It Is Hard to Believe That Summer Is Really Here and Gone! Fall Is Definitely in the Air

Dear Members,

It is hard to believe that Summer is really here and gone! Fall is definitely in the air in most parts of Idaho. I hope your Summer was fantastic, and full of vacations and babies!

The AWHONN Annual Convention in Orlando was filled with informative sessions, posters, research, and so much more. One of the most impressive parts of the convention was the motivation from fellow nurses and leaders who all are striving for the same goal---the well being of our moms and babies. The speeches from our national leaders were very impressive, and really stirred my emotions. I could relate to many of their stories of joy and sorrow, and it made me realize why I love being a nurse. We are in good hands! They are working in our behalf, and for the good of the families we take care of.
Make sure you go on the AWHONN website, and utilize all the resources. There are new webinars each year that address the most important topics in our perinatal world. Please take advantage of all AWHONN has to offer you as a professional nurse.

I would like to remind everyone that we have Idaho Section elections this year for the Chair and Secretary/Treasurer positions. There are two candidates running at the present time. Elections will begin the first week in September. Please make sure you log in to the website and vote! Here is the information from national headquarters:
AWHONN will be conducting national and section elections online by electronic vote from September 2 through September 30. Only those full voting members whose membership is current will be eligible to vote. Each eligible voter will receive an email with a link unique to themselves that will allow them to cast one ballot. Voting is confidential and AWHONN has no way of knowing who any member has voted for--only whether or not a member has voted.
All members who successfully submit a ballot will have their email address entered into a drawing to receive one of five complimentary convention registrations for the 2015 AWHONN Convention in Long Beach, CA. Winners will be notified via email by October 15, 2014.
The following positions are on the ballot for the 2015 AWHONN Board of Directors: President-Elect; Secretary-Treasurer; three regional directors: Region II, Region III, Region IV; and one at-large director. You can learn more about the candidates on our elections page [ ] . Additionally, members in the following sections will be voting for new Section Leaders and Section Secretary/Treasurers: AL, AR, AZ, CO,GA, HI, ID,IA, IL, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MS, NC, ND, NE, OH, RI, TN, VA, WA.
Please look for your email ballot on September 2nd.

I would also like to encourage all the leaders to attend the Idaho Perinatal Project Leadership Summit in Cascade, Idaho. This is a fantastic way to find out what is happening in Idaho, and network with most of the hospitals in the state. It is also a lot of fun! I have been attending for about 16 years now, and I wouldn't miss it. Check it out at Idaho Perinatal.org.

AWHONN is still encouraging the Go The Full 40 campaign. There are free posters and handouts available on the website. Just click on the Go The Full 40 Campaign blue box.

We are 172 members strong! Please continue to let all your colleagues know what a great advantage AWHONN is for you, and please let me know if I can help you in any way.Myself or TheressaDalling (Secretary/Treasurer) would be more than happy to assist you in any way we can. Don't hesitate to contact us!

Thank you for your membership, and all you do out there!

Tammy Ferney, BSN RNC-OB
AWHONN Idaho Section Chair