Philippine Nurses Association of America Records

The 1977 court case, U.S. v. Narciso and Perez, in which two Philippine nurses were tried for the murder of multiple patients at an Ann Arbor, Michigan hospital, received national attention, exposed racial tensions and emphasized the plight of Philippine nurses throughout the United States. Local chapters of Philippine Nurses' Associations across the country realized their inability to speak with one voice on issues that confronted their members. In September of 1978, Dr. Clarita Miraflor and the PNA Chicago House of Delegates passed a resolution to attempt to bring together other PNA groups to create an umbrella organization. After communicating with the PNA New Jersey group about the lack of orientation that nurses received before beginning work in the United States, problems with the licensing exam, H-1 visas, and hiring discrimination that Philippine nurses were experiencing, Miraflor and Phoebe Andes of PNA-NJ pushed for a unified organization. Under the auspices of the Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey, an organizing meeting for a "Philippine Nurses Association in the United States" occurred on April 21, 1979 in East Brunswick, N.J. (1) From this meeting the Federation of Philippine Nurses Association was formed. "The primary aim of the national association is to organize and coordinate activities of state Philippine Nurses Association throughout U.S. Other purposes include (1) exchange information, explore issues that affect Philippine nurses and nursing practices, (2) formulate strategies to act on these issues and problems, (3) improve the image of Philippine nurses, (4) plan and coordinate educational programs, (5) communicate with the Manila PNA and other governmental agencies to facilitate implementation of decisions that will help Philippine nurses practice nursing in the U.S." (2) Upon the decision to create an organization, officers were elected.

The first official meeting of the new association took place on August 26, 1979 in conjunction with the convention of the Chicago PNA. On June 30, 1981, the organization changed its name to the "National Organization of Philippine Nurses Associations in the United States" (NOPNAUS). The organization within its first year partnered with other associations to oppose the Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools test as a requirement for visa applications and state licensure, participated in the American Nurses Association's Commission on Human Rights, and secured assistance from the Public Advocates, Inc. (3)

NOPNAUS held its second official meeting on June 30, 1981 in Los Angeles. In October of 1981, the organization was incorporated in the State of New Jersey. On April 24, 1982, elections were held for two-year terms on the executive board and the board of directors. In June of 1982, representatives of the organization met with the Philippine Embassy to discuss the problems facing nurses of Philippine descent, including low passing rates on state board examinations, high prices of recruiting agents, and the lack of positions for nurses working on visas. In July of 1982, the first NOPNAUS newsletter, Philippine-American Nurse, was issued. Proposed bylaws changes were made in November of 1983 to allow the organization to meet the requirements for tax exempt status. In June of 1984, NOPNAUS presented a program entitled "The Asian Nurse in the Health Care Delivery System: Issues and Trends in the 80's" as part of the American Nurses Association convention in New Orleans. In 1985, the organization, made up of twelve chapters from across the country, changed its name to the National Organization of Philippine Nurses in the United States (NOPNUS). At the 1986 convention of the American Nurses Association, NOPNUS was officially recognized, for the first time, in the opening ceremonies.

In 1987, the organization adopted its current name, the Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA). It was incorporated again, under the new name, in 1990. By 1991, there were twenty-one state and regional chapters making up PNAA. A directory of PNA members from several chapters was compiled in 1992. In March of 1994, PNAA participated in the Asian Pacific Islander American National Health Summit, giving the organization further exposure in the healthcare field. In January of 1996, the Philippine Nurses Association of America and the Philippine Nurses Association (Manila) held their first annual international nursing program, entitled "Nursing Enrichment Through Global Linkages" in Manila, Philippines. The purpose of this conference was to "update local nurses on current and emerging trends, technology and future directions in health care and various areas of nursing practice." (4) In 1997, PNAA created four Regional Divisions (Western, Eastern, North Central, and South Central) to facilitate better communication between the growing number of chapters and the PNAA. The next year, the organization established a website. In February of 1999, PNAA became a member of the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations (NCEMNA).

PNAA submitted a white paper on "Settling Nursing Research Priorities for Filipino Americans" at the 2000 meeting of the National Institute of Nursing Research, NCEMNA, and the NIH Office of Research on Minority Health. The legally separate PNAA Foundation was started in 2001 as "a supportive arm of the PNAA" to assist with research, scholarships, and educational projects as the PNAA organization continued to grow. (5) In 2002, 2,334 people made up 27 chapters of the PNAA. Within one year, the organization officially grew to 31 chapters and 2,566 members. For the 25th anniversary of PNAA in 2004, the organization held its annual conference in Hawaii. This conference allowed the organization to present scholarships and PNAA Excellence Awards to members; to hold leadership development workshops, an executive board meeting, and a general assembly; to reflect on its 25 years; and to envision the future of the organization. In 2006, PNAA was awarded funding under the Nurse Competence in Aging ANA-Specialty Nursing Association Partners in Geriatrics Implementation Grant. This grant was to allow PNAA to provide geriatric-related educational sessions that included cultural issues at regional conferences and at chapter meetings; to create a geriatric/gerontology interest group in PNAA to build a constituency from the membership; to publish articles on assessment, treatment and management of older adults including ethnic minority elders; and to explore evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for care of Filipino-American elders. (6) In 2007, the PNAA, with the Philippine Nurses Association and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, presented and won a case before the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to allow Manila, Philippines to be a new international testing site for the National Council Licensure Examination, the licensure exam for nurses to practice in the United States and jurisdictional territories. Following Typhoon Reming (Durian) in 2004, PNAA and its members also worked to assist to victims through their Medical Relief Mission to supply tents, food, and toiletries. In 2008, the PNAA held a contest for a theme song; the winner, "Shine PNAA Shine" with lyrics by Dr. Luzviminda Llasos and music by Ryan Cayabyab, became the official theme song of the group. And in 2012, seeing a need to preserve the legacy of PNAA, an Archive Committee was established. The Archive Committee created an oral history of the PNAA entitled "Presidents' Legacy," a series of interviews with past presidents discussing their lives, their activities with PNAA, and the problems and challenges that they experienced as president.

Over the years, the Philippine Nurses Association of America has held its annual convention, hosted by state PNA groups, in various locations around the United States. The organization has been very active in supporting the local chapters at both national and regional conferences, and in partnering with other minority focused nursing organizations, such as the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, the National Association of Irish American Nurses, and the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Associations. The PNAA has also sent members around the world to represent the group at events hosted by other organizations such as the Global Advisory Group on Nursing and Midwifery and the National Collaboration of Ethnic Minority Nurse Association. The Philippine Nurses Association of America remains active, hosting annual conventions, publishing newsletters, and advocating for Filipino-American Nurses throughout the United States.

(1) "Nurses meet on July 4," article, June 26-July 2, 1981, in GENERAL FILES, Phoebe Andes' Documents -- President's Records, 1981-1984, Box 8, Folder 9. (2) Ibid. (3) Ibid. (4) Philippine American Nurse, Spring 1996, Vol. 11, No. 1, in NEWSLETTERS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS/National Newsletters, 1982-2002, Box 6, Folder 1. (5) Philippine American Nurse, Fall 2002, Vol. 16, No. 1, in NEWSLETTERS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS/National Newsletters, 1982-2002, Box 6, Folder 1. (6) Philippine American Nurse, Spring/Summer 2006, Vol. 20, No. 1, in NEWSLETTERS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS/National Newsletters, 2003-2008 and undated, Box 6, Folder 2.