Former VCNP Southside Region member Judith Anderson discussed the role of NPs and how she navigated the changing healthcare landscape as the first practicing NP in Halifax County in the 1990s in this SWVA Today story.
Category Archives: All News
📣 SW-VCNP & SWVA Nurse Honor Guard Update
🗓️ April 5, 2025 Meeting Recap
We had a fantastic and productive gathering at Lincoln Road Coffee Shop in Norton, VA! ☕ Big shoutout to everyone who joined us for the latest updates on membership, budgeting, and our awesome Nurse Honor Guard. 🩵 The SW-VCNP basket won the most money for the VCNP Scholarship—go Southwest!! 🙌🎉
🔔 Upcoming Events & Meetings:📍SWVA Nurse Honor Guard Memorial Service
🕊️ Honoring Carmen Banks
🗓️ May 3, 2025 – Time: TBA
📍 Location: TBA📍Next Chapter Meeting
🗓️ May 3, 2025 | 🕤 9:30 AM
📌 Topics: Nurse Honor Guard, Chapter Updates, Narcan Training (MRC)
📍 Location: The Girl and The Raven, Abindon, VA 380 E Main St, Abingdon, VA 24210📍June Meeting
🗓️ June 8, 2025 | 🕤 9:30 AM
📌 Education on Novo Nordisk (Jerrie Doss)
📍 Location: Johnston Memorial Hospital (Room TBA)💙 Outreach in Action
📦 Food drive for Norton Homeless Shelter – Date: TBD
💊 Drug Takeback: 4/26/25, 9:45 AM–4 PM @ Food City BSG
🎗️ Relay for Life – Sept 6, Leeman Field, Pennington Gap (6–10 PM)
👉 $1 “Links of Love” honoring those affected by cancer
💪 Together, we’re making a meaningful impact across our region. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication!| Team | Item | Due Date | Responsible Person |
| Southwest Virginia Nurse Honor Guard | Order Triangles (10) | 5/3/25 | Christine Mullins |
| Update Website | 5/3/25 | Christine Mullins | |
| Email Update to Members | 5/3/25 | Christine Mullins | |
| Agenda for next meeting | 5/3/25 | Christine Mullins | |
| Follow up on Franklin, Henry, Roanoke, and Patrick Counties—if Roanoke Nightingales cover these and notify members: Tammy Shorter, Tracey Hairston, Kate Reynolds, Nieshia Carter | 5/3/25 | Christine Mullins | |
| Send Karla Osborne Wampler and email about our group | 5/3/25 | Christine Mullins | |
| Funeral Home Updates | 5/3/25 | Regional Champions | |
| Services Offered | 5/3/25 | Regional Champions | |
| Services Scheduled | 5/3/25 | Regional Champions | |
| Speak with Estes Funeral Home about services | 5/3/25 | Teresa Tyson & Paula Hill-Collins | |
| Southwest Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners | May meeting location | 5/3/25 | Tauna Gulley |
| Coordinate location with MRC for Narcan Training | 5/3/25 | Tauna Gulley | |
| Determine room location for June Meeting | 6/8/25 | Tauna Gulley | |
| Sell links for September Event-$1 per link. The links to honor a person who has had cancer; take donation, write name down—bring to next meeting. Christine will give money and names to Ms. Jennifer Stafford’s Team. #AlexiaStrong | 9/6/25 | All VCNP and Nurse Honor Guard Members |
April Meeting
SWVCNP Next Meeting Reminder!
When: April 5, 2025, at 9:30 A.M. Where: Lincoln Road Coffee Lounge, 36 Park Ave NW, Norton, VA 24273
We look forward to seeing and hearing from all Nurse Honor Guard members!
We invite all Nurse Practitioner students to come to our upcoming meeting! 
What: Dr. Jennifer Hammons will present information on the free and charitable St. Mary’s Faith Pharmacy.
Community Initiative
This April, we are organizing an event to support the homeless population in Norton, VA with nonperishable food donations. We kindly ask all members to bring at least one nonperishable item to contribute. Every little bit helps! 
Let’s come together to make a difference! See you there! 
#SWVANurseHonorGuard #CommunitySupport #GiveBack #NortonVA #NursePractitioners #swvcnp
Health Commissioner Update: COVID-19 Reporting Updates
Virginia Department of Health distributed the letter below sharing an update COVID-19 Reporting.
This information is also available on the VDH Resources for Health Care Professionals web page.
March Meeting Recap & Next Meeting!
📅 Meeting Recap: March 1, 2025
Members of SW-VCNP and the SWVA Nurse Honor Guard gathered at the Girl and the Raven in Abingdon, Virginia, for a productive session! We discussed the SWVA Nurse Honor Guard, chose a raffle winner, legislative updates, treasurer reports, and preparations for the 2025 conference. Our group also constructed a basket for the 2025 VCNP Conference with an Appalachian Adventure theme. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed and attended! 💙
📍 Next Meeting:
When: April 5, 2025, at 9:30 A.M.
Where: Lincoln Road Coffee Lounge, 36 Park Ave NW, Norton, VA 24273. We look forward to seeing you there! ☕
#SWVAVCNP #SWVANurseHonorGuard #SWVCNP #2025VCNPConference
Health Commissioner Update: Measles Updates for Virginia
Virginia Department of Health distributed the letter below sharing an update about measles in Virginia.
This information is also available on the VDH Resources for Health Care Professionals web page.
Financial Health Resource
The Virginia Department of the Treasury, Unclaimed Property Division’s mission is to reunite rightful owners with their unclaimed property/account assets that have been reported/escheated to The Commonwealth of Virginia.
Our program is based on a consumer protection law that states if holder companies lose track of the rightful owner of accounts/assets, they must consider the accounts inactive/dormant and report these accounts to our division. Each year we return millions of dollars to the rightful owners through multiple outreach efforts we have in place including newspaper inserts, television and newspaper stories, presentations, remote call and onsite events, etc. Since this program was started in 1961 we have returned over $1 Billion in unclaimed property to Virginians.
If you want more information about Unclaimed property please check out the state website: https://www.trs.virginia.gov/Unclaimed-Property
Or check out their search website: https://www.vamoneysearch.gov/
Health Commissioner Update: Raising Awareness about an Ebola Disease Outbreak caused by Sudan Virus in Uganda
Virginia Department of Health distributed the letter below sharing an update about an Ebola Disease Outbreak caused by Sudan Virus in Uganda.
This information is also available on the VDH Resources for Health Care Professionals web page.
SW-VCNP February Meeting Success!
We had a fantastic meeting at The Girl and the Raven in Abingdon, VA, on February 1, 2025! Thank you to everyone who joined us for our monthly meeting!
Pat Meinen, from Medical Reserve Corps came to enlighten everyone on their services and to announce the Annual Conference presented by NETN, SWVA, and Sullivan County MRC Units. The conference is on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at Northeast State Community College, 2425 TN-75, Blountville, TN 37617, from 8 am to 5 pm. They will be covering a Sheltering Exercise, CPR Certification, Communications, Networking, Mental Health and Disasters, and much more! So SAVE THE DATE!!
Southwest Virginia Nurse Honor Guard-Christine Mullins presented an update on progress with the website, social media, membership (n=37), counties covered, ongoing raffle ticket sales for the EKO Stethoscope, and future plans. The raffle will be drawn at the next SWVCNP regional meeting on March 1, 2025.
County Champions were established to disseminate services regionally. The County Champions are responsible for arrangements with the funeral home, family members, and the honor guard members. Several members volunteered for this effort.
The southwest region is creating a basket to raffle off at the VCNP Conference. The theme is Rustic, Appalachian Adventures. Each member is going to purchase items up to $25 for the basket and we will work on it together at the next meeting SWVCNP Regional Meeting on March 1, 2025. There was a robust discussion on calendar events for this year and things our group was interested in hosting/participating in, i.e., REVIVE Training, conferences, museum of trees, parades, trunk or treats, and drug takebacks. Coetta Neece has started a calendar to add events to for our region. We also discussed hosting meetings outside of Abingdon--alternating sites for more participation. Our next meeting: March 1, 2025 at The Girl and the Raven, 380 E. Main Street, Abingdon, Virginia, 9:30 AM. We hope to see all our members at the next meeting!! We forgot to get a group photo, however, we did get a few pictures to share! Many thanks to Tauna Gulley, Southwest Region President, for leading our group meeting and for all the members who showed up for networking!
Health Commissioner Update: Avian Influenza Update for Virginia Health Commissioner Update
Virginia Department of Health distributed the letter below sharing an update on Avian Influenza.
This information is also available on the VDH Resources for Health Care Professionals web page.