By Amy Curtis | November 2023
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In this issue: Advisory Board convenes, Kudos to Kansas Nurse Hall of Fame inductees and HaysMed, Policy Position: Long-Term Care, Join our Research Committee!
This newsletter is 1,284 words long, about a 5-minute read.
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One big thing: Advisory Board Convenes
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Initial Advisory Board Meeting, November 29, 2023
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The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center Advisory Board convened the first meeting on November 29, 2023. After brief introductions, the Advisory Board reviewed the current state of the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center as well as the initial strategic plan.
The Advisory Board provides strategic support and guidance to the Center and will help formulate, revise, and evaluate goals and directions for the Center regularly. And consists of research, practice, community, and other stakeholders who can provide critical insight into the Center’s programs, activities, and services.
Initial members include:
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- Libby Rosen, PhD, RN, IBCLC
- Dean and Professor
- Baker University School of Nursing
- Brian Pfannenstiel, MSN, RN
- Director of Critical Care, Hays Medical Center
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Kansas Organization of Nurse Leaders, Past President
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Rachel Pepper, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
- Chief Nursing Officer
- University of Kansas Health System
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Project Manager for Workforce Strategies
- Kansas Hospital Association
- Vice President Clinical Integration
- Stormont-Vail Health Care
- VP for Workforce Development
- Kansas Board of Regents
- Kathy Kottas, DNP, APRN-CNS, APRN-FNP-C
- Dean of Workforce Training and Community Education
- Barton County Community College
- Workforce Response Coordinator at KANSASWORKS
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Kansas Department of Commerce
- Carol Perry, MSM, BSN, RN
- Senior Vice President and CNO
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Stormont-Vail HealthCare
- Alissa Zerr, DNP, RN, CENP, MPH
- Vice President of Population Health
- Sunflower Health Plan
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Jennifer Williams, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC
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Director of Nursing Practice, Research, Education and Development
- University of Kansas Health System
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The meeting was led by Center co-directors Amy Garcia and Barbara MacArthur. Center staff Shin Hye Park, Alex Alsup, Amy Curtis, and Ellen Bietz also attended.
Why it matters: Kansas has chronic imbalance of nursing workforce supply and demand that requires better interactive, layered data so that stakeholders can make better decisions both near-term and long-term based on trends and analysis. The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center will fill this gap for Kansans.
Leveraging this one-stop-shop for nursing data, we can then embark on campaigns to ensure that Kansans have access to quality nursing care when and where it is needed, and to support the nurse as an individual and member of the healthcare team.
The Advisory Board will continue to expand, and will include individuals that represent the diversity of nursing practice, education, employment settings, and geographic locations in Kansas.
The next Advisory Board meeting will meet in Q1 2024.
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Kudos: New inductees to the Kansas Nurses Hall of Fame
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Carol Perry - photo by 13, WIBW Topeka
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We extend our congrats to Carol Perry, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Stormont Vail and Greta Snell, deceased, on their induction to the Kansas Nurses Hall of Fame on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023.
The Kansas State Nurses Association Hall of Fame Award recognizes outstanding nurse leaders of the state of Kansas. The impact of their lifelong commitment and leadership advanced the goals of the association and the improvement of health care.
"[This award] puts the spotlight on all nurses, and those that serve their life wanting to care for their communities and have a deep passion in their soul and the passion it takes day in and day out to want to deliver high-quality, loving, compassionate care,” said Perry.
Watch a portion of Perry's induction here.
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HaysMed Supports Healthcare Staff
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HaysMed opened an on-site child care facility, giving needed support to those who work at the medical center and their families.
Why it matters: During the June 22, 2023 listening session, nurse retention and support was one of the key themes identified that would make a difference to the Kansas Nursing workforce.
And the topic of childcare specifically came up in the Pittsburg listening session, where participants wanted to find ways to make it easier to practice nursing.
"The HaysMed Childcare Center has been a great addition to our campus," said Terry Siek, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Vice President of Patient Care/Chief Nursing Officer. "The center is able to accommodate over 70 children whose parents work at HaysMed. Many of the nurses that have children in the center have expressed their gratitude for this resource, as it has hours that fit their schedules for drop-off and pick up. We see this center as a step forward in the recruitment and retention of our associates."
Childcare is a particular concern for anyone in the workforce. But it is especially acute in Kansas.
According to data compiled by Child Care Aware of Kansas, a nonprofit that connects providers and families, Kansas would need more than 84,000 additional childcare slots in order to meet the full demand.
We applaud initiatives that make it easier to practice as a nurse.
Read more here.
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Policy Position: Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities
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Illustration of nurse with a man in a nursing home.
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- There can be no unfunded mandates.
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Any federal mandate to increase nurse staffing must be tied to sufficient and sustained federal funding to pay for the difference in cost. Additional federal funding must be provided directly to LTC facilities.
- CMS must invest in preparing enough nurses to meet the needs of the vulnerable people cared for in LTC facilities.
- Retention of nurses at a LTC facility can save tens of thousands of dollars lost for each nurse turnover that occurs.
- We must invest in nurses and provide improved working conditions.
- We must recruit and retain valuable nursing staff across all levels, so that LTC facilities don’t waste precious dollars and time having to recruit and train new staff.
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Why it matters: Nurses want to work in safe environments with sufficient staffing so that they can focus on providing quality care to those in need.
Bottom line: We urge CMS to support a rule change for staffing requirements if it includes funding to support the development of the additional nursing staff necessary to meet the rule change.
Read the full commentary.
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Recycled but Important: Free Continuing Ed Courses for Nurses
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The University of Kansas Health System is offering Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) Courses to all nurses in Kansas free of charge.
The course catalog contains over 250 in-person training offerings and e-learning courses for certifications and contact hours.
Nurses who want to access classes should follow these instructions.
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From the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center
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Hello colleagues and health care stakeholders! I would like to personally invite you to join us for our monthly research meeting.
Led by Shin Hye Park, PhD, RN, the Research Committee, facilitates and promotes collaborative nurse research activities across the state.
The committee's goal is to leverage our research talent to better serve the healthcare community of Kansas, advance the field of nursing and healthcare and improve the nursing workforce in Kansas.
The next scheduled 60-minute meeting is set for January 25, 2024 at 10a.m.
You can sign up here to receive the meeting link. Please forward to colleagues who may also wish to attend.
—Dr. Amy Garcia
Director, Kansas Nursing Workforce Center
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What We’re Reading and Watching
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Spoiler alert: Kansas is in the top 25 of states with the most healthcare job listings per 100,000 residents.
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Have Kansas Nursing Workforce news, solutions, or kudos you’d like us to share?
Email nursingwill@kumc.edu
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