AUGUSTA — Maine Nursing Leaders of Maine will hold its annual leadership summit on Thursday, April 2, at Augusta Civic Center.

This year’s Nursing Summit will focus on continuing education in mental health and other areas relative to nursing as nurse leaders play a more crucial role than ever in the innovation and implementation of change to improve patient safety and increase care quality, while managing the complexities of the nursing workforce and controlling costs.

“Nurses have a unique opportunity to cultivate creative and transformational leaders,” stated Donna DeBlois, RN, BSW, MSB, MBA, AHCA, president of OMNE and President/CEO of Home Health Visiting Nurses. “And for nurses, the largest segment of the health care workforce, this translates into highly divergent and dynamic leaders,” she added.

At the event, nurse leaders from academia and institutional and community settings across Maine will be discussing best practices for promoting excellence in patient care and nursing practice. As health care providers in Maine continue to grapple with the soaring cost of health care and the increasing demand of caring for a growing aging population, nurses must lead by example with innovation, agility and expertise to ensure the highest standard of care is being achieved.

Joining the Summit as a keynote speaker will be neuropsychologist Grant Iverson, PhD. Dr. Iverson is a professor at Harvard Medical School, and he serves as associate director of Traumatic Brain Institute at Home Base. He is also president-elect of the National Academy of Neuropsychology. Dr. Iverson is a clinician scientist in the area of outcome from mild traumatic brain injury in athletes, civilians and service members.

Presentations by local, state, and national experts will

• Explore issues challenging nursing in Maine

• Develop staff at the front line to be able to provide exceptional care and continuously improve quality of care

• Learn best practice for patient safety, quality outcomes, nurse satisfaction, as well as innovations in nursing excellence

• Recognize evidence-supported symptomatic treatments for veterans with complex and interwoven problems.

We will also be recognizing the Maine State Board of Nursing as it celebrates 100 years and will hear from Myra Broadway, JD, MS, RN, Executive Director of the Board.

The 14th Maine Nursing Summit, being held from 9 a.m. on 4 p.m. on Monday, April 2, at the Augusta Civic Center, is co-sponsored by Eastern Maine Medical Center, The Aroostook Medical Center, Central Maine Medical Center, MSHHRA (Maine Society for Healthcare Human Resources) and the American Nurses Association.

For more information, visit omne.org.