young, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Vice Chancellor for Nursing and Dean and Professor, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing 

2:00 – 2:15 pm  –  Election Results Announcement 

2:15 – 3:45 pm  –  Breakout #2: Action Planning Continues 

3:45 – 4:30 pm  –  Breakout Groups Report Back to Full Group  

4:30 – 5:00 pm  –  Next Steps, Wrap Up & Evaluations 

Sarah Sanders, RN 

5:00 – 5:30 pm  –  Optional: Poster Viewing and Networking 

5:30 pm – GLMA Welcome Reception 

Harborview Ballroom 

Continuing Nursing Education Credits

GLMA is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 16038, to provide nursing continuing education credits.  The GLMA Nursing Summit is approved for 8 contact hours.

In order to cover GLMA’s administrative costs, there will be a $30 charge for issuance of CE certificates.  Those attending and claiming credit for the GLMA Annual Conference will only pay the administrative fee once (for both the Nursing Summit certificate and the Annual Conference certificate).  Please see the Registration Desk for more information or to pay the fee.

GLMA would like to extend a special thank you to our sponsors

Sponsors_2014Thank you to the 2014 Planning Committee! 

Amy Wilson-Stronks, MPP, CPHQ , GLMA Vice President for Education
Sarah Sanders, RN  – Chair, Planning Committee 

Rob Carroll, RN, ACRN
Diane Bruessow, PA
Mickey Eliason, PhD
Sarah Fogel, PhD, RN
Laura Hein, PhD, MSN
Michael Johnson, MSN, RN
Pamela Levesque, RN
Alison McManus, DNP, FNP-BC
Jose Pares-Avila, DNP, RN, NP-C
Lola Pellegrino, MSN, NP-C
Nicholas Sarchet, RN
Mimi Snyder, MSN, RN
Caitlin Stover, PhD, RN

Pam Levesque presenting her research this fall!

Congratulations to GLMA Nursing Section member Pamela Levesque, who will be presenting preliminary findings of the qualitative research study entitled, “The Lived Experience of the Transgender Nursing Student” at two conferences this fall!  Both of these conferences are international and interdisciplinary conferences!  

The first is the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology 2014 conference, sponsored by the University of Alberta Institute on Qualitative Methodology, which will be held October 21-23 in Victoria, BC.  

The second is the 2014 National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Grantees’ Conference.  This conference, to be held December 1-3, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland, is open to scientists engaged in health disparities research; healthcare and public health professionals; public policy professionals; community-based and faith-based organizations.

Pam is a participant in our LGBTQ Nurse Authors Virtual Support group, which is an outgrowth of the 2013 GLMA Nursing summit!  For more information about this Support group, head on over to the LavenderHealth web page that includes a form to let us know if you want to join! 

Proposed Agenda for the first Nursing Section business meeting!

As one of the originators of the Nursing Section Proposal, I am working with Sarah Fogel and Laura Hein (the nurse members of the GLMA Board) to plan the agenda for our first business meeting.  The meeting will be held at the time of the Nursing Summit on September 10, 2014, in Baltimore, Maryland.  The first leadership team for the Section will be elected at this meeting; in the future the process for elections will be developed for broad participation by all Section members.  All who join the Nursing Section at the time of the Summit will be eligible to vote in the first election of officers.

This is a tentative proposed agenda for the business meeting:

I. Section Proposal Workgroup (Peggy)

  • Introduce members of workgroup
  • Brief report of the process and what the approved proposal contains (make sure it is distributed to all attendees)
  • Description of the workgroup structure for organizing Section activities
  • Unveiling of our web site and description of how it will work

II. Report from GLMA Board representatives (Sarah F or Laura H))

III. Election of officers (Sarah F)

  • Introduce candidates on the ballot
  • Call for nominations from the floor (everyone will write in the names of additional nominees)
  • Official call for vote by paper ballot (ballots will be collected and counted by designated GLMA members)

IV. Workgroup leaders for 2014-15 – call for volunteers

V. 2015 Summit planning group

Give us your comments and suggestions below!!!

Welcome to the GLMA Nursing Section Blog!

With the establishment of the GLMA Nursing Section, we are setting up this “working” web site and blog!  The purpose of the web site and the blogs include:

  • Establishing an archive and history of the work we do together;meeting
  • Providing information for our colleagues and the public concerning nursing and LGBT health;
  • Providing a central place to display working drafts of documents for feedback and comment;
  • Promoting and celebrating achievements in nursing related to LGBT issues;
  • Encouraging nurse participation in interdisciplinary projects by highlighting the contributions of nurses in these projects;
  • Promoting interaction (comments, feedback, suggestions) among our members, other members of GLMA, the broader nursing and health care communities, as well as LGBT individuals who are interested in the work we are doing.

So join us!  And participate on this blog and web site by leaving your comments and using our contact forms!  We would love to hear from you!