Greetings!  Iowa’s Action Coalition in the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action has been moving forward since receiving approval on Feb 23^rd, 2012 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and AARP.  The focus of initial Action Coalition activities has been building its infrastructure.  While some committees and work groups still need to be formed, membership on the Steering Committee and RN-BSN Articulation Task Force is described below.  However, the work of the Iowa Action Coalition will not be confined to its committees.  It will be working with a wide range of organizations, businesses and other leadership groups. 

National Campaign Overview
The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action promotes implementation of the recommendations in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.  Its aim is to help ensure that all Americans have access to high-quality, patient-centered health care, with nurses contributing to the full extent of their capabilities.

The campaign is coordinated through the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA), an initiative of AARP, the AARP Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and includes 48 state Action Coalitions and a wide range of health care providers; consumer advocates; policy-makers and business, academic and philanthropic leaders.

Iowa Action Coalition Overview
Why is the Iowa Action Coalition important?  Because nursing has a tremendous impact on health care.  In Iowa and across the nation, nurses represent the largest segment of the health care workforce.  There are 45,400 registered nurses in Iowa, compared to only 5,500 physicians (MDs and DOs).  Although nurses work collaboratively with physicians and other health care providers, there is a common misconception that they simply assist physicians.  In practice, nursing is independent of other health care disciplines.  Nurses’ roles range from direct patient care and case management to establishing nursing practice standards, developing quality improvement strategies and directing complex health care systems.  The fundamental goal for the Iowa Action Coalition is to improve health care quality and access to health care for all Iowans by implementing recommendations from the IOM Future of Nursing report.

Upcoming Event
On Thursday, May 3^rd from 4:00-6:00pm, Dr. Michael Bleich will be speaking about various strategies that are being used around the nation to implement the recommendations in the IOM Future of Nursing report.  Dr. Bleich is a co-author of the report and the Dr. Carol A. Lindeman Distinguished Professor of Nursing at Oregon Health & Science University.  The event will be at the Hotel Vetro in Iowa City, IA.  There is no cost for the event, but please RSVP to Leslie Gannon at leslie-gannon@uiowa.edu [1] by April 25^th if you plan to attend.  

How to Get Involved
We welcome and encourage your involvement with the Iowa Action Coalition.  You don’t need to be a nurse or a member of a nursing organization, but you do need to be committed to the goal of providing all Iowans with access to high-quality, patient-centered care in a health care system where nurses contribute as essential partners in achieving success.  Some simple ways that you can help include:

• Sharing information about the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action (see attached FAQ or contact kathryn-dorsey@uiowa.edu [2] for other campaign materials)
• Listening to webinars at http:// [3]championnursing.org/webinars [3]
• Contacting kathryn-dorsey@uiowa.edu [2] to:
• Request speaker at upcoming conference or other event
• Request article for newsletter or other publication
• Volunteer for work group or review panel

Midwest Regional Action Coalition Education Meeting
Donna Orton from North Iowa Area Community College and Rita Frantz from the University of Iowa College of Nursing attended the Midwest Regional Action Coalition Education Meeting on April 16-17, 2012.  Attendees at the meeting explored education models that would advance recommendations from the IOM Future of Nursing report to increase the proportion of nurses with BSNs to 80% and double the number of nurses with doctorate degrees by 2020. Four models discussed at the meeting were:

• State or regional shared competency or outcomes-based curriculum
• Shared statewide or regional curriculum
• RN to BSN degree awarded by community colleges
• Accelerated options for RN to MSN

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently released a request for proposal (RFP) called “Academic Progression in Nursing.”  The grant will support up to 9 state action coalitions to implement and evaluate one or more of four promising practices to increase the number of nurses with a BSN or higher.  Iowa’s nursing education stakeholders aren’t ready to submit a proposal, which is due May 14^th, 2012.  However, there will be another opportunity to apply for funding when RWJF releases another RFP in mid-June. 

Action Coalition Organization and Leadership Structure
Action Coalition Co-Leads: 

• Rita Frantz – Dean & Professor, University of Iowa College of Nursing
• Wendy Gray – Program Office Director, Iowa Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program and Executive Director of Free Clinics of Iowa

Liaison to national Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action

• Laura Thornhill, Policy Research Senior Analyst, Center to Champion Nursing in America at AARP

Steering Committee
The purpose of the Steering Committee is to broaden the cadre of champions in Iowa for the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action.  The Iowa Action Coalition will be working with all constituents affected by health care.  To be successful, the benefits of the coalition need to be understood and experienced by patients, employers, policy-makers, insurers, educators and all health care providers.  By design, the Steering Committee is comprised of leaders outside of nursing.  Their expertise will guide the activities of the Action Coalition to ensure that it engages the entire spectrum of stakeholders.

When Iowa submitted its application to become an Action Coalition, four individuals agreed to be members of the Steering Committee.  Since receiving approval in February, we have recruited an additional four members to the Steering Committee.  We expect to add a few more people and hold the first meeting in June.  Members to date include:

• Eric Crowell, president and CEO of Iowa Health Des Moines
• Jack Evans, Iowa Board of Regents and president of Hall-Perrine Foundation
• Tom Newton, vice president of network engagement at Wellmark BCBS
• Kirk Norris, president of Iowa Hospital Association
• Lisa Sieren, statewide coordinator of United Ways of Iowa
• Tori Squires, Iowa Primary Care Association and Iowa Rural Health Association
• Pat Thieben, Iowa Department of Education
• Sharon Treinen, executive council member of Iowa AARP

Executive Committee
The purpose of this committee is to lead implementation of the IOM recommendations in Iowa.  Members will include the co-leads of the Action Coalition and chairs of the Action Coalition’s workgroups.

RN-BSN Articulation Task Force
This working group grew out of statewide meetings between AD and BSN program deans and directors during the summer of 2011.  The purpose of the Task Force is to update Iowa’s articulation agreement to promote seamless transitions for RNs advancing their education to BSN and graduate degrees.  Over the past 10 months, the Task Force has engaged in a series of meetings to assess the characteristics of nursing programs in Iowa.  Members have reviewed four models that have been identified by the CCNA as showing promise for educational transformation: 

1)      State or regional shared competency or outcomes-based curriculum
2)      Shared statewide or regional curriculum
3)      RN to BSN degree awarded by community colleges
4)      Accelerated options for RN to MSN

Models 1 and 2 will be explored further at the next meeting of the Task Force on May 23, 2012.  Task force members selected those modes for consideration because their features appear to align best with the educational needs and existing workforce conditions in Iowa.  Opportunity for broader review and input will be made available once the Task Force has an initial proposal to share.

Other Work Groups
The Action Coalition will be creating two more work groups.  One will develop a plan to increase nurse residency programs and the other will address scope of practice issues for advanced practice nurses.

Membership Roster for RN-BSN Articulation Task Force

• Mary Tarbox (Leader of Task Force), Professor and Chair of Nursing, Mount Mercy University
• Mary Clarke (Co-Leader of Task Force), Director of Nursing Practice at Genesis Health System and IlIowa PIN Project Director
• Kathleen Nacos-Burds (Recorder for Task Force), District-Wide Dean of Nursing & Allied Health, Northeast Iowa Community College
• Kathleen Andresen, St. Ambrose University
• Vicky Barth, Director of Nursing Education at Des Moines Area Community College
• Ellen Cram, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs at University of Iowa College of Nursing
• Lu Crary, Assistant Professor of Nursing and Coordinator of RN-BSN Program, Mount Mercy University
• Rhonda DeBuhr, Chief Clinical and Nursing Officer, Waverly Health Center
• Brenda Lee Krogh Duree, Chair of Division of Nursing, William Penn University
• Neal Loes, Mary Greeley Medical Center and past president of Iowa Organization of Nurse Leaders
• Susan Erue, Chair of Division of Nursing, Iowa Wesleyan College
• Lori Forneris, Chief Clinical Officer, Loring Hospital
• Dolores Hilden, Professor and Chair of Nursing, St. Ambrose University
• Lorinda Inman, Executive Director, Iowa Board of Nursing
• Yvonne O’Brien, Chief Nursing Officer, Pella Regional Health Center
• Margaretta O’Neill, Nursing Faculty Chair, Northeast Iowa Community College
• Donna Orton, Chair of Health Division, North Iowa Area Community College
• Ruth Sueverkruebbe, Program Coordinator, Eastern Iowa Community College
• Pat Thieben, Health Occupations Consultant, Iowa Department of Education
• Kathy Weinberg, Associate Director of Practice and Education, Iowa Board of Nursing
• Bernie Wise, Director of Nursing and Health Education, Iowa Lakes Community College