ASTDN's Mission, Values, Goals, & History

Mission

Values

Goals

History

Mission...

To protect and promote the health and safety of the public through:

• Public policy efforts;
• Leadership development; and
• Advocacy for the preparation, practice and role of public health nursing.

Values...

1. A world where health is highly regarded
2. Optional pathways for achieving health
3. Universal access to health care
4. Prevention as the foundation for health promotion
5. An epidemiological base for decision making
6. Cultural diversity
7. Community empowerment
8. Collaboration and partnering
9. Excellence in health services
10. Leadership as an essential public health skill

Goals...

Grow and diversify ASTDN membership.

• Re-evaluate membership classes to increase flexibility in membership recruitment and retention and support of ASTDN.
• Increase membership so states and territories’ public health nursing leaders/official representatives are members of ASTDN.
• Increase associate membership by 200 percent.
• Develop membership-marketing materials that promote the value and benefits of membership in ASTDN
• Disseminate membership promotion materials through new and expanded distributions channels

Establish ASTDN infrastructure to enhance the ability of the association in fulfilling its vision, mission and strategic goals.

• Secure external administrative services for the association.
• Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the association’s governing systems and processes
• Establish physical office headquarters.
• Establish and fill Executive Director/CEO position for ASTDN.
  

Develop strategic relationships with key organizations to accomplish the vision, mission and strategic goals of ASTDN.

• Evaluate opportunities to work with federal agencies e.g., CDC, HRSA, USPHS, AHRQ, Office of Chief Nurse, etc.
• Evaluate opportunities to work with ASTHO, NACCHO, professional organizations, academia and other targeted organizations.

Serve as an authoritative, credible voice for public health nursing in public policy arenas.

• Identify public policy priorities and develop platform statements, position papers, and etc. for dissemination to various audiences.
• Build strategic alliance on targeted population issues with targeted groups.
• Enhance the capacity of ASTDN to maximize public policy efforts.
• Provide messaging and spokesperson training to increase member engagement in public policy activities.
• Establish infrastructure to support the association’s public policy activities

Prepare public health nursing workforce to perform optimally in an environment with increasing accountability and complexity.

• Provide leadership development opportunities.
• Promote competency, self assessment and supervisor assessment tools
• Collect and disseminate success stories focusing on contributions and return on investment of public health nursing.
• Encourage practice based on evidence based research
• Implement mentoring and other peer support activities.
• Promote national standards.

 

History...

The Association of State and Territorial Directors of Nursing (ASTDN) began in 1935 as an advisory group of state health department nurses. ASTDN continues today as an active association of public health nursing leaders from across the United States and its Territories. ASTDN is an affiliate of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).