American Psychiatric Nurses Association Welcomes Members to Board of Directors and 2018 Nominating Committee
Falls Church, VA (PRWEB) August 08, 2017 -- The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is pleased to announce the newest members of the APNA Board of Directors and 2018 Nominating Committee. Elected by psychiatric-mental health nurse members from across the country, these seven individuals will begin their terms at the APNA 31st Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona October 18-21.
Elected to the APNA Board of Directors as President-Elect is Gail R. Stern, RN, MSN, PMHCNS-BC of Coopersburg, Pennsylvania; elected as Secretary is Joyce Shea, DNSc, APRN, PMHCNS-BC of Fairfield, Connecticut; and elected as Members-at-Large are Celeste M. Johnson, DNP, APRN, PMH CNS of Garland, Texas and Sara Jones, PhD, APRN, PMHNP-BC of Sherwood, Arkansas. Sue Brammer, PhD, MSN, MA, RN of Cincinnati, Ohio, Carol Capitano, PhD, PMHCNS-BC of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Barbara E Lakatos, DNP, PMHCNS-BC, APRN of Marshfield, Massachusetts were elected to the 2018 Nominating Committee.
“These new members of the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee have a deep understanding of psychiatric-mental health nursing and the foundational role that mental health plays in overall wellness,” says APNA President Kris McLoughlin, DNP, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN. “Their dedication and wealth of knowledge will help APNA continue to drive mental health to the forefront of care.”
Incoming President-Elect Gail R. Stern, RN, MSN, PMHCNS-BC is an Administrator with the Department of Psychiatry at the Lehigh Valley Health Network, Adjunct Faculty with DeSales University, and the President of the Board for the Counsel on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. As a psychiatric-mental health nurse for over 35 years, Stern has championed suicide prevention with Zero Suicide, worked to integrate mental health and substance use services to all healthcare settings, and represented APNA at the White House National Nursing Meeting on the Affordable Care Act. She currently serves as Chair of the APNA Recovery Council.
“We are in a position to bring value and innovation to healthcare delivery systems regardless of how policy may unfold,” says Stern. “I have had experience in large, dynamic healthcare systems with high organizational effectiveness. I will bring that knowledge, hard work and positive energy to support and advance our mission. I am honored to work with APNA members to advocate for psychiatric nursing as we demonstrate our value, and care for our communities’ ‘whole health’.”
The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is a national professional membership organization committed to the specialty practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing and wellness promotion, prevention of mental health problems and the care and treatment of persons with psychiatric disorders. APNA’s membership is inclusive of all psychiatric mental health registered nurses including associate degree, baccalaureate, advanced practice (comprised of clinical nurse specialists and psychiatric nurse practitioners), and nurse scientists and academicians (PhD). APNA serves as a resource for psychiatric mental health nurses to engage in networking, education, and the dissemination of research.
The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Meaghan Trimyer, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, http://www.apna.org, +1 571-533-1931, [email protected]
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