Thank-you for your AzNA membership and your commitment to our profession. For 95 years, the Arizona Nurses Association has been the respected voice of nursing in the state of Arizona.  AzNA continues to have a respected voice in the public policy area thanks to the work of our dedicated member volunteers and our suburb Public Policy leadership team: Denise Link, AzNA Governmental Affairs Officer, Rory Hays, AzNA Lobbyist (for the past 25 years!) and Mary Griffith, Public Policy Consultant. 

On Tuesday, October 21at The Governor's Council on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response (Council) was established pursuant to Executive Order 2014-08. The Council is responsible for the following activities:

• Develop and implement a coordinated comprehensive plan to ensure Arizona's public health infrastructure is prepared for the potential outbreak of infectious diseases, such as the Ebola virus, influenza, Enterovirus, Tuberculosis, and other emerging infectious diseases, and can provide rapid response that effectively protects the safety and well-being of Arizonans. 
  
• Strengthen collaboration among healthcare organizations, medical communities, government agencies, law enforcement, non-profit organizations, and the community-at-large in order to effectively address infectious disease transmission and treatment; and
• Serve as a reliable and transparent source of information and education for Arizona leadership and citizens; and
• Provide a preliminary report on its findings and recommendations, including progress made on implementation of the plan and recommendations for additional needs and response activities, to the Governor by December 1, 2014.

AzNA holds the only nursing seat on the 20-member council; and I am the appointed nurse. This communication is my attempt to assure that all of our members have a chance to weigh in on the responsibilities the Council has been charged with. 

I welcome your comments, input, ideas regarding these responsibilities. Please leave a comment below.

Be sure to visit the Ebola Preparedness webpage on the site of the Arizona Department of Health Services to see current local resources (in addition to national resources such as CDC guidelines). Feel free to visit the special advisory council website. All meetings are open to the public and are listed on the site. 

Lastly, AzNA's website compiles all local and national information for you so feel free to visit the site often.  

-Robin