Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 23rd, and Friday, October 24th, as MNA's Annual convention will be held at the Best Western Premier- Great Northern Hotel in Helena, MT.

Key Agenda Topics:

• Proposed Membership Dues Adjustment

• • Review, discussion, and approval of the proposed changes to membership dues and their potential impact.

• Legislative and Policy Updates

• • Key developments affecting nursing practice, workplace safety, and healthcare policy.

• Bylaws and Governance Review

• • Discussion of proposed bylaw amendments and governance structure updates.

• Resolutions and Member Proposals

• • Debate and voting on resolutions submitted by members to guide the direction of the association.

House of Delegates Elections -- Now Open!

Nominate your fellow members or write yourself in on the ballot to become an elected delegate and help shape the future of MNA!

Stay informed and don't miss out on this key event! Visit our webpage at CNE by MNA for the latest updates and important details.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a condition where the heart stops pumping blood to the body. A person quickly loses consciousness and will die within a few minutes if intervention isn't provided. Data surrounding cardiac arrests in Montana is collected through the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) system (https://mycares.net/). Montana has participated in this program since 2016. Data is collected from EMS reports and hospital outcome reports. Results from 2024 have been completed.

There were 656 recorded cardiac arrests in Montana in 2024. The average age of the patient was 62 and two-thirds of them were in men. Most were Caucasian, with 5% being Native American and 8% listed as unknown. Most cardiac arrests (71.5%) happened at home, and most were unwitnessed. Almost half (49.3%) of the patients had bystander CPR prior to EMS arrival; this is considerably higher than the national average. Almost a third had an AED applied prior to EMS arriving; most were applied by law enforcement or fire department personnel. A witnessed arrest followed by bystander CPR and quick application of an AED are the factors most likely to contribute to survival.

Of the 656 people who had a cardiac arrest, 66 survived (10.1% survival rate). This rate is above the national average of 8.2% but has not changed in 8 years. Survival rates do vary by location. Within the seven largest counties in the state, survival rates range from 7-19%. (See table below.)

Efforts to improve survival in communities need to include the following: Telephone CPR provided by 911 dispatchers, AED access in public settings, support of law enforcement and fire department AED programs, wide-spread CPR education to all ages, ongoing training of EMS agencies and hospitals, and increased public awareness. Montana has partnered with the HEARTSafe Initiative (https://citizencpr.org/heartsafe-community/) to assist communities to improve their response to cardiac arrest.

There is a NEW resource for finding local public health data in Montana! Community Health Insights is an interactive dashboard that brings together county-level health data from a range of data sources, including Montana infectious disease data, birth certificates, death certificates, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the Montana Central Tumor Registry, hospital discharge, and Census. Topics include:

• Population and demographics

• Social Determinants of Health

• Chronic Conditions

• Child and Adolescent Health

• Maternal and Infant Health

• Injury and Violence

• Behavioral Health and Substance Use

• Communicable Disease

Please email syndromic@mt.gov with any questions or comments about the dashboard.

Heather Zimmerman, MPH

Lead Primary Health Surveillance Epidemiologist

Surveillance and Informatics Section

"This scholarship means so much to me. It lightens some of the financial burden and is a source of encouragement as I work toward becoming a nurse practitioner. As a working mom returning to school, support like this helps me continue pursuing my goals and reminds me that my efforts are seen and valued. I am incredibly grateful for this investment in my future as I take the next steps toward providing compassionate, high-quality care in my community."

- Brittany Bray

"It is an honor to be awarded this generous scholarship from the MNA Foundation. This year, I've had to drive three hours from home to my practicum site every week, and this money will offset the costs I've been incurring with that travel and the overnight stays. I'm nearing the end of my program, so I will also use it to purchase reference material for practice, so I can hit the ground running as a new PMHNP. Thank you so much to the MNAF and its members."

-Jason Hall

"Receiving this award from the Montana Nurses Association means a great deal to me as I juggle the challenges of advanced practice study, work, and motherhood. The support from the MNAF scholarship will ease financial pressure and give me the space to focus on becoming the best clinician I can be. It's an affirming and apropos stepping stone toward serving the people of Montana with deeper knowledge, stronger leadership, and the big heart I bring to accessible, holistic mental health care---right when I needed it most. I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity and committed to giving back to the people and place I love. Thank you again."

Sincerely,

-Patricia Pardee-Jacka, BSN, RN, PMH-BC

"Thank you so much for this scholarship award. With this award, I can continue clinical rotations for my APRN while reducing my hours at work to put more focus on schooling. I aspire to become a nurse practitioner for our rural Montana cancer center to help provide the best cancer care. I strive to provide continuity of care to our vulnerable population that needs excellent support. 
Thank you," 

-Courtney Jensen

Each year, MNA presents multiple awards to honor its members. Below are the criteria for nominations:

NOMINATIONS PROCEDURE

1.  Nominee must be a current member of MNA unless otherwise stated on the below award list.
2. Nominations must be submitted on this form.
3. If you are submitting more than one nomination, each nomination must be submitted on a separate form with the applicable award checked.
4. Must be submitted before September 13th.

Award Criteria and Founders

*Distinguished Nurse of the Year Award* -- Founded in honor of Trudy Malone, RN
This award recognizes a member of MNA for outstanding contributions made to professional nursing. A candidate must:

• Demonstrate dynamic leadership in promoting excellence in nursing
• Demonstrate the knowledge of current issues in relation to the goals of the nursing profession
• Show a keen awareness and commitment to professional nursing ethics
• Initiate positive action toward the improvement of patient care
• Demonstrate the ability to work well with other members of the health care team
  
  

*Economic & General Welfare Achievement Award* -- Founded in honor of Eileen Robbins, RN
This award recognizes a member(s) of MNA at the local unit level who has influenced their work setting through collective bargaining activities. A candidate must:

• Demonstrate commitment to professional nursing via individual practice competency and continuing educational growth
• Use contract language to define, monitor, and enhance nursing practice in the work environment
• Function as an active leader within the local unit through past or present elected office and committee participation

*Excellence for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse of the Year Award*
This award recognizes an APRN member of MNA who has demonstrated excellence in their practice specialty area and who has made significant contributions to health care and the professional growth of APRNs. A candidate must:

• Demonstrate excellence as an APRN and as a role model for other APRNs and the nursing profession in general
• Be involved as a preceptor, educator, advocate, in the political arena, etc.
• Have made a significant contribution to the improvement of health care for individuals, families, or communities
• Be creative in his/her approach to nursing care
• Have a positive effect on clients and on colleagues
• Utilize current research in practice.

*Excellence in Nursing Education Award* -- Founded in honor of Peggy Mussehl, RN (Continuing Education) and Anna Shannon, RN (Formal Education)
This award recognizes a member(s)/staff of MNA for professional nurse contributions in the field of either formal education and/or continuing education. A candidate must:

• Have significant involvement and commitment to advancing nursing education
• Expand the body of nursing knowledge through research or other scholarly activities
• Challenge learner to achieve an optimal level of accomplishment

*Friend of Nursing Award* -- Founded in honor of Barbara Booher
This award recognizes a non-nurse who has advocated for and/or significantly advanced nursing in Montana. The candidate must:

• Show significant long-term contributions made by a non-nurse to Montana's professional nursing community
• Facilitate significant accomplishments for the Association
• Play a key role in assisting major successes within the professional nursing community

*MNA Historian Award*
This award recognizes an MNA member/staff who has demonstrated a consistent, distinct interest in nursing history. A candidate must:

• Participate in preservation of historical nursing documents,
• Promote interest in nursing history,
• Promote MNA's History & Literary Endowment Fund.

*Political Nurse Leadership Award* -- Founded in honor of Mary Munger, RN
This award recognizes an MNA member/staff who has made significant contributions to nursing practice and health policy through political and legislative activity. A candidate must:

• Promote the nursing profession in political and health care arenas,
  Advance the knowledge of nurses, politicians, and policymakers concerning nursing and health care issues
• Demonstrates political leadership at the district, state, or national levels
• Serve as a mentor and role model to other nurses in the political process,
• Seek opportunities to advance Nursing's legislative agenda through grassroots activity.
  

*Promotion of Nursing Excellence in Media Arts* -- Founded in honor of Lynn Hebert
This award recognizes an MNA member/MNA staff or non-nurse for contributions in the field of journalism. The candidate must:

• Significantly contribute to news print publication(s) of timely articles and/or photographs regarding nurses/nursing
• Actively contribute to the promotion of excellence in nursing through any or all media modes.

Click the link to be directed to the Award Nomination form: Award Nomination Form