Press Room / News Release Archive
Please note that due to a change in management companies, the contact information found in all press releases prior to January 1, 2008 are no longer applicable.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2005
Dermatology Nurses' Association Distributes Nurse Competence in Aging Awards
Pitman, NJ – The Dermatology Nurses’ Association (DNA) presented the Nurse Competence in Aging Award to Sue McCann, MSN, RN, DNC, and Jeanne McElhose, RN, at its 23rd Annual Convention in New Orleans, February 17-20, 2005. The award recognizes an active DNA member whose professional practice and achievements best exemplify the collaborative goals and objectives of DNA and the Nurse Competence in Aging Initiative, and who is committed to nursing care for older adults. McCann and McElhose received a $400 project grant provided by the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Care.
McCann, who lives in Pittsburgh, PA, has been a member of DNA for 17 years. She is a DNA past president and previously served on the association’s Board of Directors. McCann received a bachelor’s of science in nursing from Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA, and a master’s of science in nursing from Dusquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a clinical nurse in dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Presbyterian, in Pittsburgh, PA.
McElhose, who lives in Oakmont, PA, has been a member of DNA for one year. She received a nursing degree from Presbyterian-University Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. McElhose is a clinical nurse in dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Presbyterian.
McCann and McElhose will use the grant to explore the effects of chronic diarrhea on the elderly population and to implement a skin care program for hospitalized patients with this problem. They plan to report their findings with a poster presentation, an article in Dermatology Nursing, DNA’s official journal, and/or a presentation at DNA’s 2006 annual convention.
The Nurse Competence in Aging Award is part of a $13,000 grant DNA received in 2004 from the American Nurses Association (ANA). The funds will be used over two years to enhance the education of nurses in caring for older adults. The DNA grant is part of a five year “Nurse Competence in Aging” initiative funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies (USA) Inc. awarded to ANA through the American Nurses Foundation (ANF). The initiative is part of a strategic alliance between ANA, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University, Steinhardt School of Education, Division of Nursing.
The program aims to improve the quality of health care provided to older adults by enhancing the attitudes, skills, and knowledge of over 400,000 nurses who are members of 60 national specialty associations through educational activities, certification exams, and Web-based resource centers.
For more information about DNA, visit the Web site at www.dnanurse.org; call 800-454-4DNA or 856-256-2300; fax 856-589-7463; or e-mail dna@ajj.com.
# # #
The Dermatology Nurses’ Association (DNA) is a professional nursing organization comprised of a diverse group of individuals committed to quality care through sharing knowledge and expertise. DNA’s core purpose is to promote excellence in dermatologic care.