The Center to Champion Nursing in America launched

Dermatology Nursing, Feb, 2008

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The Center to Champion Nursing in America--a joint initiative of the AARP Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation--is committed to addressing the growing nursing shortage that threatens access to health care and quality of care across the nation.

Research shows that:

* The U.S. faces a projected shortage of more than 1 million nurses by 2020. The current RN vacancy rate in hospitals is estimated at more than 10%.

* Nursing schools currently turn away tens of thousands of qualified applicants because of a critical shortage of faculty.

* Increased nursing staff levels are associated with better outcomes for hospitalized patients, lower hospital-related mortality, and shorter hospital stays Launched December 6, 2007, at the National Press

Club in Washington, DC, the center will be directed by Dr. Susan Reinhard who also serves as Director of AARP's Public Policy Institute.

The Center will serve as a focal point for advocacy and the educational efforts of a wide range of organizations and individuals working for affordable, high-quality health care. Specifically, the center will advocate at the state and national level for:

* Greater funding to support expanded nursing education programs and to prepare more nursing faculty.

* A more prominent role for nursing leaders. In particular, the center will press for more nurse leaders on the governing boards of hospitals and other health care institutions to provide critically needed practical perspective on improving the safety and quality of care.

A key focus of the Center will be to bring together influential voices from health care, business, and consumer groups to speak out about the link between nursing and good care, and the need to support nursing in America. For more information, visit http://www.championnursing.org