Now that 2021 has begun, we can look back over the past, very strange, year and recognize the things our chapter accomplished, despite the pandemic and social distancing.

January and February, we held chapter meetings face-to-face, with two interesting topics.

March saw the beginning of closures and the cancellation of Denver’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in which we had planned on meeting and watching the parade as a group. Kim Caesar was instrumental in planning this event. It is unfortunate that this did not occur.

The May meeting was done virtually with a slide presentation created by President Karen Elliott, complete with Installation of Officers.

DAORN Board of Directors meetings resumed in August and continued monthly through December 2020.

Andine Gilmore and Karen Elliott were able to attend the OR Today Conference in Denver. They hosted a DAORN booth to provide information about the chapter.

The September and October chapter meetings were conducted through our Zoom subscription. Education was offered at both meetings.

On Friday evening, November 13, 2020 the DAORN staged a Virtual Silent Auction for nursing scholarships and raised several thousand dollars to add to the Bill Lord Scholarship, the Peggy Camp Scholarship, and the Bill Lord Endowed Scholarship.

On Saturday afternoon, November 14, 2020, DAORN members volunteered at the Project C.U.R.E. warehouse, sorting medical supplies and equipment to be shipped to developing countries in need of these items. Volunteer members wore masks, frequently sanitized their hands, and were physically distanced. A social hour was enjoyed with food and drink following the sorting session.

Meetings will resume in January using the virtual format until it is safe to resume face-to-face meetings. Education is planned for the January and February meetings.

Thank you to all who worked so hard to make this a year of chapter accomplishments and for participating in the activities of the chapter. We look forward to “seeing” you all in 2021, both virtually and, hopefully soon, in person!

Sincerely,

Karen Elliott                                               Sandi Lindahl

DAORN President 2019-2020              DAORN President 2020-2021

• Evaluate and disseminate scientific evidence to improve professional perioperative practice.
• Mentor chapter members to become leaders who will influence healthcare locally, nationally, and globally.
• Recruit and retain local perioperative professionals to expand the chapter’s collective knowledge and resources.
• Continue involvement in our local community to improve and enrich the lives of the people we serve.

You’ve made it here – to our fabulous website! If you are looking to become a member of DAORN, this is how you go about it: If you are not already an AORN member, join AORN and select the Denver chapter (0601) in the membership application. If you are already an AORN member and would like to change or add chapters, please contact AORN Experience Services at (800) 755-2676 or custsvc@aorn.org. We look forward to meeting you!

Hot from the press! DAORN has received a very generous donation of 1,000 3-packs of lightweight SmartWool socks. SmartWool requests that DAORN distribute the socks to registered nurses in Colorado in appreciation of their efforts during the pandemic. The DAORN leadership is formulating a plan to distribute the socks, but we would first like to offer the DAORN nurses some of the socks. We have female socks (L, M, S) and male socks (L, M). There is a wide diversity of colors and patterns in these sizes. Please know that it is not feasible to allow requests for a specific color.

Jim will mail you a set of socks for the cost of an envelope and mailing costs – $5 in the Denver area. If you would like a 3 pack of socks, please respond by text or e-mail to Jim Stobinski (720.257.4372 or jstobinski at cc-institute.org). He will instruct you where to send the check in return for the socks. Here’s to happy nurse feet!