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 The day included presentations about the accomplishments of the Connecticut Nursing Collaborative-Action Coalition, a dynamic keynote address about diversity and inclusion from Kenya Beard, EdD, AGACNPNP-BC, NP-C, CNE, ANEF and panel presentations about initiatives aimed at building a Culture of Health in Connecticut. The summit signaled the transition from “focusing inward on the nursing workforce to using the strength of our workforce for population-based initiatives,” said Lisa Sundean, RN, MSN, MHA, CNC-AC director. While the CNC-AC continues to work toward developing a strong and diverse nursing workforce and is embedding its work throughout state agencies, organizations, universities, and colleges, it is also promoting the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health framework as a powerful and meaningful guide for addressing community-based health needs in collaboration with multisector stakeholders.

One session highlighted key accomplishments of the CNC-AC. Paula McCauley, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, CNE described the process used by the CNC-AC to establish a statewide nursing data management infrastructure partnering with state agencies and universities. Linda Perfetto, MS, RN, CNE, CNOR, FAADN reported on academic progression in Connecticut quoting the number of BSNs or higher in Connecticut at 55 percent based on the recent analysis of the 2015 National Nursing Workforce Survey. Cindy Hollie, RN, DNP, MBA described the online Population Health program, to be piloted in early 2017, to educate incumbent nurses about current concepts in population health. Denise Bell, RN, MPH Diversity Committee co-chair, described the development of the Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit and plans to address nursing leadership diversity.

“We avoid the important conversations because of fear – fear of saying the wrong thing.” Beard offered a compelling keynote address calling participants to consider personal perspectives and engage in the critical dialogue needed to address implicit bias. A short “movement break” of light exercise in the name of health was followed by awards and recognitions for CNC-AC leaders and key partners.

The afternoon was devoted to creating healthy communities in Connecticut. After setting the context with an overview of the RWJF Culture of Health framework, six panelists described five programs throughout the state that aim to build healthier communities. Millicent Malcolm, DNP, GNP-BC, APRN, FNAP, associate professor at the UConn School of Nursing, described the GOT Care! Program, which is funded by Health Resources and Services Administration to address the health needs of aging individuals within an interprofessional education model. Gina Federico Muslim, BA, director of the North Hartford Pilot Health Program through Community Solutions, shared the vision and outcomes of this multistakeholder community program funded, in part, by RWJF to achieve the neighborhood triple aim. The mission of the Connecticut Data Collaborative was described by its director, Michelle Riordan-Nold, MPP, as a public-private partnership that seeks to provide open source data to address a wide range of social issues in Connecticut. One RWJF Culture of Health prize winner, The City of Bridgeport Mayor’s Initiative for Re-entry Affairs, was described by directors Louis Reed, CADC, CAC and Maritza Bond,MPH. The program aims to provide services and training to recently incarcerated individuals for successful re-entry into the community.  Finally, Maritza Estremera, MBA program administrator for United Illuminating, described the Clean, Tune and Test program she developed to address energy efficiency in client homes with the added benefit of significantly reducing risks for carbon monoxide exposure. The program is operationalized through a host of partners.

Summit participants brainstormed about multistakeholder initiatives to address food security, veterans’ health, and the opioid epidemic, among others. Participants commented, “Excellent program!” “One of the best conferences I have been to all year.” CNC-AC’s initiatives are resulting in meaningful outcomes for nurses, students, and consumers, and have served to bring new partners together to address a variety of health issues. Sundean reflected, “I am encouraged by the networking that occurred at the summit and the relationships that are developing as a result. People came away feeling energized and ready to engage at a new level to address broad health issues. That’s exactly what we were hoping for.”

CNC-AC is a two-time recipient of the RWJF State Implementation Program grant.

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Holle was busy even before the disaster hit. Last Thursday, she earned her Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree at MGH Institute of Health Professions; the next day the American Red Cross Disaster Health Services approved her for a two-week stint volunteering. Holle also serves on the Advisory Committee of the Connecticut Nursing Collaborative-Action Coalition.

What does a nurse do when helping hundreds who have lost their homes and everything inside? Whatever is needed that day—or to be exact, that minute.

Notes that Holle has scribbled during long days reflect bursts of action on many fronts. The main weapon she and the others wield is the ability to solve problems. The disaster relief workers have access to walkers, wheelchairs, and over-the-counter medicines, and can help people get refills for prescriptions and transportation to pick up those medicines. Trying to fill in those gaps left in people’s lives is only part of the story. Everyone has a different need, and such a flood hits people in unexpected ways. On learning that someone living in the shelter in which Holle worked had returned to his apartment only to find his possessions tattered and in the street—he retrieved only a family photo—Holle did what she could. She held his hand; she said, “I’m sorry. I’m thankful you survived, I’m honored to be here with you.”

Disaster Relief Fund for Louisiana Nurses

Louisiana nurses, of course, are on the front lines providing care to those in need, much as they did during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Even as many have been directly hit by the most recent flood to ravage the state, they are sacrificing their personal needs to look after the health of others. Cynthia Bienemy, PhD, RN, director of the Louisiana Nursing Center, and co-lead of the Louisiana Action Coalition, says that Louisiana is deeply grateful to Holle and others who are helping. To those who want to help but cannot fly in, Bienemy suggests the disaster relief fund for Louisiana nurses, established by the Louisiana State Nurses Association and the Louisiana Nurses Foundation, whose monies will go to nurses and their families who face the same needs their neighbors do.

Adds Bienemy: “Everyone is helping everyone, truly a beautiful sight in the midst of such tragedy.”

The storm, in a way, led Holle in the direction her studies had already taken her. For more than a year before she flew south, Holle has been on the Population Health Work Group run by the Connecticut Nursing Collaborative-Action Coalition. The work group is expanding ways nurses and others think of health, and creating courses that can be completed online that cover new ways to create healthy communities. That means that Holle spent months considering what constitutes “good health” besides not being sick, and figuring out ways to teach others those concepts. Now she and others answering the call from the American Red Cross are putting those concepts into practice amid people seeking basics such as food and shelter.

As Holle put it in one of her notes: “This type of nursing is unique. Or perhaps, very old and foundational. We assess, plan, and treat.”

And when needed, work with National Guardsman, physicians, psychologists, social workers, religious leaders, disaster relief specialists, housing experts, and even comfort dogs to do what’s best for those in need.

Above: Holle with Noah, a comfort dog, during relief efforts in Baton Rouge. Holle says what nurses and others perform–and see around them–are “random acts of kindness and thoughtfulness.”

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• Distribution of population by race/ethnicity
• Percentage of population living in rural versus urban areas
• Distribution of population by federal poverty level
• Areas in which there is a shortage of primary health professionals

These statistics can guide your Action Coalition’s work in shaping a nursing workforce to better meet local needs and overcoming health disparities in your state. As you integrate other Culture of Health aspects into your work, consider how demographics play a role in health equity and fostering cross-sector collaboration.

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The meetings were guided by a key message from the Institute of Medicine in 2010: Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.

Leading and writing about the event for Nursing Education Perspectives were the dean and assistant dean of Fairfield University’s Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies. When the time came to put pen to paper about the strides made, they realized there was much more to say about the Campaign’s people and efforts.

That’s when Dean and Professor Meredith Kazer, PhD, APRN, FAAN,  joined Associate Dean and Assistant Professor Audrey Beauvais, DNP, MBA, in proposing that the journal devote an entire issue to ways in which Action Coalitions were implementing the IOM recommendations, and the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action as a whole.

The message was sent in an email to other Action Coalitions by Connecticut’s statewide director Lisa J. Sundean, RN, MSN, MHA, PhD(c), Jonas Scholar: “Many of you are doing important and innovative work that is relevant. We would love to see our Action Coalitions well represented in this special issue.”

As Sundean made clear, the work of the Connecticut Nursing Collaborative-Action Coalition has created opportunities for Action Coalitions across the country. Kazer and Beauvais will be co-editors on the special issue of Nursing Education Perspectives next year, and Action Coalitions are invited to submit their manuscripts.

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The Times story reports that these safety nets increasingly recognize the need for healthier offerings, and at least one counts on a nurse to help: at the Food Bank of Corpus Christi in Texas, Georgiana Bradshaw, RN, CDE, is on staff. The story reports that Bradshaw guides those who visit, and quotes one resident as saying that, with the nurse’s help, she learned to keep her blood sugar level steady and take her medications regularly.

Just another example of how nurses contribute to healthier lives in and outside of health facilities.

Have your own experience along those lines? Leave a comment below, or let us know.

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Read the news story for more information about Ms. Perez-Brescia’s unique partnership with a local school.

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“The collective commitment of our partners fulfills the obligation to support the healthcare needs of Connecticut residents led by a data-informed nursing workforce,” commented Lisa Sundean, RN, MSN, MA, PhD(c), Statewide Director of the CNC-AC and Kimberly Sandor, RN, MSN, FNP, Executive Director of the CT Nurses Association.

Nurses comprise the largest portion of the healthcare workforce nationally. Their numbers have a significant impact on consumers’ access to care and patient outcomes. A better understanding of the nursing workforce is crucial for decision-making about employment in different healthcare settings, diversification of the nursing workforce in relation to population diversity, deployment of nurses in areas of high healthcare need, decision-making about nursing education, and preparation of nursing faculty.

This interprofessional, collaborative partnership to manage and analyze nursing workforce data is historic in Connecticut and nationally, and demonstrates a vital link to population health and state labor force economics.

Marcia Proto, M.Ed, CAS, Executive Director of the CT League for Nursing and the CT Center for Nursing Workforce added, “The CNC-AC has developed positive working relationships with nursing and non-nursing partners in CT and around the country.  Through these relationships we have aligned our talents and resources to address nursing workforce issues across all healthcare settings in the state.”

The CNC-AC is one of 51 state Action Coalitions in every state and the District of Columbia in partnership through the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, a partnership between AARP Foundation, AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Campaign for Action aims to improve the health of populations through a strong, diverse nursing workforce. CNC-AC is committed to convening a wide range of partnerships, influencing broadly, and facilitating activities that aim toward improved health of citizens statewide. CNC-AC is a project of the Connecticut Nurses Foundation and the Connecticut Nurses Association and works in close collaboration with the Connecticut League for Nursing. Partnerships between CNC-AC and state agencies demonstrate the commitment of the State of Connecticut to achieving healthier communities through nursing, the most trusted profession in the country.

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