The CT Nursing Collaborative-Action Coalition held a
briefing
today on
Building
a Culture of Health in Hartford with the
CT League for Nursing and the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Sue Hassmiller from RWJ briefed the audience on
the critical role of prevention and population-based services in improving
health and the central role of nurses in that effort. One RWJ program pairing visiting
nurses with high-risk families returned $5.70 for every dollar spent supporting
pregnancy and early childhood. She emphasized that much of health outcomes are
outside the traditional medical system, commenting that “the choices we make
are based on the choices we have.” The CT Nursing Collaborative-Action
Coalition is working to build healthier communities in our state through a
strong, diverse nursing workforce. Efforts include engaging
nurses to serve on Boards,
developing models to help nurses
progress up the career ladder, and creating an online tutorial for population
health concepts. A new survey of RN and LPN programs in CT found that most students
are ages 22 to 25 (RNs) and 26 to 30 (LPNs), most faculty teach part time, and
the vast majority are white.
