'Promise of Nursing for Maryland' gala to counter nurse shortage

Sep 24 2009

As part of its ongoing commitment to help alleviate the nursing shortage in Maryland and across the United States, The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future will host the “Promise of Nursing for Maryland” gala on Thursday, September 24 to raise funds to help ease the shortage throughout the region. One hundred percent of the event’s proceeds will support regional nursing school grants, faculty fellowships and student scholarships.

Area nurses and health care professionals from local hospitals and institutions will attend the event at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront hotel beginning at 6 p.m. to celebrate the nursing profession. Following tomorrow night’s event, Promise of Nursing for Maryland events are expected to have raised more than $500,000.

“We are experiencing a shortfall in the number of nursing professionals in Maryland, and that shortage is expected to worsen exponentially as the population ages and the demand for health care increases,” said Steven Cohen, special advisor, administration and performance improvement at MedStar Health. “There is a critical need for more registered nurses in our health care system, so efforts like the Promise of Nursing gala, which help boost nurses and nursing education locally, are incredibly important.”

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Maryland is expected to suffer a nursing shortfall rate of almost 36 percent, more than 18,200 nurses, by the year 2020.

“There is a greater and growing awareness of the crucial role that nursing professionals have today in patient care, student training and cutting-edge research,” said Jeffrey Rivest, president and chief executive officer at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “Local, regional and national endeavors that generate awareness of the nursing shortage, as well as the corresponding shortage of qualified nursing faculty to teach future nurses, will continue to help drive nursing school enrollment to produce increased numbers of nurses to ensure a skilled and adequate nursing workforce in the future.”

The nursing shortage in Maryland mirrors a national shortfall, and in its effort to reduce the gap in communities across the country The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future has hosted similar regional fundraising galas, generating more than $16 million since 2002.

“We are deeply committed to the nurses in this region and will continue to support efforts that will help to alleviate the nursing shortage in Maryland and across the nation,” said Andrea Higham, director of The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. “We’ve made great strides, but much more work remains to be done to relieve the shortage and increase awareness of the limitless career opportunities that exist within nursing. Solving the nursing shortage will require a collective effort, and this event will demonstrate how much we can accomplish together through collaborations.”