Tennessee Partnerships Address Statewide Nursing Shortage

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In a continued effort to help alleviate the nationwide nursing shortage, the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future is hosting the Promise of Nursing for Tennessee gala to raise funds and provide scholarships to help ease the nursing shortage in Tennessee. As the 31st Promise of Nursing regional gala, proceeds from this event will contribute to the more than $18 million raised across the country to date.

All funds raised from the event, which is being held in Nashville on Wednesday, December 14, will remain in Tennessee to support undergraduate nursing student scholarships, graduate nursing education fellowships to prepare nurse faculty, and grants to Tennessee area nursing schools to help expand their program capacity. More than 500 Tennessee nurses and healthcare professionals are expected to be in attendance at the Gaylord Opryland Resort beginning at 6 p.m.

"The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA), through its Workforce Center, has determined in the coming years, Tennessee is going to experience a significant shortfall of nurses. Nurses are the primary caregivers of any hospital, providing care for patients during their greatest times of need," says Craig A. Becker, THA president. "Through our partnership with the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future, we have the opportunity to help provide additional nursing faculty and to fund scholarships so that more students have the opportunity to become nurses."

Current predictions by the Tennessee Center for Nursing indicate that Tennessee is expected to experience more than 15,000 nursing position vacancies by 2020. The demand will continue to exceed the supply of RNs as the population continues to age and older RNs retire.

"The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future is committed to the recruitment and retention of our nursing workforce at both national and regional levels," says Andrea Higham, director of the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future. "Collaborating with local nursing organizations to host the Promise of Nursing galas helps to broaden our reach and strengthen our alliance to guarantee that nurses and student nurses across the country continue to receive the resources and funding they need."

The organizations that comprise the Promise of Nursing for Tennessee Steering Committee include:

Baptist Memorial Health Care, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Community Trust, Capella Healthcare, East Tennessee Children's Hospital, Erlanger Health System, HCA/TriStar, Maury Regional Medical Center, Memorial Health Care System, Mountain States Health Alliance, National HealthCare Corporation, NorthCrest Medical Center, Tennessee Hospital Association, Tennessee Nurses Foundation, Tennessee Professional Assistance Program, Tennessee Rural Partnership, THA-Chattanooga District, THA-Knoxville District, THA-Middle District, THA-South Middle District, The University of Tennessee Colleges of Nursing - Memphis, Martin, Knoxville and Chattanooga, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and West Tennessee Healthcare.

ABOUT THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON CAMPAIGN FOR NURSING'S FUTURE

The Promise of Nursing for Tennessee gala is part of a public-awareness campaign – The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future – launched by Johnson & Johnson in February 2002. The Campaign is designed to enhance the image of the nursing profession, recruit new nurses and nurse faculty, as well as help retain nurses currently in the profession. Working in cooperation with various professional nursing organizations, schools, hospitals and other healthcare groups and providers, the Campaign focuses on promoting opportunities within nursing as well as increasing awareness of the value of the nursing profession to our overall society and healthcare community. The Campaign will mark its 10th anniversary in 2012 and has invited nurses and student nurses to participate it its Portrait of Thanks Mosaic Project. A photo mosaic – a compilation of different pictures to create a single image – is being created to celebrate the nursing profession and inspire the next generation of nurses and will be unveiled next year. For every photo submitted for the mosaic through February 1, 2012, the Campaign will donate $1 to the Foundation of the National Student Nurses' Association (FNSNA) to help fund nursing student scholarships. Learn more at www.CampaignforNursing.com/PortraitofThanks. For more information on the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future, visit www.campaignfornursing.com and www.discovernursing.com or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/jnjnursingnotes.

ABOUT JOHNSON & JOHNSON

Caring for the world, one person at a time…inspires and unites the people of Johnson & Johnson. We embrace research and science – bringing innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and well-being of people. Our approximately 117,000 employees at more than 250 Johnson & Johnson companies work with partners in healthcare to touch the lives of over a billion people every day, throughout the world. 

SOURCE Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future