Gloria Barrera named Nurse Influencer of the Year by ANA-Illinois
story copy Heading link
Gloria Barrera, MSN, RN, PEL-CSN, co-director of the RN-BSN degree program, was recognized as the Nurse Influencer of the Year by ANA-Illinois at its Membership Assembly on Nov. 4.
Barrera is the first school nurse to receive the award.
In giving her the award, ANA-Illinois cited her role as president of the Illinois Association of School Nurses. She was the first Latina to serve in the role when she took office in 2020 and she served for two years at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barrera led the development of a School Nurse Toolkit on Vaccines and spearheaded efforts that led the Illinois State Board of Education to allocate funding for a school nurse capacity study. She also ignited the idea for the inaugural School Nurse Lobby Day in 2023.
“She made it clear that the data collected from the school nurse capacity study would help drive action for our work in optimizing student health and learning for the future,” according to a news release on the ANA-Illinois website. “Her dedication to the nursing profession, strong involvement with other nursing organizations, leadership roles within nursing, and commitment to the improvement of public health is unwavering and most deserving of the nurse influencer award.”
At the same meeting, Barrera was elected the secretary of ANA-Illinois Board of Directors.