Administrative History

Capital District Nurses Association (CDNA), District 9 was established along side the New York State Nurses Association in 1919. District 9 is one of nineteen district nurses associations that form the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). In 2013, the District was renamed North Eastern New York Professional Nurses Organization and became an affiliation of the organization American Nurses Association (ANA). From the beginning, District 9 had strong relationships with local nursing schools, this continues to today. Several major focuses for the District include continuing education programs, management of nurses’ images, recruitment into the profession, and committees for local outreach. Over the span of ninety years membership fluctuated. In the 1940s membership was at an all-time high for District 9 with one thousand members, the mid 1960s saw a major decline to one hundred-fifty-nine members. In the 1980s the District spent more time recruiting members with educational programs led by nationally known speakers.

District 9 hosted the NYSNA convention in 1995. The twenty-first century brought new outreach programs to the Capital District including The Caring and Sharing Committee. Educational program topics included diversity, legal issues in nursing and HIV and the elderly. District 9 has a long history of involvement and professionalism.

PRESIDENTS OF CAPITAL DISTRICT NURSES ASSOCIATION, DISTRICT #9, 1991-2013

Administration of District 9 was a time consuming task. This series includes By Laws that list the goals of the organization and were written in 1998, Standard Operating Policies and Procedures written in 2001, outlining members’ rights and responsibilities. In 2002, the Board applied for Continuing Education Provider Status, the records in this series includes manuals, checklists, and instructions. The series also includes meeting minutes from 1999-2005 [non-inclusive]. During meetings announcements were made and committees would report developments. Some of the announcements included information on The Nine Times, the Caring and Sharing Committee, the Education and Practice Committee, Finance, the LENS committee, and Membership.

Throughout District 9’s operation continuing education opportunities were offered to members. Some of the courses offered included: “HIV and the Elderly” (2000), “Cultural Competence in Healthcare” (2001), “Statewide Peer Assistance Nurses Program: Nurses Helping Nurses with Addictions” (2002), “Disaster Preparedness: Are We Ready?” (2002), “Creating an Evidence-Based Practice Environment for Nursing” (2003), “Smallpox: What you need to know” (2003), “Military and Civilian Nurses Address Healing in this New Age of Bioterrorism” (2003), “The Law and Documentation” (2004), “How New York State Government Impacts the Nursing Profession” (2004), “The History of Murder and Forensic Science” (2005), “Telehomecare” (2005), and “Nursing: Leading the Way to Patient Safety” (2006). Some materials include information delivered in the presentations, statistics on attendance, as well as biographical data regarding the presenter. Linking Education, Nursing, and Seniors (LENS) was a group of volunteer Registered Nurses who talked to the elderly on a variety of topics.

In 1937 the District 9 newsletter was called “Capital Nurses Bulletin.” In the second half of the 20^th century, the newsletter was renamed The Nine Times. The newsletter of the new group, North Eastern New York Professional Nurses Organization, has yet to be named. Each edition of The Nine Times included a President’s report. Some editions provided updates on legislation, financial reports, updates on projects and committees like “Caring and Sharing,” announcements about continuing education programs.