Professional Governance: Voice of Nursing
The Voice of Nursing (VON) is dedicated to advancing the nursing profession at Vallejo Medical Center by championing evidence-based practice and research, encouraging meaningful engagement across disciplines and departments, and dismantling silos to foster authentic collaboration. By cultivating a robust network of intellectual, growth-oriented professionals, the initiative prioritizes both personal development and collective excellence in patient care at the bedside. A cornerstone of this effort is supporting the Magnet designation journey: the council identifies opportunities for clinical improvement, prepares required documentation, and leads the way on key initiatives such as professional governance and peer review. With shared responsibility among Core Council members, guided by nurse leaders and advisors, the Voice of Nursing operates in alignment with the six core values of the Professional Practice Model. Together, these efforts work to elevate nursing practice and drive transformative, organization-wide change.
Notable achievements
In 2025, VMC once again surpassed national benchmarks, maintaining a multi-year trend of outperforming all nurse engagement metrics since 2022. VMC is the only Magnet hospital within KP and among 21 Northern California facilities to exceed benchmarks in all three RN Excellence surveys, an accomplishment attributed to VON’s efforts.
Since achieving Magnet Recognition®, VMC has consistently sustained a significant decrease in nurse turnover well below the national average, highlighting the strong relationship between nurse empowerment and workforce stability. VON also leads Nurses Week celebrations from planning and budgeting to execution, transforming recognition efforts into meaningful experiences. These thoughtful initiatives have fostered lasting engagement, professional growth, and a strengthened sense of community among nurses.
In the realm of community service, VON participated in the Youth Empowerment Summit, Martin Luther King events, and the Napa Valley Marathon, and facilitated frontline nurse advocacy at the Capitol for AWHONN. In EBP and Research, four frontline nurses attended the 2nd Annual Research and Innovation Academy Symposium, presenting three posters and one podium session. The year concluded with over 20 EBP/PI/Quality initiatives under the Magnet umbrella, and 20 nurses attended the Magnet Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, two nurses served as national webinar panelists, one for Care Experience and another for certifications, demonstrating leadership in professional development and excellence.
Tri-Chairs
Samantha “Sam” Avecilla MSN, RN
Krystle Javier, RN
Deryn Milarezi, MSN, RN
Emeritus
Jeanette Ferrer-Valladares, MSN, RN, SNIV
Nestle “twinkle” Vitug, MSN, RN
Eugenia Ventura, MSN, RN
Succession Planning
Roseanna Ainsley, BSN, RN
Cori McKinney, BSN, RN
Hailey Ron-Dorrough, MSN, RN
Voice of Nursing members
Elizabeth “Liz” Souza, BSN, RN, SNIII
Joan Delgadillo, BSN, RN, SNIII
Michelle “Mimi” De
Cynthia Mendez, MSN, RN
Jica Naval, BSN, RN, SNIV
Joanna Sena, BSN, RN, SNIII
Sheila DeLeon, RN
Brianne Madison, BSN, RN
Catherine Hernandez, BSN, RN, SNIII
Maryanne Martinez, BSN, RN,
Elizabeth “Liz” Chat, MSN, RN, SNIV
Pauline Black, MSN, RN
Angelica “Aika” Baluyot, BSN, RN, SNIII
Patricia Solis, RN, SNIII
Julie Tam, BSN, RN, SNIII
Glory Nwaoha, MSN, RN, SNIII
Emily Marroquin, BSN, RN
Rita Zughbaba, BSN, RN
Heather Yang, BSN, RN
Estela Bravo, BSN, RN
Esther McHenry, MSN, RN, SNIII
Jean Whitt, BSN, RN, SNIII
Marly Luna, BSN, RN, SNIII
Lauren Koeppen, MSN, RN
Krissandra Lumalu, BSN, RN, SNIII
Jennifer De Leon, MSN, RN,
Debbie Obra, MSN, RN, SNIII
Starisha McIntosh, DNP, RN
Tunde Lasode, BSN, RN
Michael Alfonso, BSN, RN
Agnes Pagcu, BSN RN, SNIII
Maria Carmela Dayrit, BSN, RN, SNIII
Joyce Atilano, BSN, RN
Poonam Singh, BSN, RN
Valerie, Canela, BSN, RN
The Professional Development Core Council highlights the creation of leadership development pathways across all nursing levels in partnership with UCSF and KPLU, collaboration with the NSA for academic and certification advancement, and succession planning. Additional priorities include fostering self-care and resilience, implementing rewards and recognition programs, promoting opportunities to share caring practices, providing clinical education and policy guidance, and supporting Magnet Initiatives.
The council’s main initiatives for nursing staff focus on professional development and recognition. Key activities include participation in KP Scholars and regional programs, advancing on the clinical ladder, obtaining certifications, engaging in mentorship and peer feedback (with self-assessment), celebrating Nurses’ Week, tracking certifications and degrees, and using performance boards to highlight achievements. Relevant Magnet standards cited are TL9 (mentoring), TL10 (succession), SE3/SE4EO/SE5/SE6EO (certification), SE7 (BSN and higher education), EP12EO (nurse turnover), and EP13 (peer feedback and self-assessment).
The Care Experience Core Council is responsible for identifying gaps, issues, and milestones in care experience outcomes, promoting collaboration among various professional committees, recommending improvements and sharing best practices in care, reviewing patient education and patient-centered care, integrating Caring Science into the care experience, and supporting Magnet Initiatives.
The portfolio focuses on patient care experience, utilizing HCAHPS data and involving committees such as ECX and the Care Experience Committee. Recognition efforts include the Daisy Award. Performance is tracked through patient-centered performance boards. Magnet standards addressed include EP18 (patient experience) and EP21EO (care experience).
The Quality and Patient Safety Core Council fosters collaboration across interprofessional committees to enhance quality improvement, oversees the integration of evidence-based practices and regulatory standards into practice guidelines, and supports Magnet Initiatives.
The council’s portfolio emphasizes monitoring and improving nurse-sensitive indicators (NSIs) and workplace safety. It covers key clinical areas such as ERM, stroke, heart failure, sepsis, and maternal hemorrhage. Performance is assessed using quality and safety boards, and the council addresses Magnet standards related to interprofessional collaboration (SE1EO), patient safety (EP17EO), and NSIs (EP19EO, EP20EO).
The Evidence-Based Practice and Research Core Council actively promotes research and evidence-based practice (EBP) in line with RIA’s framework by fostering a culture of inquiry. It provides educational and developmental resources to support research and EBP, encourages the dissemination of work both internally and externally, and aligns initiatives with Magnet standards.
The portfolio highlights the council’s commitment to advancing nursing practice through research, evidence-based initiatives, and professional development. Key components include participation in regional programs, presenting research at Magnet conferences, attending national nursing conferences, publishing in nursing journals, and systematically tracking evidence-based practice (EBP) and performance improvement (PI) projects. The portfolio also emphasizes collaborative performance boards to promote efficiency, alignment with standards such as SE2EO and EP1EO for EBP and professional practice models, and active dissemination of research through various channels (NK3, NK4, NK5).