Posted on August 26, 2012

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Awards Grants to Nine States to Bolster Nursing Workforce

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced grants totaling $2.7 million to nine states through its Academic Progression in Nursing program.

Under phase one of the program — which was launched after a report from the Future of Nursing found that a better educated nursing workforce would improve access to high-quality patient-centered care, nine states — California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington — will receive two-year grants of $300,000 to implement strategies designed to help nurses earn advanced degrees, improve patient care, and help fill faculty and advanced practice nursing roles. In particular, the states will work on strengthening partnerships between community colleges and universities to make it easier for nurses to transition to higher degrees.

The foundation also announced plans to support an additional two years of APIN at the close of phase one to help states that have met or exceeded their benchmarks continue to make progress. The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) will administer the program on behalf of the Tri-Council for Nursing, which comprises the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the National League for Nursing, American Nurses Association, and AONE.

"The nation needs a well-educated nursing workforce to ensure an adequate supply of public health and primary care providers, improve care for patients living with chronic illness, and in other ways meet the needs of our aging and increasingly diverse population," said Pamela Austin Thompson, national program director for APIN, senior vice president for nursing at the American Hospital Association, and CEO of AONE. "We have great confidence in the nine states that will receive these grants to implement bold and effective strategies that will work in their states and create models that other states can utilize."