ANA Contributes $192,000 to Nurses Affected by Hurricane Katrina
Silver Spring, MD - The American Nurses Association (ANA) announced today its contribution of $192,000 to the American Nurses Fund (ANF) to help nurses adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina. The ANF is disbursing 100 percent of these funds to three state nurses associations in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
"The need for assistance, and particularly services that nurses provide, continues and is significant," said ANA President Barbara A. Blakeney, MS, RN. "On behalf of the ANA Board of Directors, I am pleased that we could make this contribution to help nurses in need."
The ANF established the fund in September 2005 to receive contributions to help nurses in the affected region and, by December 6, 2005, disbursed $44,000 of the total $56,000 collected. The additional new ANA donation of $192,000 will be disbursed according to the plan established previously by ANF for disbursements from its fund: $86,400 (or 45 percent) each to the state nurses organizations in Louisiana and Mississippi and $19,200 (or 10 percent) to the state nurses association in Alabama.
"With this generous gift from ANA, direct assistance to nurses and nurse members will help them re-establish their lives," said William L. Holzemer, PhD, RN, FAAN, president of ANF. "These funds will help them to continue to do the caring for individuals in their communities."
The ANA is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.9 million registered nurses through its 54 constituent member nurses associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
The American Nurses Foundation exists to promote the health of the public and advance the nursing profession through the development and support of programs of excellence.
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The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.9 million Registered Nurses (RNs) through its 54 constituent member associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.