AARP, RWJF partner on Center to Champion Nursing in America
Noting that hospitals are currently facing estimated registered nurse (RN) vacancy rates of more than 10%, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the AARP Foundation last week launched the Center to Champion Nursing in America, an initiative dedicated to addressing gaps in the nation’s nursing workforce, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. To head off a projected shortage of 1.1 million nurses by 2020, the new center—funded by a $10 million grant from RWJF—will work to increase federal and state funding for nurse training programs and prepare more practitioners for nursing faculty roles. The center also will advocate for the inclusion of nurse leaders on the governing boards of hospitals and other health care organizations, where they can provide “critically needed practical perspective” on improving care quality and patient safety. And finally, center staff—led by the director of AARP’s Public Policy Institute—will work to educate policymakers and the public about issues facing the nursing workforce and publicize evidence linking higher nurse staffing levels with care quality improvements .
For more information, please read the RWJ press release.