PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of continuing efforts to alleviate Pennsylvania's growing shortage of nurses, a statewide coalition of hospitals, nursing schools and nursing organizations will join forces at the Promise of Nursing for Pennsylvania gala on Wednesday, March 2, at 6 p.m. at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown (1201 Market St.).
This celebration of the nursing profession is sponsored by The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future in association with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation and will attract 1,000 area nurses. The event is expected to raise more than $700,000 for nursing fellowships, school grants and student scholarships for Pennsylvania.
Since 2002, the Promise of Nursing galas have raised more than $5 million nationwide with events in 10 cities. Additional galas for 2005 include New York City, March 16, Orlando, Fla., March 24 and Boston, on April 27. In total, The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future is expected to raise an additional $3.5 million in 2005 to help ease the shortage.
"Pennsylvania's critical shortage of nurses and nurse educators is a grave concern for local hospitals and health care providers, as well as the education community," said Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation President and CEO Michael H. Hershock. "Attracting more people to the nursing profession and maintaining a steady level of nurse faculty is crucial to serving the health care needs of our aging population."
Pennsylvania, which ranks 24th in the lowest number of registered nurses per capita, faces a severe nursing shortage. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Pennsylvania health care providers are experiencing a 9 percent vacancy rate. By 2020, HRSA expects Pennsylvania's vacancy rate to rise to 30 percent, or more than 40,000 nurse vacancies.
"We are facing the most profound nursing shortage in history, and Pennsylvania is feeling the impact," said Curt M. Selquist, company group chairman, Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc. "It takes a collective effort to enhance the image of the nursing profession, recruit and retain nurses, and attract nursing faculty. The event here in Pennsylvania is evidence that this community is responding to the impending crisis."
Nationally, enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs rose 10.6 percent in 2004, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Although that rise marks the third consecutive year of enrollment increases, nursing schools continue to deny a high number of applicants each year due to severe faculty shortages. The AACN reports that nursing schools denied 15,944 applicants in 2003, while in 2004 that number rose to 26,340 applicants, an increase of nearly 65 percent.
"As nursing educators, we see first hand how the faculty shortage contributes to the overall nursing shortage," said Paula Milone-Nuzzo, RN, PhD, FAAN, professor, director and associate dean of the Pennsylvania State University School of Nursing. "We simply do not have enough faculty to increase our student body and maintain a student-teacher ratio that provides the best education for aspiring nurses. That's why we appreciate the work of companies like Johnson & Johnson, whose Campaign for Nursing's Future is providing fellowships, teaching grants and other assistance that attacks the root cause of the shortage."
In Pennsylvania, 27 nursing education programs have closed since 1993, due to a lack of funds and faculty. About 70 percent of fund-raising proceeds from the Promise of Nursing for Pennsylvania will go to developing faculty and expanding the capacity of Pennsylvania nursing programs.
"The current nursing shortage is small compared to future projections," said Leslie Clarke, RN, MS, MBA, senior vice president and chief nursing officer with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Events like the Promise of Nursing for Pennsylvania demonstrate how much we can accomplish together to ensure an adequate supply of nurses and resources in the future to better serve the growing population."
Fortunately, efforts like The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future and Promise of Nursing galas are having a positive impact. Nurses are rated America's most trusted profession in a recent Gallup Poll rating the honesty and ethical standards of various professions. Of the 1,015 adults surveyed, 79 percent chose nurses as the most trusted professionals in the United States followed by teachers, pharmacists, military officers and doctors.
The organizations that comprise The Promise of Nursing for Pennsylvania Steering Committee are Abington Memorial Hospital, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Alvernia College, Community Health Systems, Brandywine Hospital, Jennersville Regional Hospital, Easton Hospital, Phoenixville Hospital, Conemaugh Health System, Crozer-Keystone Health System, Department of Nursing, Jefferson College of Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Frankford Hospital, Harrisburg Area Community College, Lancaster General Hospital, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, Main Line Health, Marywood University, College of Health and Human Services, Miners Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital UPHS, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), Pennsylvania Tenet Hospitals, Hahnemann University Hospital, Graduate Hospital, Roxborough Memorial Hospital, Warminster Hospital, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children-Tenet, Stevens and Lee, PC, Lawyers and Consultants, Temple University, Department of Nursing, College of Health Professions, Temple University Health System, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, The Delaware Valley Healthcare Council of HAP, The Pennsylvania State University School of Nursing, The University of Scranton, Department of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing & HUP Nursing, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing and the Wyoming Valley Healthcare System.
For additional information on The Promise of Nursing for Pennsylvania or other upcoming galas, please e-mail NursingFundraisingEvent@hcsus.jnj.com.
ABOUT THE PROMISE OF NURSING
The Promise of Nursing for Pennsylvania gala is part of a public-awareness campaign - The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future - launched by Johnson & Johnson in February 2002. The multi-year, $30-million 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 health care 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 health care community.
ABOUT JOHNSON & JOHNSON
Johnson & Johnson, with approximately 109,200 employees, is the world's most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products, as well as a provider of related services, for the consumer, pharmaceutical, and medical devices and diagnostic markets. Johnson & Johnson has more than 200 operating companies in 57 countries, selling products throughout the world. For more information visit http://www.jnj.com/ .
ABOUT THE PENNSYLVANIA HIGHER EDUCATION FOUNDATION
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation is a non-government, nonprofit organization working to create and expand affordable options for postsecondary education for Pennsylvania students, families and schools. The Foundation identifies key areas in need of financial assistance and creates innovative programs and services that alleviate the financial burden of tuition and other education costs. The Foundation also promotes the affordability of a quality higher education and the career opportunities that can be realized with continued education. For further information visit http://www.higheredfoundation.org/ .
Johnson & JohnsonCONTACT: Kristen Smith of Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc.,+1-732-562-3527, or KSmith33@HCSUS.JNJ.com ; or Keith New of The PennsylvaniaHigher Education Foundation, +1-717-720-2509, or knew@pheaa.org