Council on Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing business meeting minutes, 1990-1993

The records of the South Carolina Nurses Association (SCNA), 1892-2015, encompass a wide array of materials including books, minutes, membership data, correspondence, annual reports, constitutions, newsletters, financial records, scrapbooks, grant applications, scholarships, feasibility reports, and more. These records, primarily generated by the Executive Office, encompass all facets of SCNA's operations, shed light on SCNA's roles in aiding members, advocacy in legislative matters, and educating the public about nursing.

SCNA’s correspondence, reports, and materials documenting their constituency in the American Nurses Association (ANA) include convention and conference planning and presentations as well as delegate nominations, elections and member surveys. Documentation of the SCNA’s proposition, planning, development, and advancements of the Primary Care Nurses Council, the Gerontological Council, the Council of Psych/Mental Health as well as the efforts of the Committee on Maternal/Infant Mortality, Mental Health Coalition and the Infant Mortality Task Force is included. 

Studies conducted by the SCNA like the Multigenerational Conflict Study, funded by a Center for American Nurses grant, along with continuing education curriculum including disaster and bioterrorism preparedness manuals, presentations on topics such as mental health and drug use with pregnancy as well as their Australian Nurse Exchange project are contained in the records. The SCNA newsletter, Palmetto Leaves, produced and distributed by the organization between 1941 and 1949 can be found in this collection.

Collaborations with Washington Nurses Association, Oregon Nurses Association, the Ohio Nurses Association, joint meetings and shared events with organizations such as the Student Nurses Association of South Carolina, Charleston Public Health Nursing Association, and the Practical Nurses Association of South Carolina. Programs documenting the 50th, 75th and Centennial celebrations of the SCNA areas also included. A unique feature of the collection is a early 20th century nursing uniform.

The South Carolina Nurses Associates records offer insight into the evolution of the association, advancements in the nursing profession, including collaborative efforts, legislative initiatives, and community outreach. The collection features materials from interest groups, trainings, and public health nursing papers. Two books documenting the early days of the nursing profession and the earliest inception of a central registry for nurses in the state of South Carolina that informed the formation of the SCNA are also included.