Barry University recently received a $225,000 grant from the Florida Blue Foundation — an affiliate of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBS) – to create and implement a statewide Nursing Leadership Development program.
For two years, the grant period, a group of 32 nurse professionals from eight regions of Florida will receive additional education about health policy and leadership in health care systems. The eight regions encompass East Central, Northeast, Northwest, North Central, Southeast, Southwest, South and West Central.
The goal is to enable nurses to become more influential in the field. Specifically, the advocacy education program aims to promote nursing leadership in influencing local and state health and public decisions.
One of the Florida Blue Foundation's program areas of focus is improving the quality and safety of patient care. Nurses comprise the largest segment of the health care workforce and have a significant role in patient outcomes.
Many of the Foundation's efforts in this area are aimed at developing a well-trained, diverse nurse workforce to meet the growing and complex health care needs of patients in Florida.