For nursing, health care reform efforts in the United States provide an opportunity for the profession to meet the demand for safe, high-quality, patient-centered and equitable health care services. The recent report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) addresses what roles can nursing assume to meet this demand and how well prepared is the nursing profession to take on these roles. The report, released in October of 2010, makes eight recommentations which focus on nursing edcuation, scope of practice, leadership, workforce data collection and inter-professional collaboration. The recommendations specifically outline what executive agencies of governement, Congress, state legislatures, nursing licensure boards , nursing professional assoications,  colleges and universities, and employers can do to assist and prepare nurses to meet this challenge. View the entire report here: Read about the eight recommendations here.

 The national Campaign for Action 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 eight recommendations and the long-time efforts of nurse leaders and nursing organizations.
The campaign is organized by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in collaboration with AARP.

Idaho is participating in the Campaign for Action (CFA) as the Idaho Nursing Action Coalition (INAC) which was formed in February of 2011. The coalition is made up of key partners statewide including nursing, businesses and other health care providers. The goal of the coalition is to improve the ability of Idaho nurses to respond to the health care challenges of the future and deliver quality care that is accessible and affordable. The Idaho Alliance of Leaders in Nursing and the Idaho Hospital Association are the co-leads of the coalition. Click here for more information about INAC and CFA.