New book features role of nurses in disaster relief

Two nurses from the University of Virginia School of Nursing have written a new book on the important role of nurses during a disaster. "Nurses on the Frontline: When Disaster Strikes, 1878-2010," by Arlene Keeling, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, and Barbra Mann Wall, Ph.D., RN, has been released by Spencer Publishing Company.

The project began in 2005, when Keeling was at a conference for the American Association for the History of Nursing. Hurricane Katrina was taking its toll on New Orleans, and Keeling and her colleagues watched the news stories focus on the efforts of the American Red Cross, the U.S. Public Health Service and volunteers. She noticed that news of nurses at the site was skimpy. Keeling suggested writing a book depicting the role of nurses in past man-made and natural disasters, and Wall, her colleague, jumped at the idea and quickly began the process.

Chapters in "Nurses on the Frontline" focus on a historical disaster, beginning with yellow fever in 1878 and ending in 2010 with the Haiti earthquake devastation. Excerpts from letters, surveys, press and other primary sources add to the credibility of the text, and study questions following each chapter make it a perfect tool for the classroom.

Bray elected to AAMN board
Lavoy Bray Jr., RN, BSN, MEd, dean of quality enhancement services at Southside Regional Medical Center Professional Schools in Petersburg, has been elected to the Board of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing. Voting was held at the 35th annual conference recently held at Duke University.

Bray is president of the Central Virginia Chapter of the AAMN. Additional chapter members Kirk Warmolts, treasurer, and Danny Jones, president-elect, also attended the conference.

Gregory named to Virginia Board of Nursing
Allison Gregory, a clinical instructor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing and VCU alumna, has been appointed by Gov. Bob McDonnell to the 13-member Virginia Board of Nursing. The board regulates education and licensure for various health care professionals.

"Allison is an experienced nurse and committed educator. In addition to her work at the VCU School of Nursing, she is engaged with local efforts to provide care for the uninsured," said Debra Lyon, Ph.D., RN, chair of the VCU School of Nursing's department of family and community health nursing. "She is an excellent addition to the Virginia Board of Nursing and will well represent the nursing profession."

Nursing student to write Wall Street Journal blog
Haley Stephens, a fourth-year nursing student at the University of Virginia, has been selected to write for The Wall Street Journal's "Hire Education" blog. The blog follows Stephens and eight other college seniors as they look for work in a tough job market and aims to provide students with advice and comfort during their transition from college to the working world. Stephens is pursuing a minor in sociology, serves as the fourth-year nursing class secretary for the Nursing Student Council and is a member of various honor societies at U.Va. She also serves as a research assistant for a randomized controlled trial at the U.Va. Medical Center.

The "Hire Education" blog can be found on The Wall Street Journal's website with posts updated weekly.

George earns state award for home care
The Virginia Association of Homecare recently named Bonnie George, RN, Williamsburg manager for AT Home Care, as Virginia's top administrator of the year. The honor is given to an outstanding professional in the home health-care field who has shown extraordinary dedication to her profession, maximized resources to deliver quality health care to patients and improved their outcomes. George has been with the Williamsburg branch of AT Home Care for eight years and took on the management responsibilities at the Norfolk branch two years ago. More recently, she expanded her role to oversee the AT Home Care Branch in Irvington. Her style of management resulted in better flow of communication among clinicians, resulting in improved care. This new management model has been adopted by AT Home Care in other areas.