National Public Health Week just ended, but the challenge of COVID-19 highlights the importance of the focus on public health. For its 25th year, the week’s theme was “Looking Back, Moving Forward,” as the American Public Health Association urges everyone year-round to honor this ideal: Everyone deserves to live a long and healthy life in a safe environment.
Campaign Lists Ways to Help, Stay Informed About COVID-19
The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action
website now offers a resources page with information for both nurses and the public about the novel coronavirus. Among features: Leading nursing organizations seek information from nurses and offer health suggestions, while trusted health authorities tell the public how to support nurses, and stay safe.
Last week, in time for World Health Day on April 7, the World Health Organization published its first ever assessment of the nursing workforce in all countries. State of the World’s Nursing 2020: Investing in Education, Jobs and Leadership finds much to celebrate but also quantifies the needs, including a shortfall of nearly 6 million nurses.
As Overload of Patients Is Anticipated, AARP Speaks Up
As more Americans are infected with the novel coronavirus, ethical decisions on treatment are being anticipated and weighed. “Using age or disability to categorically exclude people from accessing treatment would be discriminatory, and AARP opposes it,” reads a statement from AARP. The Campaign
is an initiative of AARP Foundation, AARP, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
CMS Issues New Infection Control Guidance to Protect Against COVID-19
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a series of updated guidance documents focused on infection control to prevent the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in inpatient and outpatient care settings. The guidance, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, are meant to help ensure infection control in the context of patient triage, screening and treatment, the use of alternate testing and treatment sites and telehealth, drive-through screenings, limiting visitations, cleaning and disinfection guidelines, staffing, and more.
Online Survey Helps Hospitals Match New Hires to Needs
Hospital administrators facing the challenge of placing new hires in appropriate roles for the COVID-19 emergency can use a free online assessment from the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses. The tool has nurses complete a self-assessment survey that can be used to match skills to patient assignments or tasks.
Action Coalitions: What’s Up? Tell Us So That We Can Share
Fans of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action like to learn what’s happening in other states. But we might not know your stories. Help us celebrate your efforts and share details of progress by dropping a note to Aidan McCallion at
[email protected]. We’ll spread the news through news posts, social media, and the Campaign Update.
Funding, Tools, and Other Opportunities
Become a Health and Aging Policy Fellow
The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program aims to create a cadre of leaders who will serve as change agents in health and aging policy to ultimately improve the health care of older adults. If you have a strong commitment to health and aging issues and in policy work, apply to fellow. Deadline: April 15.
Honor Your Contributions: Apply for AARP Purpose Prize
Did you see a problem and create it a solution? Consider applying for AARP’s Purpose Prize, which celebrates the creativity, innovation, and inspiration that life experience brings. It is awarded to those 50 and older who are creating significant impact at the local, regional, national or global level. Deadline Extended: April 30.
HRSA Accepting Applications for Nurse Corps Scholarships
The Nurse Corps Scholarship Program, part of the Health Resources & Services Administration, offers funding to students in professional nursing degree programs in exchange for service in high-need, underserved communities. Learn more during a technical assistance phone call on April 16, 3-4:30 p.m. ET. Applications deadline: April 30.
Students Invited to Apply for Complex Care Training
Knowing how to better care for people with complex health and social needs takes training. Now is the chance to join some 600 students from 40 schools across the U.S who have been trained through the Interprofessional Student Hotspotting Learning Collaborative. The six-month program takes place at four regional hubs. Deadline: May 1. Learn more and apply
AARP Community Challenge Goes for Local Change
Organizations are invited to apply for the 2020 AARP Community Challenge, proposing Ideas that can help communities become more livable for people of all ages. Projects are sought—none is too small!—for ways to improve housing, transportation, public spaces, technology, and more. Deadline Extended: May 15, 11:59 p.m. ET.
Participate in Testing the Board Engagement Survey
Calling all registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs): have you served for at least one year on a board of directors with fiduciary responsibilities? You may be eligible to participate in a study, approved by the University of Massachusetts Boston Institutional Review Board, to test an instrument aimed at measuring the engagement of nurses on boards. Take the survey and share this message with your RN and APRN colleagues. The survey closes on May 31.
You have received this email because you are a member of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action community or you requested a copy via email, or through CampaignforAction.org, or AARP.org.
