for immediate release

Contact: Candice Douglass
(206) 221-8429
(425) 214-2704 (cell)
candiced@u.washington.edu

NURSING NOW USA INITIATIVE LAUNCHES

April 9, 2019 Washington DC— The University of Washington School of Nursing in partnership with the American Nurses Association, the U.S. Public Health Service Chief Nurse, and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Nursing launched the Nursing Now USA initiative in Washington DC. The initiative is focused on raising the profile and status of nurses worldwide. The global Nursing Now Initiative was launched in February 2018 and is run in collaboration with the International Council of Nurses and the World Health Organization. The initiative is based on the Triple Impact report that concluded that increasing the number of nurses and developing the nursing workforce will improve health, promote gender equality, and support economic growth.

“Nursing is the largest of the health care professions, with more than 3.1 million registered nurses in the United States, so we have a significant and important responsibility to provide equitable access and quality health care to all populations” stated Azita Emami, the Robert G. and Jean A. Reid endowed executive dean of the School of Nursing. She stressed that nurses are well-positioned to be leaders in creating and implementing strategies to improve our nation’s health and well-being due to their ability to consider the physical, behavioral, nutritional, and environmental conditions of their patient’s experience.

“I am committed to raising the profile of the nursing profession across the world to ensure that nurses are working at the top of their education and scope of practice,” Emami said. “We need to create an international culture that supports and encourages innovation in nursing education, research, and practice and we need to make sure that we are developing health-care related policies that are led by nurses and informed by evidenced-based research and practice if we are to achieve health equity and quality care for all populations,” added Emami.

The Nursing Now USA Initiative

The Nursing Now USA initiative has three priorities through which nurses will lead America to health. These priorities include:

• Promoting Innovation – Nurses are at the forefront of innovations in research, teaching, and care delivery that have a positive impact on the public;
• Developing Policy – Nurses play a vital role in influencing and creating public policy that promotes and protects the health of all and advocates for conditions that support safe and healthy communities; and
• Expanding Influence as Leaders in Care Delivery – Nurses are fully engaged as leaders locally and globally in the delivery of care by constantly and consistently seeking improvements in care.

The goals of the Nursing Now USA initiative align with the Nursing Now Global campaign and are focused on:

• Growing public understanding and support for the vital role that nurses have in achieving health equity and quality care for all;
• Using innovative strategies to improve the education, practice, and advancement of nurses;
• Developing health-care related policies that are led by nurses and informed by evidenced-based research and practice; and
• Ensuring that nurses are working at the top of their scope of practice and provide professional advancement opportunities for nurses at all levels.

About the School of Nursing

Celebrating 100 years in nursing education and research, the University of Washington School of Nursing is consistently a top-ranked nursing school, according to U.S. News & World Report. Ranked No. 3 in research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the UW School of Nursing is a national and international leader in improving the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities. The school addresses society’s most pressing challenges in health care through innovative teaching, award winning research and community service. For more information, visit www.nursing.uw.edu.

# # # # #