(the 13th District was the predecessor of the Northwest Metro Chapter)
Although the Georgia Nurses Association was organized in 1907, the formation of district associations was a long slow process. There was a loose association of nurses in Marietta in the early 1940s. Miss Edith Triggs was instrumental in organizing this group. The nurses who belonged were primarily those who worked at the private Marietta Hospital, which was the forerunner of Kennestone Hospital. The group included RNs and LPNs, many of whom had trained at the Marietta facility.
In 1953 the nurses in Cobb County were organized into a Council that was affiliated with GNA. Miss Jane Van de Verde was one of the organizing members. The Council existed for five years until the members petitioned the Georgia Nurses Association for District status. On September 9, 1958 a letter from Mrs. Mary Sale and the GNA Executive Board of Directors granting the Council status as District Thirteen was read at the Council meeting. Cobb, Douglas, Paulding, Cherokee and Forsyth Counties were within the boundaries of 13th District. Money from the council was transferred to the new district. Thus was the Thirteenth District in the Georgia Nurses Association born.
Miss Ivarene Shivers, Director of Nurses at Kennestone Hospital was elected as the first president of the new GNA district. The fiscal year of the district was established to run from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the next year.
District Presidents
| 1958-1960 | Ivarene Shivers |
| 1960-1962 | Lelia Cantrell |
| 1962-1964 | Dorothy Reeder |
| 1964-1966 | Norma Mash |
| 1966-1968 | Dorothy Buffington |
| 1968-1970 | Rebecca Doris Meeks |
| 1970-1972 | Helen Krebs |
| 1972-1974 | Kay Gatins |
| 1974-1978 | Annette Bairan |
| 1978-1980 | Brenda Fletcher |
| 1980-1982 | June Walls |
| 1982-1984 | Grace Galbraith |
| 1984-1988 | Connie Graves |
| 1988-1992 | Cindy Epps-Reaid |
| 1992-1994 | David Bennett |
| 1994-1996 | Gloria Taylor |
| 1996-1998 | Christina Hicks |
| 1998-2000 | Cindy Epps-Reaid |
| 2000-2002 | JoAnn Trammell |
| 2002-2004 | Jane Brannan |
| 2004-2006 | Becky Russell |
| 2006-2008 | Connie Graves |
| 2008-2010 | Doreen Wagner |
| 2010 | Connie Graves |
District Meetings
The District established a newsletter in 1970, when Helen Krebs was president. In the beginning, the District president was responsible for producing and mailing the newsletter. In the late 70s, the position of Newsletter Chairman, with responsibility for editing and distributing the newsletter, was established .
In 1977, a contest was held to name the newsletter and to design a logo. Diane Atherton, a nurse employed at Kennestone, won the contest for the logo. In 1994, the counties comprising 13th District changed, when Forsyth was moved to 9th District and Gilmer and Pickens were added to the 13th. The Thirteenth Dimension, the District newsletter, has been published on a regular basis with at least five issues per year. Starting in the fall of 1999, the newsletter was sent via e-mail to any member who provided an e-mail address.
In June 2006, the Georgia Nurses Association reorganized the former "Districts" system into a "Chapters" organization. At that time, the Thirteenth District became the Northwest Metro Chapter and the newsletter was renamed to The Chapter Connector.
Thirteenth District has provided educational programs and workshops for its members and other area nurses on a regular basis. Continuing education credit has been available for many of the presentations. Speakers from all areas of the state have presented programs at district meetings or workshops, although presenters are often district members with a wealth of experience and expertise to share.
One of the first projects of the District was to establish a scholarship fund for nursing students. The 13th District has awarded at least one, and as many as four, scholarships each year with the exception of one or two years. Spaghetti Suppers were a traditional fund raising project although dances and other activities such as yard sales and fun runs have also been used. After 1995 solicitation of funds from our members and other interested persons has become the primary source of scholarship funds.
In 1968 the scholarship fund was named in memory of Irene Houston who had contributed much to nursing and to the 13th District activities. She was the organizer of most of the fund raising drives for the district. The Irene Houston Scholarship Fund was discontinued in 1996 for lack of funds.
In 1985 a second scholarship fund was established as a memorial to Louise Mullins, wife of Spencer Mullins, MD. Several nurses who cared for Mrs. Mullins during her prolonged illness instigated the idea for this fund. Dr. Mullins endorsed the idea and has been actively involved in selecting the recipients. The fund, established with generous donations from the medical community and the Mullins family awards several scholarships to nursing students each year using the interest from the scholarship fund. It is housed under the Wellstar Foundation in order to protect its status as a tax-deductible charitable donation.
Legislative Breakfasts for Georgia Legislators representing the counties in 13th District were started in 1983 and have been an annual event since that date. These breakfasts allow nurses in the district to establish a dialogue on issues of concern. Attendance by both nurses and local legislators has made them a very effective lobbying tool for our members.13th District nurses have not only been regular participants at the GNA Legislative Workshops, but have been part of the planning committee and presenters. District nurses are always visible at the GNA Legislative Reception held each January.Lobbying locally and at the Capitol has been part of the District legislative goals and actively done by many members. Visiting the Capitol, and talking to their legislators during the Legislative Session is a regular activity for district members.
Several District members have been appointed or have run for public office. Laura Austin RN, MN was a candidate for the Georgia legislature, and Cherry Spencer-Stark, RN, MN was a candidate for the Cobb County Commission. Laura Searcy, RN, PNP; was elected to the Cobb County School Board in 1996, and re-elected in 1998. Mary Ruth Cauthern, a retired Health Department Nurse, was appointed and served on the Cobb/Douglas Health Department Advisory Board for several terms.
Revised 4 July 2010