Investing in Workforce

July 2024

Several members of the Center’s team attended the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Center’s Annual Conference in June. It was a great conference with over 230 attendees. I

had the to honor of introducing Rear Admiral Jennifer Moon, DNP, the Chief Nursing Officer for the United States Public Health Service. It was very exciting! There is so much good work going on to support both strong healthcare for all Americans and the nursing profession. The whole team met her, and we were thrilled to get to connect with her for that moment.

The past few months have been very successful for the Center team as we have brought in new grant funding for several of our existing programs. The Colorado Health Foundation funded an extension of the Grow Your Own Primary Care APRN program over the next 3 years. We will be recruiting and funding up to 18 new APRNs in Colorado to serve rural and underserved communities. Additionally, The Colorado Trust has funded an extension to the Grow Your Own rural and underserved PMHNP program which will be recruiting 10 nurses to become psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in Colorado! The Rocky Mountain Health Foundation has funded the Nurse Refresher program for nurses looking to re-enter the profession on the western slope. Finally, the HRSA Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training program has been once again funded to build new SANE providers across both the state and region in a 6 state collaborative. If you are interested in any of these programs, please check our website for more information. This new funding will provide strong support to help us keep building our profession in Colorado and surrounding states.

Thank you for all you do! You matter. You set an example for our next generation of healthcare providers, and I am proud to call myself a nurse.

Ingrid Johnson DNP, MPP, RN, FAAN

President and CEO

Scholarship Opportunity

Nurse Refresher Program

We are excited to announce a fantastic scholarship opportunity specifically designed for nurses on the Western Slope!

The Center has once again received a generous grant from the Rocky Mountain Health Foundation. This grant allows us to offer scholarships for our Nurse Refresher courses to previously licensed nurses who are eager to return to nursing practice and live on the *Western Slope.

Last year, 13 nurse refresher students received scholarships, representing nine Western Slope counties: four in Mesa, one in Routt, one in Garfield, one in Montrose, one in Summit, two in Moffat, one in Rio Blanco, one in Delta, and one in Pitkin. We are thrilled to continue supporting nurses in these communities!

To learn more about this incredible opportunity, email us. Our team will be delighted to provide you with all the necessary details and guide you through the application process.

For more information and to register, visit our website.

*Western Slope Counties: Archuleta, Delta, Dolores, Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Jackson, Lake, La Plata, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt, San Juan, San Miguel, Summit.

Behavioral Health GYO Advance Practice Registered Nurse Program

This Behavioral Health Advanced Practice Registered Nurse project will recruit and support up to 10 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner students from underserved communities in Colorado to complete school and serve as behavioral health providers in their own or similar marginalized communities in the state. This new program is funded by The Colorado Trust. Applications open August 5, 2024. Contact Callie Anne if you have any questions.

Registration Opens

August 1

We are saddened to share that our esteemed keynote speaker, Roberto Dansie, PhD. unexpectedly passed away. In light of this unfortunate event, we took a brief pause in opening registration.

We are pleased to announce that registration will now be opening on August 1, 2024. We encourage you to to mark your calendar to take advantage of early bird pricing through September 15, 2024.

Student Registration - $100

Registration Early Bird - $120

Registration After September 15 - $140

Bias Buster Preconference - $60

Visit the Conference Webpage for more information.

COAC Event

When: August 15th 8a-12p

Where: Virtual Event

Who: As the largest nursing workforce center in the nation, The Center focuses on supporting nurses coming into the workforce and remaining healthy throughout their careers.

What: Join us for an important meeting to inspire you and guide the future of nursing. This meeting is open to everyone, and we encourage you to attend and bring your team. The Center is bringing together everyone interested in the future of nursing to review what Colorado is doing to implement the Future of Nursing Recommendations and next steps. We need your voice and perspective at the table.

share with your network!

Colorado Action Coalition Presents at the Nurse Educators Conference

Fran Ricker, Erin Donovan and Kari Goerke spoke at the NEC in the Rockies conference on behalf of the Colorado Action Coalition Strategic Advisory Committee (SAC) #7, Strengthening Nursing Education. The presentation was very well received with a full room! The trio presented: Awareness to Action: Strategies for Diverse Student Retention. A huge THANK YOU to these presenters and to ALL members of SAC #7 for your dedication to the Colorado Action Coalition!