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NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS
Annual WVPHA Fall Conference
Sept 17-19th, 2008. For a copy of the agenda click here.
Public Health Nurse of the Year nomination form click here.
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BYLAWS OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING
SECTION OF THE
WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION
Article I
Name
The name of this organization shall be the Public Health Nursing Section of the West Virginia Public Health Association.
Article II
Mission
To enhance Public Health Nursing through education, peer support, and advocacy whereby nurses may empower their communities to attain and maintain wellness.
Article III
Members
Section l. There shall be two classes of membership (active and life).
Section 2. Any nurse holding membership in the West Virginia Public Health Association is eligible for active membership. An applicant for membership shall make application in writing on forms provided for this purpose.
Section 3. An active member who has been a member of the West Virginia Public Health Association Nursing Section for a period of thirty (30) years as an active member or is sixty (60) years of age or older who has been an active member of said section for a period of five (5) years or those designated by the executive committee shall be eligible for life membership in the section.
Section 4. The annual dues shall be $15.00. Dues are payable on or before the Spring Clinical Teaching Day or March 31, whichever event is later. Dues paid after Spring Clinical Teaching Day or March 31 will be $20. Life members shall be exempt from the payment of dues.
Article IV
Officers
Section l. The officers of the organization shall be immediate past chair, chair, chair-elect, vice chair, secretary, treasurer, and historian.
Section 2. All officers of the organization shall be employed in the state of West Virginia.
Section 3. At the annual meeting, a nominating committee of three members shall be elected. The member receiving the highest number of votes shall be the chair of the committee. The committee shall submit its proposed slate of officers to the chair of the nursing section two months prior to the annual meeting. The chair of the nominating committee shall secure the names in nomination and verify their membership. At the annual meeting, the chair of the nominating committee shall present its' report to the general membership. The nominating committee shall prepare the ballot for distribution at the annual meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor.
Section 4. All officers shall be elected at the annual meeting. The term for immediate past chair, chair, chair-elect and vice-chair shall be one (1) year. All other officers shall serve a term of two (2) years or until their successors are elected. The term of office shall begin at the annual meeting. The election shall be by ballot. The chair of the nursing section appoints three tellers to distribute, collect and count the ballots, and to report the vote. The first named teller shall be the chairman. A majority vote shall elect. Absentee voting shall be available by mail vote. The newsletter shall provide all members with a ballot for mail vote. To be counted as a legal vote, the ballot must be returned to the chair of the nominating committee one week prior to the first day of the annual meeting.
Section 5. The progression from vice chair to chair-elect to chair to immediate past chair shall be an automatic progression.
Section 6. Elected officers shall be eligible for only one term to the same office.
Section 7. Duties of officers:
- The immediate past chair shall serve in an advisory capacity.
- The chair shall preside at all meetings of the organization; be an
ex officio member of all committees, except the nominating committee. The
section chair shall appoint all committee members and designate the chairs
of the following committees: Budget, Bylaws, Legislative, Liaison, Local
Arrangements, Membership and Awards, and Newsletter. The chair shall be a
member of and attend the Executive Council meetings of the West Virginia
Public Health Association. She/he shall attend and represent the Nursing
Section at meetings of the Association of Local Health Departments.
- The chair-elect shall serve as chair of the budget and co-chair of the
education committee. She/he shall be in charge of the planning and
organization of the Spring Clinical Teaching Days (SCTD) conference and
shall assist with the planning of the nursing section’s sessions at the
WVPHA annual conference. She/he shall perform other duties of the chair in
her/his absence or at her/his request.
- The vice chair shall serve as a member of the budget and co-chair of
the education committee. She/he shall be in charge of the planning of the
nursing section’s sessions at the WVPHA annual conference and shall attend
planning committee meetings for the WVPHA annual conference and shall
assist with the planning of the SCTD.
- The secretary shall keep the minutes of all organizational meetings;
preserve all papers, letters, and records of transactions; and send copies
of all minutes (within one month of the meeting) to the Section Council
members and to the President of the West Virginia Public Health
Association, and notify committee chairs as to their appointment. She/he
shall be responsible for sending correspondence representing the nursing
section at the request of the Section Council and/or majority vote of the
membership.
- The treasurer shall be custodian of all funds of the organization; keep an itemized account of all receipts and disbursements; disburse funds at the request of the Section Council or an authorized designee; serve as a member of the budget committee; and present financial reports at the Section Council meetings and the annual meeting. The treasurer shall work in conjunction with the membership and the local arrangement committees regarding matters dealing with SCTD and WVPHA annual conference registrations. Within three months following the annual meeting, the treasurer's accounts shall be audited.
- e. The historian shall be custodian of memorabilia and may prepare a narrative account of the section's activities during his/her term of office, which, when approved by the Section Council, will become a permanent part of the section's official history.
Section 8. Removal of any officer may be made at any time upon majority vote of the section membership present at a membership meeting.
Section 9. Vacancies in all elected offices, except the chair, shall be filled by appointment by the Section Council. The chair-elect shall become chair upon vacancy of the office of chair. Should vacancies occur concurrently in the offices of chair and chair-elect and/or vice-chair, the Section Council shall appoint replacements who will serve until the annual meeting. At the annual meeting the nominating committee shall include nominees on the ballot for the offices of chair and/or chair-elect and/or vice chair. Serving as a replacement does not preclude or assure nomination for election to that office.
Article V
Meetings
Section l. There shall be an annual business meeting held in conjunction with the West Virginia Public Health Association annual meeting.
Section 2. One quarter of the membership shall constitute a quorum for the annual meeting.
Article VI
Section Council
Section l. The Section Council shall consist of the immediate past chair, chair, chair- elect, vice chair, secretary, treasurer, historian, two elected board members at large, and the standing committee chairs.
Section 2. There shall be two elected Section Council board members at large each serving a term of office of two years. Board members at large shall be elected on alternate years.
Section 3. The Section Council shall have general supervision of the affairs of the organization between meetings of the organization, fix the hour and place of meetings, make recommendations to the general membership, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these bylaws. The Section Council shall be subject to the orders of the general membership, and none of its acts shall conflict with action taken by the general membership.
Section 4. Regular meetings of the Section Council shall be held at least semiannually. Special meetings of the council may be called by the chair or may be called upon the written request of the three members of the council.
Section 5. A majority of the members of the council shall constitute a quorum for Section Council Meetings.
Article VII
Committees
Section l. The standing committees shall be Budget, Bylaws, Education, Legislative, Local Arrangements, Membership and Awards, Newsletter, Nominating, and Statewide Nursing Liaison.
Section 2. Unless otherwise ordered by the Section Council, standing committees shall consist of three members and shall begin their duties immediately after the annual meeting and shall remain active until the next annual meeting.
Section 3. Each standing committee chair shall be responsible for presenting a verbal report at all Section Council meetings. The chair of each committee shall submit a written committee report to the chair of the Public Health Nursing Section two weeks prior to the annual meeting.
Section 4. The Budget Committee shall present a budget plan for the year for the approval of the Section Council. The budget shall include income and expenses for the entire term of office.
Section 5. The Bylaws Committee shall make a continuing study of the rules and actions governing the section. They shall consider all amendments proposed by the general membership in addition to those proposed by the committee. The committee recommendations shall be presented to the Section Council for possible submission to the membership for action.
Section 6. The Education Committee shall receive suggestions from the general members and the Section Council for programs. They shall be responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating programs for the annual meeting and spring clinical teaching day. This committee shall work in conjunction with the Local Arrangements Committee in regards to conference registrations.
Section 7. The Legislative Committee shall inform the general membership on matters of legislation by reviewing proposed legislation, surveying membership as to interest, preparing position statements, requesting hearings, and speaking for the Public Health Nursing Section.
Section 8. The Local Arrangements Committee shall be responsible for making the general arrangements for the annual meeting and the clinical spring teaching day. These arrangements include social activities, setting up an appropriate registration area and staffing for this area, arranging the luncheon, and other specific tasks as assigned by the chair.
Section 9. The Membership and Awards Committee shall strive to enlist new members and shall keep accurate files of membership. They shall identify and plan for recognition of paid nursing section members who have completed a total of 10 years of service, and for every fifth year thereafter. Special recognition for service may be awarded at the request of the section chair.
Section 10. The Newsletter (The Lamplighter) Committee shall produce and distribute to the membership of the nursing section a minimum of two newsletters each year. One shall be in the spring with current legislative information, an agenda/application for the spring clinical teaching day, and membership information/application. The other shall be published in the summer at least one month prior to the annual meeting. The agenda for the nursing section at the annual meeting shall be contained in the newsletter along with a publication of the ballot and candidate information. This ballot may be used for those desiring to vote by mail ballot. Other publications will be printed and distributed dependant on need and/or at the request of the Section Council.
Section 11. Information regarding the Nominating Committee is contained in Article IV, Section 2 and 3.
Section 12. The Statewide Nursing Liaison Committee shall serve to improve communications between local health department nurses and the Bureau for Public Health staff. In this effort, the committee will receive concerns from nurses, act to clarify these concerns, and make recommendations to the Bureau for Public Health. Membership shall be elected by members of the regions. If a region fails to select their own representative, one will be appointed by the section chair. There shall be 10 members on the liaison committee. Members will represent each of the regions identified on the attached map plus the nursing section chair or her designee. All members of the committee shall be appointed for a three year term. The chair of the Liaison Committee shall represent the Liaison Committee at meetings of the Association of Local Health Departments.
Section 13. Special committees shall be designated as the Section Council considers necessary to carry on the work of the organization. These shall be appointed by the chair of the nursing section, and shall function on an "ad hoc" basis.
Article VIII
Parliamentary Authority
The parliamentary authority shall be Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised for all matters not covered in these bylaws.
Article IX
Amendment of Bylaws
These bylaws can be amended at any general membership meeting by a two thirds vote of members present, provided that the suggested bylaw changes have been approved by the Section Council and that advanced notice of the intent to amend has been given in writing to all members. The full text of the bylaw amendment(s) shall be included in this notice.
Suggested changes 2007. |
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