Left to Right: Dr. Sally Raphel, Keynote Speaker, Pat Keller, WCN Board President and Judith Hansen, WCN Executive Director

The Wisconsin Center for Nursing, co-lead for the Wisconsin Action Coalition, hosted its sixth annual statewide conference related to the IOM Future of Nursing Report recommendations and nursing’s role to build a culture of health. This year’s conference, Nurses Leading Change to Advance Mental Health, was held at the Richard T. Anderson Conference Center at Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, and attended by over 160 participants. The conference follows identified needs by the recent RWJF ‘Partners Investing in Nursing’ (PIN) Project, Nursing’s Voice, as led by the Faye McBeath Foundation, to enhance mental health nurse competency. The featured keynote speaker was Sarah (Sally) Raphel, MS, APRN-PMH, FAAN. Dr Raphel has served served on national and international councils (NIMH, ICN, PAHO) and task forces for global mental and behavioral care delivery. She is the former Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Mental Health Nursing, and is currently faculty in psychiatric-mental health nursing at The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Dr. Raphel also recently received the prestigious honor of being named a ‘Living Legend’ for her contributions to psychiatric nursing by the International Society of Psychiatric Nurses.

The day also included an update on the Wisconsin Mental Health Nurse Workforce, a “Lived Experience” panel presentation, and breakout sessions by Wisconsin content experts in mental health issues spanning the age continuum. The final presentation was an interactive learning session on ‘Motivational Interviewing.’