Logo designed by Carol Lynn Rose, Beaufort County Health Department
To read more about her logo design concept, click here.

Public Health Nursing Section

How to Join the Public Health Nursing Section

Joining NCPHA is easy! Just click on "Join Now" on the front page of the website and make sure you check Public Health Nursing on the membership form.

Welcome from the Chair

Welcome to the Public Health Nursing Section page of the NCPHA website. We are glad to have you visit our page in the hope that you will learn more about the benefits of being a member of this organization and make a decision to join us. There are so many benefits to being a member of NCPHA and the Public Health Nursing Section. These include:

Leadership and Education Opportunities

Tax deductible membership dues
Section activities which include statewide conference call meetings, up-to-date information on the latest trends in public health nursing, membership drives, ways to celebrate our history of public health nursing in North Carolina
Representation by a registered lobbyist in the NC General Assembly
Networking and collaborating with nurses and other public health professionals and advocates
A discounted rate at NCPHA conferences
Access to awards and scholarships sponsored by the Public Health Nursing Section

Join us today and start reaping the benefits of NCPHA and Public Health Nursing Section membership!

Goal of the Public Health Nursing Section

To bring nurses together for a common cause, to protect and promote the public health of the residents of North Carolina by:

Providing a medium for public health nurses in North Carolina for continuing education and peer exchange as a means of increasing professional identity and performance in public health practice.
Supporting legislation favorable to public health and promotion of the public health of the residents of North Carolina.
Promoting programs and/or projects deemed necessary to protect and promote the public health of the citizens of North Carolina.

Public Health Nursing Section Bylaws and Manual of Procedures

Public Health Nursing Section Bylaws

Public Health Nursing Section Manual of Procedures

Interested in serving on the Public Health Nursing Section Executive Committee to expand your leadership skills, boost your resume, and work with other public health nurse leaders? Please fill out a Willingness to Serve form.

Willingness to Serve Form

Slides from the September 2023 Fall Educational Conference:

Day 1:

News from the Office of the Chief Public Health Nurse
Decrease Opioid Deaths Through Evidence-based Harm Reduction

Day 2:

Reproductive Coercion: State of the Science
Legal and Legislative Update:
Jill Moore
Kirsten Leloudis
Tiffany Gladney

Nursing Section Leadership for 2023-2024

The Executive Committee of the Nursing Section consists of:

Chair:
Elizabeth Stevens
Durham County Health Department

Chair-Elect:
Yolandra Cochran
Mecklenburg County Public Health

Past Chair:
Jaimee Watts Isley
University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Vice Chair of Communication:
Vanessa Gailor
NC DHHS

Vice Chair of Education:
Erin Babbitt
Cabarrus Health Alliance

Secretary:
Ainsley Johnson
Harnett County Health Department

Treasurer:
Patty Kempton
NC DHHS

Fall Educational Conference Planning Committee Representative:
Erin Babbitt

Advocacy Committee Representative:
Liz Stevens and Jaimee Watts Isley

Public Awareness Committee Representative:
Vanessa Gailor

Please feel free to contact any member of the Executive Committee for more information. We invite you to become a member of the NCPHA Public Health Nursing Section. Section dues are only $5 per year.

2023 Award and Scholarship Winners

Margaret Dolan Award: All North Carolina Public Health Nurses
Direct Service Award: Shenell Little
Joy Reed Scholarship: Heather Willis
Nursing Scholarship: Jessica Hardy

Awards and Scholarships

The Nursing Section presents two awards and two scholarships each year. Links in the below Resource Center will guide you to the information you need to nominate a deserving colleague for the Margaret B. Dolan Award or the Direct Service Award. The Section also offers two scholarships annually. All are presented at the annual NCPHA Fall Educational Conference.

The Dr. Joy F. Reed Public Health Nurse Leadership Scholarship is available to a public health nurse currently licensed as a registered nurse in North Carolina who is a member of NCPHA or NCAPHNA and interested in leadership training or returning to school to advance their education.
The Nursing Section offers an annual scholarship for $500 to a nurse currently enrolled in an advanced nursing program (BSN, Masters, etc.)
Applications/nominations for Nursing Section awards and scholarships for 2024 are not yet being accepted. Please check the scholarship/award application documents for eligibility criteria and specific submission instructions.

Margaret Dolan Award Application

Direct Service Award Application

Joy Reed Scholarship Application

Nursing Scholarship Application

If you have any questions you can always call or email a member of the Executive Committee for additional information.

Special Occasion Gifts for Public Health Nurses

At the Fall Educational Conference, the Public Health Nursing Section will be offering promotional items featuring the NC Public Health Nursing logo. We will have some new items to purchase as special gifts for yourself and co-workers to commemorate Nurses Day in May, Public Health Week in April, or as birthday or holiday gifts. For more information, please contact the Public Health Nursing Section Chair.

Resource Center

NC Public Health Nursing Professional Resources -- http://ncpublichealthnursing.org/
UNC Office of Continuing Education CE catalog -- http://www.sph.unc.edu/oce/
NC Public Health Nursing Community Social Media Pages: Join the @NCPHNursing Community on Facebook and Twitter!
American Public Health Association (APHA) Public Health Nursing Section - https://www.apha.org/apha-communities/member-sections/public-health-nursing
North Carolina Credentialed Public Health Nurse Program - https://www.dph.ncdhhs.gov/north-carolina-credentialed-public-health-nurse-program