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Contact: Susie Wallace
Oklahoma Hospital Association
Director of Communications
swallace@okoha.com
(405) 427-9537

For immediate release – Aug. 7, 2007

Oklahoma health care workforce partners selected for nationwide program to address nursing shortage

Oklahoma City – The Oklahoma Hospital Education and Research Foundation Trust (OHERFT), an entity
of the Oklahoma Hospital Association, has recently been selected as one of 11 foundations nationwide to
receive funding in the second year of Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future, a national initiative to develop
and test solutions to America’s nursing shortage. The OHERFT project will be one of the first initiatives of
the newly-created Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center. Strategic oversight and coordination of the
grant will be the responsibility of the Center, with strong support from its organizational partners.
Led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Northwest Health Foundation, the program
encourages local foundations to act as catalysts in developing grassroots strategies to establish a stable,
adequate nursing workforce. The 11 grants being awarded this year represent the involvement of 27 local
foundations from across the U.S., and a multitude of other funding sources. These foundations, some for the
first time, have forged partnerships in their own communities to apply for this grant, giving increased
attention to the nursing shortage in their communities. To help develop solutions and lead efforts within the
region, OHERFT has been awarded a two-year grant of $250,000, to be combined with an additional
$125,000 from local partners.

“This partnership is one that encompasses statewide, regional and local stakeholders,” said Sheryl R.
McLain, interim executive director, Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center, and vice president/workforce
initiatives, Oklahoma Hospital Association. “We are honored to be selected to help identify solutions.
Health care is delivered in local communities and that’s where the focus of this project will remain. Grant
partners will work together to develop and support strategies that will ensure and sustain the delivery of
essential health care at the local level. All of this will be done with input and guidance from local health
care employers and with feedback and assistance from front line nurses, nurse leaders and nurse educators.
Cumulatively, these actions will result in the retention of valuable nurses at the local level and the
professional growth of current nurse leaders and nurse educators, all of whom play critical roles in the
delivery of essential health care and quality of life for Oklahomans.”

Using advanced technology of the Internet and Oklahoma’s OneNet fiber optic system, the project will
convert a series of health care management and leadership courses to a Web-based platform and will also
provide the courses via distance learning classrooms. Developed by faculty from the University of
Oklahoma College of Nursing, portions of this training will be delivered via the Internet, which will allow
nurses from Oklahoma health care facilities to access the courses at their convenience. Providing three
distance learning classrooms in Talihina, Tahlequah and Ada will enable 60 nurses from hospitals, long
term care, home health, public health, and other settings to receive this training in their area, reducing the
expenses and time needed to travel to Oklahoma City for the training.

A health care industry report released in 2006 by the Oklahoma Governor’s Council for Workforce &
Economic Development cited the lack of nursing faculty as a critical factor in alleviating Oklahoma’s
current and impending nursing shortage. The third component of the grant funding will allow scholarships
for 10 current nurse educators to advance from a bachelor degree to a master’s degree in nursing, via the OU
College of Nursing’s online program. Nurse educators will be selected from Career Techs, as well as two
and four-year nursing programs in and around the areas of Talihina, Tahlequah and Ada.
Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future is now in its second year of a five-year, $10 million initiative.
During the program’s first year beginning in the fall of 2006, the 10 initial foundation partners established
more than 140 partnerships between nursing organizations and local foundations to address the nursing
shortage.

“The stability and quality of our nation’s health care rely heavily on a sufficient supply of appropriately
educated and skilled nurses,” said Susan B. Hassmiller, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N., senior program officer at the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “While the nursing shortage is a national issue, community-based
interventions are necessary to finding solutions that work in different health care environments. This unique
program was designed to bring regional philanthropies together to address the nursing shortage on a
community-level, fostering innovations beyond what any one foundation can do alone.”
Across the U.S., patients rely on nurses for personal, quality care delivered in their own communities –
which is threatened when there is a nursing shortage. In fact, the nursing shortage has become so severe that
in some communities it can cause delays in care delivery. Emergency departments can be forced to send
patients to other hospitals, surgeries can be postponed, and inpatient and outpatient services can be reduced
or delayed. Optional services, such as free health screenings can also be reduced or eliminated. In addition
to hospitals, nurses also provide essential services in Oklahoma schools, nursing homes, primary care
clinics, health departments, home care, hospice and other settings. If current trends continue, Oklahoma is
expected to have a shortage of more than 3,000 nurses by 2012.

“Because all health care is local, solutions need to be tailored to meet the needs of the individual
communities these nurses serve,” said Judith Woodruff, J.D., program director of the Northwest Health
Foundation and Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future. “We are pleased to offer this grant to OHERFT and
the Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center, which are well-qualified to explore solutions for the people of
Oklahoma. Not only do we believe this partnership will make significant improvements in health care in
Oklahoma, but we believe that the other 20 projects can exchange ideas and benefit from the work of the
Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center as well.”

Oklahoma partners that will be contributing companion funds to the grant include: Valley View Regional
Hospital, Ada; Tahlequah City Hospital; Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority, Talihina; Eastern
Workforce Investment Board, Muskogee; Southern Workforce Investment Board, Durant; and the Southeast
Area Workforce Investment Board, Wilburton.

For more information about the Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center, visit www.okhealthcareworkforce.com. Information about Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future is available at
www.PartnersInNursing.org.

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The Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center was established in 2006 by Oklahoma legislation to serve as the coordinating entity for the state’s efforts to meet supply and demand needs for Oklahoma’s health care workforce. Goals of the Center include: ensuring Oklahoma’s current education and training systems have the resources and support necessary to produce the number of health care workers needed; increasing the job satisfaction and retention rates of current health care workers; and increasing the level of awareness among young people and adults of the opportunities available in health care.

Established in 1919, the Oklahoma Hospital Association represents more than 125 hospitals and health care entities across the state of Oklahoma. See www.okoha.com.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. See www.rwjf.org.

Northwest Health Foundation is an independent, charitable foundation committed to advancing, supporting, and promoting the health of the people of Oregon and southwest Washington. We focus on issues of health and health care in our region, seeking concrete solutions to today's health problems while advocating to prevent tomorrow's. As part of our commitment to cultivate a stable, skilled nursing workforce in the
region, Northwest Health Foundation invests in collaborative and sustainable solutions to address the nursing shortage, including the development of advocacy and leadership within the nursing community. See www.nwhf.org.

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