How Georgia is working to battle shortage of nurses
ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Bureau of Health Workforce reports that Georgia will need an additional 2,200 nurses by 2030 to take care of patients. Georgia ranks sixth in of need.
The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University and the Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition created the Georgia Nursing Workforce Center. Dean Dr. Linda McCauley has announced a partnership between their school and the Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition to create the Georgia Nursing Workforce Center led by Dr. Chelsea Hagopian.
“We need consistent data and solutions-minded collaborations to make nursing workforce decisions in this climate. We are excited to partner with the Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition and other state agencies and organizations to lead this effort,” said McCaulley said.
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The center is made up of data analysts who will research and address issues of supply and demand for nursing in Georgia. These problems include retention, recruitment, educational capacity, and the distribution of nursing workforce resources.
Key areas of work will consist of data and research, education, collaboration, and policy action, and its efforts will focus on the value, preparedness, organization, and equity of nursing care services. The center will collaborate with healthcare organizations, business partners, state leaders, universities, colleges, and community-based organizations.
“By coming together to serve the needs of all nurses in Georgia, we really can look at every aspect that we can look at every aspect of the lifespan of a nurse in their career,” said. Dr. Hagopian.
Analysts will collect and look at data from the more than 140 hospitals across the state. Georgia has one of the lowest ratios of employed ed nurses in the nation, with fewer than 750 ed nurses per 100,000 people.
They expect to have their first data set by January. They plan to publish it for Georgia hospitals and hospitals across the country.
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