With the world
facing a potentially dangerous shortage of nurses, 16 of the nation’s leading
nursing and healthcare organizations have formed a coalition called Nurses
for a Healthier Tomorrow. The group has kicked off a fund-raising drive and
search for sponsors to help underwrite a national advertising campaign. The ads
will be designed to recruit new nurses and encourage existing ones to remain in
the profession. The goal is to raise at least $1 million.
In its quest for
funding, the coalition hopes to work with major health insurers, managed care
companies, pharmaceutical firms and healthcare providers to join the effort with
sponsorship dollars or in-kind services to create and place the campaign. In
addition to seeking sponsors, the coalition will ask nursing schools and
hospitals -- the organizations most affected by the nursing shortage -- to
contribute seed money for the campaign.
So far, members of
the coalition are:
-
Academy of
Medical Surgical Nurses
-
American
Association of Colleges of Nursing
-
American
Association of Critical-Care Nurses and AACN Certification Corp.
-
American
Association of Nurse Anesthetists
-
American
Association of Orthopaedic Nurses
-
American College
of Nurse Practitioners
-
American
Hospital Association
-
American Nurses
Association
-
American
Organization of Nurse Executives
-
American
Psychiatric Nurses Association
-
American Red
Cross
-
Arthritis
Foundation
-
Association of
periOperative Registered Nurses
-
Association of
Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
-
Emergency Nurses
Association
-
Honor Society of
Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (Fiscal Agent)
-
National
Association of Neonatal Nurses
-
National
Association of Orthopaedic Nurses
-
National
Organization for Associate Degree Nursing
-
National School
Nurses Association
-
National League
for Nursing
-
National Student
Nurses Association
-
Oncology Nursing
Society
-
U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs
Organizers say the
message of the campaign is simple: A nursing education teaches highly versatile
skills such as critical thinking, customer service, decision making, science and
technology that can lead to exciting jobs in all kinds of organizations. Few
people are aware of the range of positions available for professional nurses,
not only in direct patient care, but also in roles as researchers,
entrepreneurs, managers, corporate board members and more.
Organizers of Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow say they’re taking a proactive
stance to prevent what could cost the nation billions of dollars to repair. In
fact, a recent Harris Poll found that 86 percent of Americans fear the quality
of healthcare could be affected by the shortage of nurses.
For more
information, call Hetrick Communications Inc. at 317-262-8080.
