HISTORY

In October 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued its landmark report, Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health 

This report serves as a blueprint for preparing nurses to best meet the needs of increasing numbers of patients and the increasing cost of healthcare. Every state has been challenged to join the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, an initiative led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to advance the IOM report across the nation. Nurse leaders in Georgia have risen to that challenge. 

Georgia Nursing Summit

On February 4, 2011, health care leaders gathered in Atlanta for the Georgia Nursing Summit to kick off the Campaign for Action in Georgia, an unprecedented initiative to transform the nursing workforce to meet the health care challenges that confront Georgia. This summit was part of the national Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action initiative launched in November 2010 by RWJF to guide the implementation of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Future of Nursing report.

The Georgia Nursing Summit included more than 350 health care leaders from 70 cities across Georgia. The participants—who come from government, business, academia, public health, and other sectors—identified strategies to implement the recommendations outlined in the Future of Nursing report in Georgia.

  • Over a couple of months, more than $15,000 was raised to support the meeting which included over 400 attendees.

  • 8 taskforces were formed to address Georgia’s response to the 8 IOM recommendations.

  • The Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition (GNLC) was formed, consisting of volunteers from practice, education, professional organizations and advocacy groups.  Members met regularly to move action areas forward.

  • Additional Georgia volunteers participated in strategic planning to identify a structure that was sustainable for our state.

  • In 2011, Georgia received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) designation as a state Action Coalition.

  • The GNLC successfully lobbied for and received $27,000 in that year’s state budget directed to aligning the nursing workforce survey with recommended national data points to more effectively describe the Georgia nursing workforce.

  • GNLC worked to address the need for more nursing residency programs in small hospitals throughout Georgia.

  • GNLC initiated a survey with plans for meeting the goal of 80% BSN nurses by 2020.

  • Groups have been organized to advance the IOM recommendations and broaden the support for nursing initiatives in the state.

 

GNLC and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

In 2013 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation created a new $3 million initiative; the Future of Nursing State Implementation Program (SIP). The program is designed to help states prepare the nursing profession to address our nation’s most pressing health care challenges: access, quality, and cost. In The GNLC was one of 20 states to be awarded a 2-year grant of $150,000 the first year of this program. In 2015, the GNLC was awarded a second $150,000 SIP grant to further its work for another two years.

 As part of both SIP grants, the GNLC is working on doubling the number of nurses with doctorates by 2020 (IOM recommendation #5), improving diversity among this cadre of nurses, as well as creating an infrastructure to collect and analyze data about the healthcare workforce in Georgia (recommendation #8). However, the GNLC is doing much, much more

Georgia had to raise matching funds of $75,000 in order to apply for that first RWJF SIP Grant. With the help of the following organizations and individuals, we reached our goal!

School of Nursing Donors: $26,300
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Clayton State University School of Nursing
College of Coastal Georgia
Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Georgia Health Sciences University College of Nursing
Georgia State University Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions
North Georgia College & State University School of Nursing
Shorter University School of Nursing
Mercer University Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
University of West Georgia
Valdosta State University

Health Care Systems: $200
Colquitt Regional Medical Center

Other Organizations: $9,550
Georgia Association of Nurse Anesthetists
Georgia Hospital Association
Georgia Nurses Association
Georgia Nurses Association Athens Area Chapter
Georgia Nurses Association Northwest Metro Area
Georgia Nurses Association Southern Crescent Chapter
Sigma Theta Tau International Alpha Epsilon Chapter
TGA Communications LLC

Individuals: $5,285
Nearly 40 nurses from Georgia have donated to this campaign. Their gifts range from $25 up to $1,000.

Eula Aiken

Dean Baker

Nancy Ballard

Georgia Barkers 

Nancy Capponi

Melanie Cassity

Eunseok Cha

Carolyn Clevenger

Elizabeth Corwin

Safiya George Dalmida

Dian Dowling Evans

Sandra Dunbar

Lisa Eichelberger

Denise Flook

Sarah Freeman

Cheryl Garcia

Rebecca Green

William Greene

Charlene Hanson 

Debbie Hatmaker

 Kelly Hedbloom

 Maeve Howett

Wanda Jones

Maureen Kelley

Ursula Kelly

Sally Lehr

Judith Malachowski

Aimee Manion

Lucy Marion

Jane Mashburn

Linda McCauley

Kathryn Moore

Evelyn Murphy

Tim Porter-O'Grady

Carolyn Reilly

Doris Rodriguez

Deborah Saylor

Susan Shapiro

Clint Shedd

Kelly Shelby

Linda Spencer

Jane Sweetwood

Traci Switzer

Helen Taggert

Tami Thomas

Sandy Turner

Darla Ura

Drenna Waldrop

Sheila Warren

Karen Waters

Judy Wells

Mary Wesley

Rebecca Wheeler

Jill Williams

Margaret Wilmoth

Judith Wold

Kate Yeager