A Letter from the President Dear Beloved Northeast Pediatric Cardiology Nurses Association (NPCNA) Members, Happy New Year and I hope this letter finds you well. I want to apologize for the long overdue update that this letter will include. The COVID-19 pandemic had a catastrophic effect on many things, including our organization and its ability to serve our members in the same manner that we have done in the past. Our resources were stretched thin as each of the Board members were dealing with the personal and professional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We attempted several virtual education offerings with one successful conference in October of 2021. Some of the other events were not well-attended. We planned to have an in-person conference in 2022 and possibly at the beginning of 2023, but the hospitals that were asked to host were also recovering from the pandemic and were unable to support hosting a conference within the timeframe that we wanted. The 8th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (WCPCCS) is going to be this August 27th through September 1st in Washington, DC. We are going to be supporting WCPCCS and therefore will not be hosting a conference this year. We are planning for an in-person conference in 2024. Currently, we do not know when or where, but we are looking for suggestions and hosting opportunities. I want to apologize for the lack of member benefits these past couple of years. The organization does not have a management company and therefore we rely on volunteers, especially our Board of Directors. We found that during the pandemic it was hard to balance all of the challenges to provide a cost-effective, timely conference. Going forward, we are going to improve our e-mail response time from the npcna.contact@gmail.com account. In addition, we welcome any member to nominate themselves or others for the Board of Directors. We always appreciate assistance with planning events and suggestions for member benefits. Thank you to those who paid your membership dues the past year and please reach out to npcna.contact@gmail.com if you experienced any financial hardship during the pandemic. We are looking to rectify the lack of membership benefits by providing a financial incentive. This will be discussed at our next Board of Directors meeting and another communication will follow. Thank you again for your support of NPCNA and we look forward to restoring the organization to provide our members with a professional network that enhances pediatric cardiology nursing. In Gratitude, Justine M Fortkiewicz Justine Mize Fortkiewicz, MSN, RN-BC, CPN, CCRN-K President Northeast Pediatric Cardiology Nurses Association | Become a member
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