Princeton, N.J.—The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced that 10 additional states will be part of the Future of Nursing State Implementation Program. The program is helping states prepare the nursing profession to address our nation’s most pressing health care challenges—access, quality, and cost. The program launched with 20 states in February. The 10 states added today are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.
The State Implementation Program bolsters efforts already underway in 50 states and the District of Columbia—the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action—to improve health and health care through nursing. A joint initiative of AARP and RWJF, the Campaign is working to implement the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) evidence-based recommendations on the future of nursing. It provides a vehicle for nurses at all levels to lead system change to improve care for patients and families through collaboration with business, consumer, and other health professional organizations.
“We are confident that these grants will help spur progress across the country,” said Susan B. Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, RWJF senior adviser for nursing and director of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. “Our Action Coalitions are already doing notable work to transform nursing practice and education, and support nurse leadership. The Foundation is committed to helping states build a more highly educated, diverse nursing workforce so that everyone in America can live a healthier life, supported by a system in which nurses are essential partners in providing care and promoting health.”
The $4.5 million State Implementation Program is providing two-year grants of up to $150,000 to a total of 30 state-based Action Coalitions that have developed or made substantial progress toward implementing the IOM recommendations. States must obtain matching funds to receive their grants. The 20 states that received grants in February are: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Grant recipients will work to implement programs that prepare nurses to lead system change, strengthen nursing education, expand access to care by maximizing the use of nurses, recruit and train a more diverse nursing workforce, and improve quality and coordination of health care.
The Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA), an initiative of AARP; the AARP Foundation; and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, serves as the national program office for the Future of Nursing State Implementation Program.
“This new program will help Action Coalitions get the strategic and technical support required to advance their goals,” said Susan Reinhard, PhD, RN, FAAN, senior vice president of the AARP Public Policy Institute and chief strategist at CCNA. “Our hope is that with this support, we will see even more progress, and states will be even more effective in improving health outcomes for patients, families, and communities.”