By Mary James, R.N., B.S.N., Magnet Program Coordinator
In September, I was invited to attend the Leadership Council meeting of the California State Action Coalition for the Future of Nursing (CA AC) by Mary Dickow, M.P.A., California statewide director of the CA AC, whom I met at NorthBay's Nursing Shared Governance Day in August.
It was a well-attended meeting with more than 25 nurse leaders from all over California as well as some national nurse leaders on the conference phone.
Delores Jones, M.S., R.N., Executive Director of the California Institute of Nursing and Health Care (CINHC) was present, as well as Gayle Sarlatte, B.S.N., R.N., American Nursing Association - California (ANA/C), Doral Harms, Senior Vice President Clinical Services for the California Hospital Association (CHA), and Linda Burnes Bolton, R.N., DrPH, FAAN, vice chair of the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing Committee was on the phone from Southern California.
What is the CA Action Coalition for the Future of Nursing? Where did it come from?
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in collaboration with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) formed The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, which launched in November 2010 following the release of the Institute of Medicine report "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health."
It is now moving forward on national, state and local levels, building on both the report's recommendations and the long-time efforts of nurse leaders and nursing organizations. (www.thefutureofnursing.org)
The Campaign for Action is committed to using the report as a framework for future direction and action. It advances nursing through partnerships with numerous healthcare groups and healthcare professionals through the creation of state Action Coalitions.
The California Action Coalition was one of the original five state action coalitions and as of today, there are more than 15 states with active action coalitions across the country.
The CA AC has met several times since its creation in October 2010. A marketing toolbox has been created and internal structure and process have been discussed.
The larger state coalition is supporting efforts to build local Action Coalitions. Currently the tasks of the CA AC include capturing and sharing best practices, determining research needs, tracking lessons learned and identifying replicable models.
What I learned from attending this meeting was that NorthBay Healthcare nurses have the unique opportunity to be one of the first Local Action Coalitions for the CA AC. In a special presentation during NorthBay's August Nursing Shared Governance Day, Mary Dickow shared with me that she was very impressed with our group's participation in the breakout sessions.
Developing a Local Action Coalition is something to ponder since it seems that this is the future of nursing. What an incredible opportunity to contribute to the future of nursing as an organization.
I encourage you to learn more about this important work. One easy way to do this is to go to the Campaign for Action website at www.thefutureofnursing.org. There you will find information on the campaign. You can also go to the American Nurses Association California (ANA\C) website. They have a dedicated page to track the work of the CA AC and provide additional links for information. Go to http://www.anacalifornia.org/iomifncac or from the ANA\C home page there is a dropdown link under Policy Issues entitled IOM/IFN/CA AC.
