DETROIT — The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation and the Michigan State University College of Nursing will join forces to create a pilot program that will help nurses remain in, or return to, clinical practice. The foundation is one of 10 nationwide to participate in Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future, a new initiative to develop and test solutions to America’s nursing shortage.
Led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Northwest Health Foundation, Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future encourages local foundations to act as catalysts in developing grassroots strategies to establish a stable, adequate nursing work force. The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation has been awarded a grant of $246,602 and will contribute an additional $125,000.
“Michigan will be unable to fill as many as 7,000 nursing positions as early as 2008,” said Teresa Wehrwein, associate professor and assistant dean for professional partnerships and faculty practice at MSU’s College of Nursing, who will direct the program.
“Increasing nursing school enrollment is one way to address the need, but the health care demands of the 79 million baby boomers moving into their 60s and the increase of people over age 80 require innovative solutions to meet an unprecedented demand for health care services expected to last for the next 30 years,” according to Wehrwein.
In 2007, the foundation will partner with the College of Nursing to develop Nursing for Life: The RN Career Transition Program. This statewide, two-year program is seen as a possible national model to help alleviate the nursing shortage by transitioning nurses into home-based, hospice, long-term and ambulatory care practice.
Nursing for Life will be a Web-based educational program combined with an on-site clinical practicum. Modules will include a focus on nursing roles, cultural diversity, communication and treatment with emphases on new technologies and care techniques. Additionally, a course will be developed for the nurses who will coach and mentor other nurses wishing to change career directions.
Grant money also will help develop additional strategies.
Michigan’s nursing work force is aging: 22 percent of Michigan registered nurses are age 55 or older and 59 percent are age 45 or older. Nursing in hospitals is physically demanding, requiring long hours, prolonged standing and heavy lifting, all of which becomes increasingly challenging for older nurses. Many end up leaving the profession with no desire to return.
Meanwhile, the projected demand for nurses is rising. By 2008, the demand for nurses will increase by 45 percent in ambulatory care, 82 percent in home-based care and 42 percent in long-term care, according to statistics from the Bureau of Health Professions.
“Nursing for Life provides nurses with a clear alternative to leaving their profession outright,” said Ira Strumwasser, executive director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation and CEO. “The program offers nurses a chance to move from the demands of acute care to practice their skills in non-acute care settings. We are confident this project will create meaningful ways to enable qualified nurses to continue working and adding to their skills, heading off a severe shortage that is projected in as little as two years.”
“Nurses are the cornerstone of our health care system and want nothing more than to provide safe and compassionate care for their patients in supportive and efficient work environments,” said Susan B. Hassmiller, senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“This program brings foundations together to learn from each other and engage others as they address a very serious problem in their communities. This partnership of the philanthropic community provides an opportunity to foster innovations that will help address the nursing crisis beyond just what any one foundation can do,” Hassmiller said.
Nursing for Life is supported by a wide array of community partners in Michigan, including:
- MSU College of Nursing
- Chief Nurse Executive of the state of Michigan
- Michigan Center for Nursing
- Michigan Center for Rural Health
- Trinity Health of Michigan
- St. John Health
- Visiting Nurse Services of Michigan
- Metro Health Foundation, the Community Foundation for Delta County and the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Community Foundation
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The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation is dedicated to improving the health of Michigan residents through the support of research and innovative health programs. The foundation grant programs are conducted in Michigan by Michigan-based researchers and nonprofit organizations to address issues of quality and costs of care, access to care and community health.
The mission of Michigan State University College of Nursing is to enhance the health of the community by providing excellence in nursing education, advancing the profession of nursing and serving as an advocate for optimal health care for all people. The college currently enrolls more than 500 undergraduate and graduate students. Its 80 faculty members represent a diverse blend of leading scholars and distinguished healthcare professionals who bring real world experience to the classroom.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the foundation has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime.
Founded in 1997, the Northwest Health Foundation is an independent, charitable foundation committed to advancing, supporting and promoting the health of the people of Oregon and southwest Washington. The foundation focuses on issues of health and health care, seeking concrete solutions to today’s health problems while advocating to prevent tomorrow’s. As part of the foundation’s commitment to cultivate a stable, skilled nursing workforce in the region, the foundation invests 30 percent of available funds in collaborative and sustainable solutions, including the development of advocacy and leadership within the nursing community.