Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action - Call for Applications

Dear Colleagues,

For the past year, states across the country have been active on the ground working to implement the recommendation of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on the future of nursing thorough the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. This Campaign envisions a health care system where all Americans have access to high-quality care, with nurses contributing to the full extent of their capabilities. The Campaign is a partnership of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and AARP. It is coordinated through the Center to Champion Nursing in America, an initiative of AARP, the AARP Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and includes 36 state Action Coalitions and a wide range of health care providers, consumer advocates, policy-makers and the business, academic and philanthropic communities.

Leaders from around the country are asked to join this national movement by responding to this call for applications. Help us transform health care through nursing!

Background

The Committee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine was tasked with creating a blueprint for the role of nurses in the design and improvement of public and institutional policies at the national, state and local levels. The Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, released in October 2010, included recommendations for a variety of system improvements including proven, solution-oriented ways to address the nursing and nurse faculty shortages in the U.S. The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action is committed to using the report as a framework for future direction and action to help improve the health of all Americans.

Action Coalitions are convened to advance the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. Comprised of diverse groups of stakeholders that can effect sustainable change at the state or regional level, Action Coalitions will capture best practices, determine research needs, track lessons learned and identify replicable models that then can accelerate improvements nationally.

Through this call for applications, the Campaign for Action is inviting organizations to apply to be deemed official Action Coalitions and receive the technical assistance developed and coordinated by the Center to Champion Nursing in America. For further information about the technical assistance available, please see Section II of the Frequently Asked Questions.

To date, the Campaign for Action’s Action Coalitions have been active in over 36 states across the country. To build on this success, the Campaign will select additional applicants to be granted Action Coalition status during this round of applications. Applications will be accepted until 5:00 PM ET on January 25, 2012.

Download the application. Applicants will have an opportunity to ask Campaign staff questions about Action Coalitions and the application via a webinar on December 12, 2011 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET. Visit here to register for the webinar.

Eligibility

Action Coalitions must be led by two or three people – representing a nursing and a non-nursing organization – who undertake a long-term commitment to manage efforts in a particular state/region. In other words, one of the applicants must be an organization dedicated to the promotion of nurses or nursing. The other applicant must be an organization involved in a field outside of nursing. Applications should be submitted by the co-leading organizations that will assume overall responsibility for coordination and oversight of the Action Coalition’s activities. The applicant organizations must be formed and operated from within the United States.

Each state should only have one state-level Action Coalition in order to ensure a coordinated and effective effort, and multiple applications per state will not be considered. (For a list of current Action Coalitions, see question 5 in the Frequently Asked Questions.) Each Action Coalition may create its own organizational structure that takes into account local or regional concerns, but all coordination within a state must be done through a single state-level Action Coalition. Several Action Coalitions may also collaborate to form interstate Action Coalitions that coordinate local and state-based efforts.

Selection Criteria

Action Coalition applications will be reviewed by a selection committee following the deadline for applications on January 25, 2012. Applications will be reviewed and scored by a panel of individuals who represent the range of issue areas of the Campaign and are familiar with the overall Campaign field strategy. They will thoughtfully consider every aspect of the application and evaluate each application based on the following criteria:

Strength of stated goals and objectives (including short-term and long-term goals);
Strength and length of nurse/non-nurse stakeholder partnerships;
Strength of existing skills, experience, assets, and current efforts (e.g. leadership ability, issue knowledge, relationships with key decision makers, fundraising capacity, etc) to be leveraged by potential co-leads and individuals associated with the Action Coalition; and
Existing infrastructure in the state or region (e.g. RWJF nursing programs, working coalitions, etc) on which to build. The infrastructure does not have to be complete, or fully formed, but should demonstrate solid developmental milestones.

Instructions

Applications will be accepted until 5:00 PM ET on January 25, 2012. Please follow all instructions outlined in the Application (see the Frequently Asked Questions for further details). Applicants will have an opportunity to ask Campaign staff questions about Action Coalitions and the application via a webinar on December 12, 2011 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET. Visit here to register for the webinar.

Timeline

Call for applications - November 15, 2011
Q&A webinar for applicants - December 12, 2011 (3-4 pm ET)
Deadline for applications - January 25, 2012
Wave IV Action Coalition designees contacted with outcome and if applicable, agreement materials distributed - February 22, 2012
On-boarding webinar - March 5, 2012 (3-4 pm ET)
Action agreement materials due - March 9, 2012
Public announcement made - March 12, 2012

We look forward to your applications.

Sincerely,

Sue Hassmiller, RN, PhD, FAAN
Director, Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action; Senior Advisor for Nursing, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Susan C. Reinhard, RN, PhD, FAAN
Senior Vice President and Director, AARP Public Policy Institute; Chief Strategist, Center to Champion Nursing in America

For further information about Action Coalitions and the Campaign for Action visit: http://championnursing.org/action-coalitions.

For other questions, please contact Michael Pheulpin at mpheulpin@aarp.org.