FIRST VHHA NURSE SCHOLAR GRADUATES
Angela D. Starnes of Richmond, the first recipient of the VHHA Nursing Scholarship sponsored by VHHA and the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, has graduated from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (JSRCC). Her pinning ceremony is scheduled for January 24.

A single mother who worked as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) at the VCU Medical Center's mother-infant unit while pursuing her degree, Ms. Starnes has begun her new position at VCU as an RN on the same unit. Her goal is to pursue a bachelor’s and a master's degree in nursing and to become a nurse anesthetist. Ms. Starnes maintained a 4.0 grade point average while at JSRCC and also has received VCU's LPN Excellence in Practice award for three years.

Congratulations to Ms. Starnes on her accomplishment.

Demand for nursing faculty continues to grow in Virginia and across the country.
Faculty retirements over the next 10 years will adversely impact Virginia's education programs. The average age of nursing faculty in 2002 was 53, while that of the general RN population was about 45 years old. Reports from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) state that faculty from nursing education programs will be retiring in unprecedented numbers in the next 10 years (AACN, 2003; Hodges, 2002).The average age of nursing faculty in Virginia ranges from a low of 45 in Southwest Virginia to a high of 54 in Northern Virginia.

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SHEV report is attached to this document.

Virginia's Nursing Crisis - a call to action.
College personnel, employers, members of professional organizations, legislators, and patients share a common concern about Virginia's nursing shortage. They recognize that addressing this shortage is not only necessary for advancing the quality of health care and preserving access to essential health care services for all Virginians; it is also critical to economic development.

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Nursing crisis report is attached to this document

Preliminary Findings: 2004 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses
The Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions previously conducted seven sample surveys. Reports from the surveys, conducted in 1977, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, l996 and 2000, have been published and made available to those involved in health care planning and evaluation as well as to the public. The eighth NSSRN began data collection in March 2004 and responses were received through November 2005. This report provides preliminary findings from the current survey. http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/rnpopulation/preliminaryfindings.htm

CITY OF RICHMOND NAMED ONE OF THE TOP TEN CITIES TO WORK IN FOR MINORITY NURSES
Virginia is known for many things — high standards of health care, and plentiful career opportunities for nurses. And now, according to this article in the Spring 2002 edition of Minority Nurse Magazine, the city of Richmond is also named one of the Top 10 cities in the nation to work —and live in— for minority nurses.

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"NURSES CHANGE LIVES" CAMPAIGN FEATURED IN AN ARTICLE ON MINORITYNURSE.COM
The Virginia Partnership for Nursing’s efforts to educate students in Virginia about the merits of a career in nursing have received favorable media attention. The "Nurses Change Lives" education campaign for youths in elementary, middle and high schools was featured in an article on Minoritynurse.com, the Internet edition of Minority Nurse magazine. The article entitled "How to Sell Kids on Nursing: Think Like a Kid!" was featured in a section called "Vital Signs," which offers the latest news on nursing and minority health issues.

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RICHMOND BERNARD HODES GROUP OFFICE SHARES ADVERTISING AWARDS WITH VIRGINIA PARTNERSHIP FOR NURSING
The Richmond office of Bernard Hodes Group, a leading provider of recruitment communications and staffing solutions, has won national and local recognition for their creative work for the Virginia Partnership for Nursing (VPN). Created in 1998 VPN, is a coalition of statewide funders from private and public health care systems, educational institutions, government agencies and professional organizations working to staunch the looming statewide nursing shortage.

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