HSCN and HMSA Work Together
The Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) Foundation has been selected as one of 10 foundations in the country to participate in Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future, a new national initiative to develop and test solutions to America’s nursing shortage. Led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF), the program encourages local foundations to act as catalysts in developing grassroots strategies to establish a stable, adequate nursing workforce. Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future is a five-year, $10 million initiative.
To help develop solutions and lead efforts in Hawaii, the HMSA Foundation has been awarded a two-year grant of $250,000 dollars. It will work with the Hawaii State Center for Nursing and a dozen other local partners to help address the nursing shortage in the Islands. A program requirement is for local partners to match 50 percent of the grant amount. The HMSA Foundation contributed $105,000 and $20,000 has come from the Hawaii State Center for Nursing, Hale Makua, and The Queens Medical Center.
Nine other foundations from around the country were selected for the national program. (See attachment for information on the foundations.) These organizations are exploring an array of initiatives that meet their community’s specific needs, including recruiting and retaining nursing faculty, developing new roles for nurses in the care setting, and empowering nurses to better assume leadership roles.
“The HMSA Foundation is honored to be selected to help identify solutions to the nation’s nursing shortage problem,” said Mark L. Forman, HMSA Foundation executive administrator. “We look forward to working with the Hawaii State Center for Nursing and a number of key programs and organizations to help address Hawaii’s increasing need for skilled nurses.” (See attachment for information on the HMSA Foundation’s partners in this effort.)“It’s a pleasure to work with the HMSA Foundation in an innovative partnership to address the nursing shortage in Hawaii,” said Barbara P. Mathews, executive director of the Hawaii State Center for Nursing. “The nursing profession cannot solve the shortage in isolation. It will take the combined efforts of community leaders from many sectors to craft viable solutions to address this important issue.”
Across America, patients rely on nurses for personal, quality care delivered in their own communities, which is threatened when there is a nursing shortage. In fact, the nursing shortage has become so severe in some communities that it is affecting patient care and safety, health care costs, and patient outcomes. Experts say the causes of the nursing shortage are complex and range from rapid population growth in some states to an aging nurse workforce and poor working conditions.
“Nurses are the cornerstone of our health care system and want nothing more than to provide safe and compassionate care for their patients,” said Susan B. Hassmiller, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N., senior program officer at RWJF. “This unique program brings foundations together to learn from each other and engage others as they address a very serious problem in their communities.”“We are pleased to offer this grant to the HMSA Foundation, which is well-qualified to explore solutions for the people of Hawaii,” said Judith Woodruff, J.D., director of strategic initiatives of NWHF and program director for Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future. “One size won’t fit all, and we need solutions that will work close to home.”
For more information on Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future, visit them online at www.PartnersInNursing.org. To learn more about RWJF and NWHF, visit them at www.rwjf.org and www.nwhf.org.About the HMSA Foundation and Hawaii State Center for Nursing
The HMSA Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt private charitable organization founded in Hawaii in 1986 with the goal of stimulating research aimed at some of the pressing issues that confront Hawaii’s health care industry. The mission of the HMSA Foundation is to extend HMSA’s commitment to provide community access to cost-effective health care services, promote health, provide health education and relevant research, and improve social welfare in Hawaii.
The Hawaii State Center for Nursing was established by the Legislature in 2003 to address the many complex issues regarding the nursing shortage. The main areas of focus include collecting and disseminating workforce data on the nursing shortage in Hawaii, recruitment and retention of nurses, and research on best practices and quality outcomes. The Center is located at the University of Hawaii School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, and has an advisory board appointed by the governor. The Center, which became operational in 2005, is funded by Hawaii nurses through a surcharge on licensing fees.####