A Busy Summer is About to Make Way for an Equally-Active Fall
Has your summer been everything you hoped it would be? As August zips by, CANP can reflect on some key achievements and milestones from the current season while looking ahead to important business still to be wrapped up this summer, all while laying the groundwork for what promises to be a busy fall.
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Happy New Fiscal Year – July 1 marked the beginning of a new fiscal year, and with it a new CANP annual budget year. The 2019-2020 operating budget was first reviewed by CANP’s Finance Committee, comprised of volunteer leaders from across the state, then forwarded to the Board of Directors for final approval. For the third consecutive year, the budget projects more than $1 million in revenue. This year’s projected revenue represents an increase of 43 percent compared to five years ago.
Membership dues account for the largest piece of the income pie (see more about membership below). Because of your investment in the Association, we are able to re-invest in growing the organization and advancing the NP profession. Among planned initiatives for the current budget year are enhancements to our communications program, including further expansion of our social media presence, digital media resources for chapters, and fortifying our ability to promote how our members are making a difference in their communities. The budget also reflects our commitment to further growing revenue through various income sources, including our Annual Educational Conference, which is second only to membership dues among our biggest revenue generators.
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Membership Milestone – In some ways, CANP’s growth is best reflected in our membership numbers. We are incredibly proud to report that this summer we reached the 4,000-member mark for the first time in our organization’s history. As of August 1, we have 4,096 members. That represents an increase of 21 percent over the last 12 months, and 46 percent over the last five years!
Digging deeper into the numbers, we find that our biggest increases are among those who are in the process of embarking on their nurse practitioner careers. First-year graduates and current students account for 36 percent of our members, with the number of first-year graduate members growing by 44 percent over the last year and the number of current NP student members rising by 24 percent over the same span.
Of course, our members themselves have a lot to do with that growth. Many thanks to all of you for all the work you do to help spread awareness of CANP and the many benefits to be found in being part of our organization.
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Welcome Aboard – The start of the fiscal year also marked the start of the two-year term for our newest member of the Board of Directors. Linda Trinh, a member of the Orange County chapter, was seated July 1 as the Co- Chair of the Education Committee, following the end of Cher Hagaman’s term in that position. Later this year, on October 1, Alexa Curtis of the Sacramento Chapter will succeed Charlotte Gullap-Moore as Health Practice Chair.
Our congratulations to Linda and Alexa, and many thanks to both Cher and Charlotte for their service. While they may be vacating the chair’s positions, Cher and Charlotte will both continue to be very active, engaged members of their respective committees, contributing a wealth of knowledge and helping ease the transition to new leadership.
Several other board positions will be up for election at next year’s meeting of the House of Delegates. The nomination process will commence this fall.
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Legislative Home Stretch – State lawmakers returned to Sacramento August 12 following their summer recess, and are now entering the final stretch of this year’s legislative session, which concludes September 13. While Assembly Bill 890 has been designated as a two-year bill, our efforts in support of the measure continue.
Following the conclusion of the legislative session in September, legislators will depart Sacramento, to return in January. We want to remind all CANP members that this September-to-January interim period is the ideal time to schedule grassroots outreach visits at legislative district offices in your communities to continue making the case for AB 890 (which is eligible to be taken up in January). Stay tuned for more information to assist in your efforts. In the meantime, be sure to consult our Grassroots Resource Center for tools and tips.
Meanwhile, a measure sponsored by CANP is cruising through the legislative process with not a single vote cast in opposition, and now sits one step short of the Governor’s desk.
Assembly Bill 1514 would add nurse practitioners to the list of providers who can certify patients with hearing disabilities to utilize specialized telecommunications equipment through the California Public Utilities Commission’s Deaf and Disabled Telecommunications Program. Authored by Assembly Member Jim Patterson, AB 1514 has been passed by both houses of the Legislature. The bill now returns to the Assembly for approval of amendments adopted in the Senate, after which it would be sent to the Governor for his signature.
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Contractor or Employee? – One of the most high-profile bills under consideration this year is Assembly Bill 5, which would codify the recent Dynamex decision by the California Supreme Court establishing a strict standard of proof to determine whether a worker is to be regarded as an employee or an independent contractor. The bill would extend labor protections and benefits to a wide range of workers currently regarded as independent contractors. It would also have the practical effect of limiting the use of independent contractors in most industries.
CANP has joined forces with a number of other organizations representing a wide variety of health care providers, as well as the California Hospital Association and the California Association of Health Facilities, to express concerns about the bill. In an August 5 letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the coalition expressed support for the bill “if it is amended to recognize and protect the important role independent contractors play in health care.” Specifically, the coalition takes issue with a May 24 amendment to the bill that would enable employers to continue independent contractor relationships with a variety of different professionals, but omits health care providers from this provision.
The bill has been placed on the Suspense File of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The committee will consider whether to remove the bill from suspense during its hearing scheduled for August 30.
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Forward to the Fall – While our summer endeavors wind down, we’re already well into planning and production for a number of upcoming events for this fall and beyond. First up among those is our annual Leadership Summit, a one-day gathering of chapter leaders from throughout the state that is designed to foster an exchange of ideas and information, all geared toward providing these volunteers with the tools they need to be effective leaders at the local level.
The Leadership Summit takes place September 21 in Sacramento, and is open to up to two representatives from each chapter, as designated by chapter presidents. If you’re interested in attending, be sure to contact your chapter president and let them know.
As it does every fall, National Nurse Practitioner Week is coming – this year scheduled for November 10-16. CANP will once again produce a number of resources to help commemorate the occasion while promoting awareness of the NP profession. We’re also developing new campaigns to mark the occasion.
And, while the event itself is nearly seven months away, be sure to save the dates for our 43rd Annual Educational Conference, supported by NSO and taking place March 19-22, 2020 in Riverside. The opening of conference registration is one more thing to be on the lookout for this fall.