THE HIGHLIGHT

THE SAN ANTONIO

CHAPTER QUARTERLY

NEWSLETTER

Volume 47, Number 1

HERE’S THE SCOOP FROM

THE PRESIDENT

On March 2, Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order

(GA-34), the mask mandate in Texas, increasing capacity of

businesses and facilities in the state to 100 percent. What this

really means can be very variable and it has been left up to

individuals, businesses, and organizations as to how they want

to manage masking moving forward. There are strong opinions

on the topic and how it will impact the health and healthcare

management here in Texas. Whatever the opinions are, there

is a cause for optimism, even as healthcare providers are

closer to getting a real grip on the Covid crisis.

We have all toiled and struggled in our workplace and in our

private lives with the effects of Covid on our patients, friends,

and loved ones. Our efforts remind me of a story I remember

about Winston Churchill. During the early stages of World War

II, the British were facing defeat after defeat, without any

signature victories. Churchill was frequently updating the

House of Commons regarding disappointments from the

Pacific theatre to their own backyard in Dunkirk. But then it

happened, the British finally had a decisive and convincing

victory against Hitler’s General Rommel in Africa. Finally,

Churchill could deliver some good news. However, this was

going to be a long and drawn-out war and he knew it. He told

the House of Commons “Now this is not the end. It is not even

the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the

beginning. “

We are not done with Covid and won’t be for quite some time.

However, like Churchill describes, we may have many more

SAENA 2021 Meetings

• March 15, 2021 - Business Meeting

• April 19, 2021 - Business / Education

• May 17, 2021 - Business Meeting

• June 21, 2021 - Networking Meeting

• July 19, 2021 - Business / Education

• August 16, 2021 - Business Meeting

• September - NO MEETING

• October 18, 2021 - Officer Elections

• November 15, 2021 - Business/Education

• December 13, 2021 Networking Meeting

If you would like to present a lecture at an SAENA meeting, contact Carol

Twombly at cltwombly@aol.com

All meetings are currently scheduled to be held using the Zoom platform. Meeting venues may be changed to in-person / virtual based on future Covid restrictions.

For ZOOM access information see the SAENA website ‘Meetings’ page and click on the ‘Online Meeting’ link.

www.sanantonioena.org

wins than losses moving forward. We, as nurses, have seen so

many losses. I am also a director of our intensive care units

and I have seen the pain in our ER and ICU staff just asking for

“a few wins” occasionally. We hurt, we continue to hurt, and

this thing isn’t over.

Take time to recognize victories but also remember to keep

tabs on the pain that continues. We have cause for optimism

but don’t forget to check yourself and each other along the

way for signs of depression, despair, and even suicide. We are

turning the tide and while on the front line, keep a keen eye

on where we were, where we are, and keep the optimism for

the future for yourselves and your team.

As a reminder, March 19th is Certified Nurses Day. Every March

19th we celebrate Certified Nurses Day in honor of Dr

Margretta Madden Styles who was one of the greatest leaders

in the field of nursing education. It’s time to get your

professional certification.

Keep in touch with our meetings. Soon we hope to go back to

meeting in person and share our experiences face to face

again.

I am looking forward to seeing you all again so very much.

Curtis Townsend, MHA, RN SAENA President, 2021

YOUR 2021 COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Bylaws / SOPs: Curtis Townsend

Election Process / Media: Michael Moon

Trauma / IQSIP: Susan Douglass

Pediatrics / ENPC: Diane Walcutt

Government Affairs / Nursing

Practice: Mary Leblond

Membership: Tabitha Selvester

Conference: Janet Pena

Professional Education/ Newsletter: Carol Twombly

Scholarship: Thomas Culwell

YOUR 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Curtis Townsend

President-Elect: Carol Twombly

Past President: Michael Moon

Treasurer: Erick Christensen

Secretary: Tabitha Selvester

Directors: Dorine Barbre, Janet Pena

TxENA Liaison: Crissie Richardson, president@txena.org

ENA Liaison: Chirs Dellinger Chris.dellinger@ena.org

2021 TNCC and ENPC Courses

TNCC Provider Courses March 20-21, 2021 – Uvalde Memorial

Hospital

May 15 - 16, 2021

June 12 - 13, 2021

August 14 - 15, 2021

October 2 – 3, 2021

All TNCC courses will be held at the Baptist Emergency Hospital, Hausman unless otherwise noted.

ENPC Provider Courses

April 17 - 18, 2021

June 12 - 13, 2021

August 14 - 15, 2021

October 16 - 17, 2021

December 11 - 12, 2021

All ENPC courses will be held at Methodist Stone Oak Hospital.

See the SAENA website ‘Education’ page for more information on the courses and the registration forms.

www.sanantonioena.org

2nd Q State Council Meeting: April 8 – 10th, hosted by East Texas Chapter in Nacogdoches

3rd Q State Council Meeting: July 16 – 17th, hosted by Gulf Coast Chapter, location TBD

4th Q State Council Meeting: October 7 – 9th, hosted by Central Texas Chapter, location TBD

Meeting will be In-Person and on Zoom.

For more information see the TxENA website at www.txena.org/meetings/

NURSING PRACTICE AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

What’s Happening and What’s New for Nursing Practice

Coronovirus still remains the hot topic in all the nursing literature. Various resources are listed in this report but this is not an inclusive list as many other organizations that have great resources.

1. https://www.ena.org/practice-resources/covid-19 and ENA COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit 2. Changes and practices occur frequently and the Emergency Nurses Association

(www.ENA.org)1 has a COVID-19 site to help Emergency Nurses in their practice. 3. There is also the CDC (www.cdc.gov)2 Guidelines for Coronavirus available. 4. Many other organizations are offering Covid Webinars and Educational events related to

the Coronavirus. If you are interested in any of the webinars contact those organizations like TNA, ANA, AACN and others.

New and Revised Practice Resources from ENA Education Monthly, February, 2021 ENA (newsletters@ena.org)3

1. Access to Quality Healthcare Position Statement 2. Crowding, Boarding and Patient Throughput Position Statement 3. Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change on Health and Healthcare: The Role of the

Emergency Nurse Position Statement

SAENA’s NEW MEMBERS The SAENA welcomes our new members who joined since November 11, 2020: Camra Eppler, Rebecca Flowers, Elizabeth Stark, Kristin Cady, Ricky Greer, Katlin Bullinger, David Gonzales, Esenia Silva, Adam Aguilar, Yvette Medina, Angela Maass, Angela Gonzales, Alexandra Pugh, Natalie Christensen, Tracy Rodriguez, Caitlyn Krueger, Patricia Colston, JC Ragle, Gordon Roberts, Kaitlyn Blanchard, Nathan Brindley, Breanna Devroe, Homero Acevedo, Monique Cano, Braidey Staudacher, Phillip Tinker, Tammy Mondfrans, Matthew Coats, Andrea Muniz, Megan Gross, Michelle Johnson and Shelby Kennedy.

Congratulations to SAENA ’s 2020 Fall Scholarship Winners!

Zachary J. Cazalas

Monica E. Moreno

For information on the SAENA’s 2021 Fall Scholarship see the website at

https://www.sanantonioena.org/scholarships

4. Patient Experience/Satisfaction in the Emergency Care Setting Position Statement 5. Weighing All Patients in Kilograms Position Statement 6. Compassion Fatigue Topic Brief

What’s Happening and What’s New in Government Affairs

Bills for the Texas 87th Legislature – 20214

The Texas House committee leadership and members were assigned by the House Speaker Dade Phelan. While in the Senate, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, assigned committee leaders and members.

Some bills related to nurses are listed below. This is not inclusive list of all bills.

1. HB 326, authored by Representative Howard, relates to workplace violence prevention in certain health care facilities. This has been referred to the Public Health Committee and these committee members; Representatives Stephanie Klick, R. D. “Bobby” Guerra, Steve Allison, Liz Campos, Garnet Coleman, Nicole Colier, Jacey Jetton, Tom Oliverson, Four Price, Reggie Smith and Erin Swiener.

2. HB 396, authored by Representative Moody, relates to the eligibility of nurses for workers' compensation benefits for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and payment of those benefits. This bill changes need for nurses to prove they contracted the virus at work in order to draw Workman’s Compensation. This would be retroactive to 1/1/2020. This bill has been referred to the Business and Commerce Committee.

3. HB 472, authored by Representative White, relates to services provided by freestanding emergency medical care facilities. This would allow the freestanding facilities to do more testing and services. This bill has been referred to the Public Health Committee.

4. HB 813, authored by Representative Shaheen, relates to making it a criminal offense of harassment to obstruct access to a hospital. This bill has been referred to the Criminal Justice Committee.

5. SB 32, authored by Senator Zaffirini, proposes a student loan repayment assistance program for certain professionals who provided exceptional service to the State of Texas during the coronavirus pandemic. This bill has been referred to the Higher Education Committee.

References:

1). www.ENA.org. Covid -19 Resources

2). www.cdc.gov. Guidelines for Coronavirus

3). www.covid19.sanantonio.gov

4). Texas Legislature Online - Texas.gov Contact Mary Leblond @littlemommanurse@aol.com for questions or clarifications

Mary Leblond MSN, RN, CEN, CA-SANE, CP-SANE, FAEN Chair of the Nursing Practice and the Government Affairs Committees

The San Antonio ENA is volunteering in conjunction with the Safety Why’s - Babysitting Course to host the Strawberry Shortcake Booth at

the Helotes Cornyval!

April 29th – May 2nd

Spend some time serving delicious strawberry shortcake and then enjoy the Cornyval’s rides, great music, games and food booths!

If you are interested in volunteering for a shift serving delicious strawberry shortcake while having a great time, text Barbara Baldwin

at @ 210-378-5673 Proceeds will benefit plans for the Safety Whys C.A.R.E.S Foundation Resource Center, to be an establishment for continuing the efforts of the Babysitter Training Program for

youth, ages 11-17.

Covid guidelines will be adhered to.

Tx ENA ‘s Conference at Sea - 2021 !

July 18th – 25th 2021

Ports of Call: Cozumel, Mexico; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Falmouth, Jamaica.

See flyer below! Or, on the TxENA website:

www.txena.org Education page

Flyers for events or additional information on items mentioned in the

Newsletter are listed below.

Opting Out

If you wish to opt out of receiving this

Newsletter or other SAENA

announcements, please notify the SAENA

at cltwombly@aol.com

All Texas RNs are reminded to review the Texas Board of Nursing’s mandatory continuing education relicensure requirements located on the website at https://www.bon.texas.gov/education_continuing_education.asp#D

There are several factors which must be kept in mind when reviewing the information on the website: - Course content must meet the stipulation requirements of the Texas Board of Nursing - The time frame or licensure cycle for repeating the requirement differs from course to course - The RN’s practice type and/or ‘float unit’ may determine if a nurse needs to take a course - Advance Practice RNs (APRN) have additional course requirements than RNs - Course requirements are not automatically met with certification - Additional education requirements may be added at any time. These requirements are announced in the

Texas Board of Nursing’s Bulletin. Current RN Requirements:

• Forensics Evidence Collection

• Older Adult and Geriatric Care

• Nursing Jurisprudence and Ethics

• *Human Trafficking Prevention

*Must be an approved Texas HHS course.

Current APRN Requirements:

• Pharmacotherapeutics

• Tick-Borne Diseases

• *Pain management and prescription of opioids

• *Prescription of opioids

• Authorization to receive information from the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program

* All APRNs with prescriptive authority authorized to prescribe opioids

San Antonio Emergency Nurses Association

IT’S AS SIMPLE AS 1-2-3! Texas Required Nursing Education

April 16, 2021 5.5 Hours of Continuing Nursing Education

Seminar Description:

1. Forensics: Mary A. Leblond, MSN, RN, CEN, CA-SANE, CP-SANE,

FAEN Participants will gain knowledge and skills related to the science of forensics

including the definition, applicable laws, the primary and focused secondary survey

of a forensics patient, evidence collection, chain of custody, and documentation

principles in forensics cases. Fulfills NPA §301.306 and Rule 216.3(d) which is a

one-time Texas Board of Nursing requirement.

Course Time: 09:00am – 11:00am CDT

2. Older Adult / Geriatrics: Yvonne Moseley, MSN, RN, CEN

Participants will gain knowledge and skills related to physiologic changes in older

adults that contribute to disease processes, chronic conditions and memory loss;

adaptation of care for this special population, including Injury Prevention,

identification of elder abuse and reporting requirements. Fulfills the NPA§301.306

and Rule 216.3(h) for 1 licensing cycle.

Course Time: 11:30am - 1:30pm CDT

3. Human Trafficking: Muriel Lanford, MSN, RN, TCRN Participants will gain knowledge and skills related to major categories of human

trafficking (HT); what differentiates HT from smuggling and consensual commercial

sex; the scope of the problem; recognizing vulnerabilities, risk factors, and indicators

of HT; applying patient-centered interventions and strategies for individual practice

settings. Fulfills NPA§301.306 and Rule 216.3(i) for 1 licensing cycle.

Course Time: 1:45pm - 3:15pm CDT

Location: This is an online seminar and it will be held on Zoom.com. Registrants will be

emailed the Zoom access link once payment has been received. Each course is limited to 75

participants.

Course Fee: ENA Member: $20 / course. All 3 courses for $60.

Non-Member: $30 / courses. Discount: All 3courses for $75

Registration: https://www.sanantonioena.org/education/texas-required-nursing-education-2021 Contact Information: Carol Twombly cltwombly@aol.com Refund Request: A written request must be received prior to April 5, 2021 for a refund. No refunds will be issued after April 5, 2021.

Texas Board of Nursing Continuing Education: https://www.bon.texas.gov/education_continuing_education.asp

This activity has been submitted to the Emergency Nurses Association for approval to award contact hours. Emergency Nurses Association is

accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on

Accreditation.

SAN ANTONIO EMERGENCY Nurses association

SAVE THE DATE! Concepts of Emergency and Critical Care Nursing – 2021

Saena’s 9TH ANNUAL Conference

October 14, 2021 0715 - 1700

Shrine Auditorium 901 N. Loop 1604 West, San Antonio, TX 78232

(Access Road)

Parking and Wifi are FREE

7 hours of education! Times may vary due to schedule changes.