As we near the official close of 2014 , I hope that all of you have enjoyed and perhaps endured some pretty hectic but joyous Holiday events.

I want to take a few moments to Thank all of the membership for your continued support and participation in our local Syracuse Chapter.  It is only with with your voices, ideas and active participation in our many events and challenges that we can stay "current and connected" to our profession as a whole.

Locally, *We have once again had a very good year with participation of 231 Active members with 78 being listed as NP students!  * Our local Syracuse conference was bigger than ever with many new vendors and participants from the CNY area. *We have had many excellent speakers on a wide variety of health topics  at our monthly dinner meetings. * Our collaborative participation in the State Fair NP booth was also a big success with good public relations and alot of potential students asking about our profession. * We have also been able to donate to two local charities with donations and funds raised this holiday season!

At the State level, this year has been an exciting year for us with the passage of the Modernization Act that will allow experienced NPs with more than 3600 hours of clinical time to no longer be required to have a Mandatory MD collaborator in order to continue practicing.

Nevertheless, "collaborative relationships" with our physician colleagues is still strongly encouraged as many of us continue to work in  "team based" settings.

On the State and Federal level, we continue to work on legislations in regards to Disability certifications, Medical Marijuana, DNR forms, Home Health and Workman's Comp paper work.

Overall, it has been a very busy and successful year for us locally and at the State level!

Meryl and I are excited to turn over the Presidential leadership to our new Co presidents, Alida and Alicia. We have a alot of work ahead of us and some great speakers lined up for 2015.  Make sure and register soon for our January meeting where we will be addressing Legal issues for NPs.

Remember, it is only with your "Active" participation that change happens and that we stay vibrant and fulfilled as the  Great NPs we already are!   See you soon at our next meeting January 13th at Twin Trees!    THANKS TO YOU ALL FOR A GREAT YEAR!

Geri Hall FNP, Co-President, Syracuse Chapter