The NDSU Department of Nursing and Dakota Medical Foundation have been awarded a two-year, $250,000 grant from Partner’s Investing in Nursing’s Future to address nursing workforce shortages specific to gerontology in North Dakota. Nine grants were received nationwide. Dakota Medical Foundation also is providing $250,000 in match funding for the project.
The funding will support the North Dakota Partners in Nursing Gerontology Consortium Project, which will develop a state model for gerontology in nursing education that will facilitate communication and a common infrastructure for technical expertise, establishment of standards, sharing of models and establishing outcome measures for evaluation. The consortium will increase awareness of health career opportunities among area youth, enhance community recruitment and retention efforts and enhance the gerontology practice environment.
Loretta Heuer, associate dean and project director, said while the overall number of nurses nationwide is increasing, the supply side does not address the specific needs of the state. “North Dakota is one of the most rural and frontier areas of the United States, and the state’s aging population presents a significant challenge to our health care workforce,” she said.
The fastest growing age cohort in North Dakota is people 85 and older. From 2000-05, the age cohort increased by more than 16 percent, and, as a result, North Dakota ranks first nationally in the proportion of residents 85 years of age and older. The changing patient demographics make the recruitment and retention of gerontological health care professionals essential.
“We are excited to be part of this national program that shares lessons learned and can help ensure that we have the nurses and resources needed to keep our families and our communities safe and healthy,” said Donna Grandbois, co-project director.
Partner’s Investing in Nursing’s Future, a program led by the Robert Wood Johnson and Northwest Health Foundations, is a unique national initiative to help find innovative ways to create an adequate nursing workforce appropriate in size and equipped with the specific skills necessary to meet the changing demands of the 21st century patient population. The program provides assistance to local and regional philanthropies to act as catalysts in their own communities and develop strategies for creating and sustaining a viable nursing workforce.
For more information about Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future, visit www.partnersinnursing.org.