CRONA
Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement
CRONA Convention
October 6, 2009

Convention
The annual CRONA convention was held at the LPCH auditorium and was well-attended. New area representatives were recognized with red roses presented by a current area representative from their respective unit. Donna Borges and Bobbie Noffsinger, retired area representatives from the IICN at LPCH, were honored with a bouquet of red roses by their peers.

Joanne McNabb, Chief, California Office of Privacy Protection spoke about identity theft. Some of the top 10 tips for protecting ourselves from such crime are: do not take the bait when scam artists “phish” by pretending to be banks, or government agencies; shred or tear up personal information credit card offers that you do not use; do not carry your Social Security card in your wallet; when shopping on line only enter personal information on secure Web pages with “https” in the address bar; check your credit card bills and bank statements right away for unauthorized charges or withdrawals; stop most pre-approved credit card offers because they make a tempting target for identity thieves.

Suzanne Giogi , Senior Counsel for the California Office of Health Information Integrity (CalOHII) spoke about the state confidentiality laws, HIPAA, privacy breaches and range of penalties. As first line health care providers, we are vulnerable to potential breaches known or unknown to us. Additional information is available from the Health and Safety Code Section 130202 and Civil Code Section 56.36; Health and Safety Code Section 1280.15 and 42 U.S.C 132Od-5.

The CRONA Officers summarized the investigatory meetings, disciplinary actions, grievances and arbitrations with CRONA involvement for 2009. There is a significant increase in nurses being investigated and disciplined. It appears that there is less mentoring and more disciplining at both hospitals. The most number of cases relate to medication and controlled drugs, communication and behavior and breaches of confidentiality.

CRONA Voting
The proposed Bylaws changes and proposed CRONA budget for 2010 were passed. Voting by the membership will take place electronically via home email and USPS mail (for members who do not have home email addresses) from midnight, Friday, October 23 through midnight, Sunday, November 8, 2009.

CRONA Scholarship
We are currently accepting applications for CRONA scholarships. Please log on to crona.org for details.

Negotiations
Negotiations start January 2010. Our current contracts expire March 31, 2010. Give us your feedback. Watch for the negotiation survey and other voting in your home emails starting midnight, Friday, October 23, 2009.

Lorie Johnson, President
On behalf of the CRONA Executive Board