Minnesota Holistic Nurses Association Annual Newsletter
July 2015
Dear Colleagues and Members of MinnHNA,
We are all connected! This is the theme for 2015-2016 and also a foundation of the Minnesota Holistic
Nurses Association. The Leadership Council has designed a series of programs for the year that will keep us
connected to each other and to important topics in holistic health. We continue to emphasize the mission of
AHNA “… to advance holistic nursing through community building, advocacy, research and education.”
Our meetings are generally held at Spirit United Church, 3204 Como Avenue South East,
Minneapolis, MN, 55414. The church is centrally located, just west of Highway 280. Driving directions are
available on our website www.minnhna.org. Please note that the May 7, 2016 gathering will be a miniconference sponsored jointly with the Minnesota Holistic Medical Group entitled “Daring to Connect Caring
Economics and Health Care” featuring Bill Doherty, Joel Hodroff, and our own Teddie Potter. Because we
expect a large crowd beyond the capacity of Spirit United Church, this gathering will be held at St. Catherine
University, 2004 Randolph , St. Paul, in Jeanne D’Arc Auditorium. For information on parking and location,
check the website given on the schedule.
Because costs for mailings, brochures, the website, meeting room rent, and audiovisual support have
been increasing, the Council voted this year to increase the yearly dues to $25.00 for annual membership,
$15.00 for seniors over 65, and $15.00 for students. It is our hope that with additional funds we can offer
scholarships and other support to those on the holistic path. We still feel that we are the best deal in town and
hope that you will continue to support our endeavors to bring a holistic perspective to health care. Since many
of you do not keep track of your expiring dues, we have put the due date of your membership on the left corner
of your address label of this mailing as a gentle reminder. If you are past due at the time of this letter, please
send your dues for the next year to Mary Johnson as soon as you can and you will be credited for the full
coming year. Sending out dues reminders is too time consuming for our volunteer membership committee so
the reminders will appear on the annual letter. If you want to pay dues ahead, you will be credited from your
due date on the mailing label. We hope this helps keep all of you in the fold.
We plan to continue sending out reminders of gatherings through e-mail and postcards for those without
e-mail. If you receive a postcard instead of an e-mail, we would appreciate obtaining your e-mail address if you
have one. Please e-mail mjohnson@stolaf.edu with your e-mail address so that we can accurately put you on
the list. This helps our money go towards more meaningful projects and saves those precious trees.
Minnesota was well represented by nurses from around the state at the AHNA conference, June 12 -17,
2015 in Branson, MO. Minnesota holistic nurses support six local chapters. Two members of our Leadership
Council, Carol Geisler and Beth Meighan, presented a workshop Chakras and Research: Bringing Light to the
Intersection of Research Paradigms, the Research Process, and Chakras. It was so enlightening to learn that
chakra energy can manifest in the research process, creating and sustaining an empowering experience! The
conference provides opportunities for networking, learning, and self-care. The 2016 conference will be held
May 31- June 5 in Bonita Springs, FL. The theme is Interconnectedness: the Soul of Holistic Nursing. We
encourage you to check out the AHNA website (www.ahna.org) and consider joining this important advocate
for all of nursing.
In celebration of AHNA’s 35th birthday, the organization is raising funds for the Charlotte McGuire
Scholarship Awards by inviting chapters to participate in the Chapter Charlie Challenge. AHNA’s goal is to
raise $135,000.00 through this campaign. This is a way to support the education of the next generation of
holistic nurses. We are planning to have a silent auction at our September 19th gathering. All proceeds will go
to the Charlie Challenge fund. You can participate in two ways: by bringing an item for the auction to our
August 13th or September 19th gathering and/or bidding on items displayed at the September 19th gathering.
What a neat way to recycle some treasures and add some new ones!
We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting, August, 13, 2015 at 6:00 pm. We will have the
annual business meeting, potluck dinner, and program. Ellen Swanson, a MinnHNA Council Member, has just
published a book entitled Heart, Gut, Head: Creating a Healthier Hierarchy. In the book she gives us a visual
for a non-hierarchical organizational chart in the form of a Mandala, takes creative license in making the
traditional organizational chart healthier, and then shows how they can be merged to work together in a mutually
supportive manner. www.healingthehierarchy.com. She will present the MinnHNA Mandala as an
introduction to a way that we are all connected through the organization. Her book will be available at the
gathering for $21.00 (but not with credit cards!) Please bring one of your favorite nutritious treats to share with
the group.
Check the website MinnHNA.org for more information and “like us” on Facebook. We are also on
LinkedIn. Search for Minnesota Holistic Nurses Association
We look forward to seeing you.
The MinnHNA Leadership Council
Conferences & Workshops of interest:
Continuum Center: New Aging/Whole Living/Meaningful Life series – Exploring the Continuum of Life –
Catherine Dees, September 10, 2015; & An Indiginous Perspective – Malidoma Some, PhD. IF interested
contact jane@continuumcenter.net for information.
Penny George Institute for Health and Healing is offering 2 programs this fall: Transformative Nurse Training –
September 14 – 17, 2015 & Tuesday evenings October 20 through December 15, 2015 and How to Successfully
Launch an Aromatherapy Program within a Hospital or Health System, October 3 – 4, 2015, for further
information on these programs contact Julie.streeter@allina.com .
STTI, SE MN chapter of AHNA, Winona State University presenting Whole Person Caring: An Interprofessional Retreat for Healing and Wellness with Lucia Thornton – September 17 & 18, 2015 in Winona, MN.
For information and registration go to https://winona.augusoft.net and search for keywords: WHOLE PERSON
19th Annual Energy Healing Conference -The Joy of Healing – October 1-4, 2015, Naples, FL. Check it out at
www.HealingBeyondBorders.org
National Health Freedom Coalition – The United States Health Freedom Congress – October 18 – 20, 2015,
Hamline University, St. Paul, MN. Check it out at info@nationalhealthfreedom.org via dltw23.n-email.net
2nd annual St. Catherine University Holistic Health Studies Conference – Weaving Ourselves Whole on March
12 & 13, 2016 at St. Paul Campus of SCU, Rauenhorst Ballroom, For more information check www.stkate.edu
or e-mail Mary Madill at mamadil@comcast.net
11th annual North Central Healing Touch Community Gathering – March 20 – 21,2016 – Authenticity of Self –
Joyce Browning. Check it out at: www.nchtcommunity.org
Society for the Advancement of Modeling and Role-Modeling’s biannual conference – April 5 – 10, 2016 in San
Antonio, TX . Check it out at www.mrmnursingtheory.org .
36th AHNA Annual Conference – Interconnectedness: The Soul of Holistic Nursing – May 31 – June 5, 2016,
Bonita Springs, FL Check it out at www.ahna.org .
Information on Healing Touch classes and the Holistic Nursing Certification preparation class: “Expanding
Practice Through Holistic Nursing” can be found at www.stkate.edu/cc .