ANA CEO Comments to Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030

Comments of Loressa Cole, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE

Chief Executive Officer

Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030

Open Session

March 20, 2019

Good afternoon, and congratulations on the formation and your selection to this important committee. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the ANA Enterprise. I am Dr. Loressa Cole, Chief Executive Officer of the American Nurses Association Enterprise whose vision centers around building a healthier world through the power of nursing.

The Enterprise is comprised of parent company ANA and its subsidiary organizations the American Nurses Credentialing Center and American Nurses Foundation. Representing ALL nurses, ANA engages in practice, policy and advocacy work dedicated to improving health and wellness by advancing the nursing profession. ANCC is dedicated to promoting excellence in nursing and health care globally through credentialing. American Nurses Foundation – seeks to transform the nation’s health through the power of nursing via philanthropy. The entire ANA enterprise, along with our state nurses’ associations, stand ready to engage with the committee in a robust dialogue on the future of nursing.

ANA is particularly supportive of the committee’s goal to focus on creating a culture of health, reducing health disparities, and improving health and well-being. There are numerous programs underway within the ANA enterprise that can serve to inform the committee’s thinking:

• ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program leverages the alignment of strategic nursing goals with patient outcomes. The Magnet Program and its sister program, Pathway to Excellence, reflect the highest quality of care for patients, contribute to business growth and financial success, and results in staff – not just nursing staff - who feel motivated and valued. Learnings from the Magnet and Pathway Recognition Programs transcend the acute care setting to also inform leadership, delivery models and the organization of nursing care across the care continuum and can contribute to the committee’s discussions related to a Culture of Health and improving overall health and well-being, as well as nurses’ well-being and resilience.
• Both ANA’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellowship Program and our Center for Ethics and Human Rights can contribute to discussions related to culture of health and reducing health disparities, with emphasis on diversity. ANA’s Minority Fellowship Program supports ethnic and minority nurses to achieve masters and doctoral level education in the areas of mental health and substance use disorder. Celebrating its 45th anniversary, the Minority Fellowship Program’s over 300 alumni and the current 40 fellows are a substantial resource of nurse leaders and experts dedicated to achieving the committee’s goals to reduce health disparities.
• ANA’s Center for Ethics and Human Rights serves as the steward for the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. The Code of Ethics is the foundation for the nursing profession and our calling to create a culture of health, reduce health disparities, and drive to improved health and well-being. The Code applies in ALL settings and to ALL nurses by speaking specifically to our obligation to address the social determinates of health. It also calls on nurses to work - both as individuals and as part of a collective - to contribute to a healthcare environment that is conducive to meeting the health and wellness needs of all who are within its sphere of influence.
• Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ is another signature program of the ANA Enterprise. Healthy Nurse, Health Nation builds on the idea that if all 4 million registered nurses increased their personal wellness and then their families, co-workers and patients followed suit, what a healthier nation we would live in. To date, 85,000 nurses and nursing students have signed on to Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation and more than 450 employers of nurses, schools of nurses, and state and specialty nursing associations have partnered and made commitments to improving the health of nurses.

Finally, ANA’s partnership with its Constituent State Nurses Associations provides a gateway to registered nurses from across the care delivery and geographic spectrum. We know that there are significant differences in nursing practice and much can be learned by tapping into the innovative and creative spirit of nurses from the east and west coasts, the heartland, and north and south. Many of the State Nurses Associations were active leaders in the first Future of Nursing report and the subsequent Campaign for Action. They should be a significant stakeholder for your efforts to learn from this campaign.

The ANA Enterprise looks forward to future opportunities to engage with this committee. We are pleased that Dr. Alison Squires, the National Academy of Medicine Distinguished Nurse Scholar-in-Residence, will be supporting this important work. For nearly 30 years the American Academy of Nursing (Academy), the American Nurses Association (ANA), and the American Nurses Foundation have supported this influential fellowship.

Thank you and Godspeed!