- Steering Committee Minutes 7/10/09

The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments

Steering Committee Agenda

July 10, 2009

1. Roll call: Denise Choiniere, Sandy Worthington, Corrine Mohnasky, Robyn Gilden, Tom Engle, Brenda Afzal, Laura Anderko, Beth Lamanna, Patti Gates-Smith, Kathy Curtis, Mary Jane Williams, Evie Bain, Barb Sattler

1. Wingspread Priority Areas and next steps

1. 1. Issue areas: Chemical Policy, Climate Change, Transportation (vs. the Built Environment), Food

• Decision for these four areas was made at Wingspread.

• Discussion followed as to whether Transportation or the Built Environment should be the category. Although it was suggested that transportation is directly related to climate change and easier to understand, the built environment is a broader category that transportation would fall under and includes other issues such as habitat loss and social/environmental justice aspects. It was decided that all issue areas be defined and how they relate to nursing. School nurses may want to take a piece of the school siting issues.

• Chemical Policy – following a the release of a report that critiqued ATSDR’s effectiveness in responding to chemical policy issues, the agency organized an 18 month national conversation on public health and chemical exposures, the initial meeting took place 6/25/09 in Washington, DC. The goal of this initiative is to create a report for congress on proposed changes in the agency. A Leadership Council of 25 members was created. In addition, 6 workgroups (Monitoring, Scientific Understanding, Policies and Practices, Chemical Emergencies, Serving communities, and Education and communication) were created. The co-chairs of these workgroups sit on the Leadership Council. The 6 workgroups will have 30 participants each, which currently have a lot of federal agency staff and industry representation with little representation from NGO’s. The workgroups are required to have balanced representation. They are saying that the time commitment is 10 hrs/mo and 3 meetings in DC during the 18 mos. Travel costs will be covered for the volunteers.

• Inside Strategy – Nominate ANHE members and other nurse leaders with an interest and expertise in chemical policy issues on the workgroups. Push for nursing representation on the leadership council.

• Outside strategy – The initiative will host public hearings that will be in areas that have clusters of chemical factories or Superfund sites so it will be a good opportunity to raise media awareness and turn nurses out to these meetings.

• Questions arose as to why no compensation for participation in this high profile, important process and why cap at 25 and 30 instead of letting anyone who is interested participate.

• Send names to B. Afzal and B. Sattler of nurses who will be sent an invitation for nomination. The deadline for nominations is July 20^th . ANHE will provide support and connection to other organizations that are interested in the ATSDR conversation. Cross nominations will increase chance of nurses getting on the workgroups.

1. 1. Campaign development

i. Position statements/framework

• T. Engle drafted a framework for position statements that can be used as a template for any issue. The draft document will be posted on e-commons.org/anhe for comment and further editing. Includes problem statement, relation to nursing, and strategies for change.
• May also need to develop talking points for any speaker who will be taking action on a particular issue.

ii. Champions (to get the work started-they are not responsible for the whole)

• Karen Duderstadt (focus on children) and K. Curtis – Chemical policy paper and ANHE’s first campaign
• L. Anderko. – will work climate change paper
• Lillian Mood – champion for transportation
• Food will be incorporated after ANHE gets experience with Chemical Policy

iii. Social Networking/Blogging

• There will be a conversation with a virtual organizing expert and Charlotte Brody next week. This is a 1^st level of conversation and the small group will bring back information to the Steering Committee. K. Curtis asked to be included in the call if she can make it.

1. Wingspread action Items
   1. Wingspread statement

• The statement was sent out via various list serves along with a media release and links to the videos on YouTube. It appeared in the EPA Child EH electronic newsletter and will be sent to State Nursing Associations’ EH Task Forces and APHA PHN Section via blast email. Suggestion to track hits and use data in grant writing.

1. 1. 501(c)3 Committee

• B. Afzal will set up meeting on Monday. C. Mohnasky will start filling out the paperwork.

1. 1. Use of existing videos

• Please use the YouTube link and share with any contacts.

1. 1. Conference Planning Committee

i. Combine efforts?

• B. Lamanna and Karen Duderstadt– will represent the Policy/Advocacy work group
• S. Worthington – will represent the Education work group
• Wade Hill/Betty Bekemeier – may be the ones to represent the Research work group but will have to be confirmed.
• D. Choiniere will email the Practice work group for a volunteer.

1. 1. Speakers’ bureau

• Create a list of expertise in a single place, geography-based. Require that you mention ANHE and e-commons. Speakers would have to provide a brief bio/summary of articles and presentations given.
  
  

1. 1. Marketing Committee-recruitment strategies

• B. Afzal will set meeting on Monday. P. Gates-Smith volunteered, if not already on the committee. K. Curtis asked to be included as well, if available.

1. 1. ANHE boiler plate

• B. Sattler will expand the 2 existing power point slides that will be used to ensure consistent messages – elevator speech.

1. New Business
   1. Nomination of J. Feldman for NOSB

• Jay Feldman, PhD, Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides for 25 years, is seeking nomination for the National Organic Standard Board. In addition to individual organizations and personal support, B. Afzal will draft a letter of support from ANHE.

1. 1. Book club/book review

• Next call

1. 1. Contests – Blog and Video

• Next call

1. 1. Mini-grants

• Can be use for regional writers’ retreats – max 10 participants, 4-5 state area

1. 1. Writers retreats

• M. J. Williams will host one in the New England area. (pending grant support)
• Elisa Mejia attended the writers’ retreat in Baltimore and is now published in AORN. R. Gilden will post the link to the article and scan the front cover of the journal edition.

1. 1. APHA 2009 meeting strategy

i. Disseminate info about EH nursing sessions

ii. Buttons

• Next call: August 14^th, 2-3PM Eastern.