HJBR May/Jun 2026

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  MAY / JUN 2026 43 Karen C. Lyon, PhD, MBA, APRN-CNS, NEA Chief Executive Officer Louisiana State Board of Nursing cess for CEO, chiefs, and directors. • Meeting between Louisiana Hos- pital Association Executives, LSBN Executive Committee, and LSBN CEO and Executive Counsel to discuss regulatory projects we can work on together. • Bimonthly articles for the Health- care Journal of NewOrleans and the Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge . • Participation in the planning com- mittee for LSNAAction Coalition for Health Summit. • Karen Lyon served as panel speak- er for the National Association of Drug and Device Distributors in New Orleans in April. • Karen Lyon served on the NCSBN 25th Anniversary Planning Com- mittee and NCSBN Governance and Bylaws Committee. • Completed Louisiana’s member board profiles for NCSBN in struc- ture and governance, licensure, ed- ucation, discipline, and advanced practice. • Served on Task Force for HCR 55 to finalize playbook on improving health outcomes in minority com- munities for the 2026 legislative session. • Added three additional sanctioned Recovering Nurse Program (RNP) participants for both inpatient and outpatient care. • Sponsored 11 LSBN staff members to Culture of Health Summit on Advancing Workforce Well-Being. The NCSBN Midyear Meeting was held in Phoenix, Arizona. March 17–19, 2026 and included the business of NCSBN, lead- ership, and education. Members gathered to discuss and decide NCSBN’s future ini- tiatives regarding licensure, regulation, and issues facing nursing. Specifically, members from the United States and other countries addressed the following objec- tives: • Empower nurse regulatory boards to challenge tradition and generate bold innovative ideas, includ- ing how best to utilize artificial intelligence within the nursing profession, both in practice and education. NCSBN is also explor- ing technology to improve how candidates take the NCLEX both inside and outside of traditional test centers. • Analyze the status quo in current nursing regulation and adopt changes for national and interna- tional governance. • Break down regulatory barriers while maintaining public protec- tion and trust. Importantly, this will include passing the APRN Compact beyond the current four members to increase access to care by allowing APRNs to practice seamlessly across member states. It is the safest and most efficient way to meet the growing need for highly qualified healthcare provid- ers and to provide more choice for patients and APRNs. In closing, I’d like to reiterate that it has been my privilege to serve the citizens of Louisiana by participating with multiple boards and a true pleasure to work with the expert staff at LSBN during my tenure to support the board’s strategic vision. I am incredibly proud of what we have built and the positive impact we’ve made on nursing regulation, education, and practice in Lou- isiana and throughout the country. n al capacity and sustainability; strengthen outreach and stakeholder engagement; and enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness, LSBN staff, supported by the board and our professional colleagues throughout the state, were able to com- plete the following: • Completion of an updated Board Orientation binder and develop- ment of a process for onboarding new LSBN directors for their role in governance and strategic planning. • Scheduling of board professional development presentations. • Partner collaboration meeting for the Clinical Nurse Educator Academy. • National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Discipline Knowledge Network calls monthly. • Access to NCSBN Learning Collaborative monthly calls. • National Council Licensure Ex- amination (NCLEX) webinar on entry-level RN characteristics. • Legiscon training for upcoming 2026 legislative session. • Discipline training for board members with Victoria Priola, clinical psychologist. This ses- sion was directed at providing the board with tools to distin- guish between punishment and just discipline when dealing with nurses who violate the Nurse Practice Act or our Administra- tive Rules and Regulations. • Celebrating nursing through Championing Nurse Equity webinar. • Finalize Succession Planning Pro-