National Nursing Association
Honors Independence Blue Cross for Nurse Scholars Program
Program provides much-needed
funding to address nursing shortage
Philadelphia, PA – November
17, 2006 – The American Association of Colleges of
Nursing (AACN) honored Independence Blue Cross (IBC) with
its “Corporate Citizen Award” in recognition
of the company’s innovative program that combats
the critical shortage of nurses in southeastern Pennsylvania
by providing grants to fund scholarships, internships,
and nursing faculty positions. In addition, a coalition
of deans and directors of nursing schools in Pennsylvania
gave special recognition to IBC for its efforts to improve
nursing in the region.
This award, created in 2003, recognizes
IBC’s Nurse Scholars Program as an outstanding contribution
made by a private company to support professional nursing
education, practice, and research.
By the year 2020, there will be more than
one million unfilled nursing jobs, according to the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. A key factor
is a sharp rise in the number of qualified nursing school
applicants who were denied admission to nursing schools,
according to the AACN. Three out of four schools cite
insufficient number of faculty as the primary reason.
Pennsylvania is fifth in the nation for projected nursing
shortages, and will have an estimated 30 percent gap by
2020 between the number of nurses needed in hospitals
and those that are available, according to reports from
the PA Health Department and the PA Legislative and Budget
Finance Committee.
“An important way we can help ensure
that people in the Philadelphia region continue to have
access to quality health care is by providing support
for our region’s future nurses,” said Stephen
Fera, Vice President of IBC’s Government & Social
Mission Programs, Fera recently accepted the award in
front of more than 300 nursing school deans and other
invited guests at AACN’s Fall Semiannual Meeting
in Washington, D.C. “We’re extremely proud to
be recognized for our Nurse Scholar Program, and for being
able to help strengthen our region’s nurse education
programs.”
Earlier this year, IBC significantly increased
its support of the Nurse Scholars Program by dedicating
$9.5 million to the program over a five-year period with
its partner, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation.
This year, the program will award $1.25 million for about
800 more graduate and undergraduate nursing scholarships.
“We commend Independence Blue Cross
for its generosity and desire to improve health care by
bolstering the number of well-educated nurses in the Philadelphia
region,” said AACN President Dr. Jeanette Lancaster.
“AACN applauds this effort which serves as a model
for how private industry and nursing education can collaborate
to meet the nation’s health care needs and ensure
access to nursing care.”
As the national voice for baccalaureate
and graduate nursing programs, AACN is using its resources
and influence to address the shortage of registered nurses
and nurse faculty. The organization advocates for increasing
federal funding for nursing education programs while also
working to identify strategies for preparing more faculty
to teach future generations of nurses.
The Nurse Scholars Program was also the
recipient of the America’s Health Insurance Plans
Foundation Community Leadership Award in March of this
year, and has been presented with numerous awards and
recognition such as the National League for Nursing Award
for Public Service and the Carl Moore Leadership Award
from the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation. The
PA Higher Education Nursing Schools Association also recognized
IBC at the AACN meeting for its support of nursing education
in the Commonwealth.
Since its inception in 2004, the IBC Nurse
Scholars program has provided nearly 2,000 scholarships
at 27 accredited area nursing programs in southeastern
Pennsylvania to support graduate and undergraduate students.
About the American Association of Colleges
of Nursing
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing is the
national voice for university and four-year-college education
programs in nursing. Representing more than 590 member
schools of nursing at public and private institutions
nationwide, AACN's educational, research, governmental
advocacy, data collection, publications, and other programs
work to establish quality standards for bachelor's and
graduate-degree nursing education, assist deans and directors
to implement those standards, influence the nursing profession
to improve health care, and promote public support of
baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, research,
and practice. Web site: http://www.aacn.nche.edu.
About Independence Blue Cross
Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer
in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its
affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.4 million people.
For nearly 70 years, Independence Blue Cross has offered
quality health care products and services tailored to
meet the changing needs of members, employers, groups
and providers. Visit the IBC web site at www.ibx.com.
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CONTACT: Robert Rosseter
(202) 463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu
