NRMC receives grant to help retain experienced nurses

NRMC has been awarded a "Grow Your Own" grant from the Missouri Hospital Association to help recruit and retain the hospital's health care workforce. The grant of $49,000 will be used to develop a "Grow Your Own" Nursing Program to improve patient care and satisfaction by decreasing staff turnover and increasing retention and tenure.

The aging population, growing number of individuals with chronic conditions and expanded access to health insurance, have led to increasing demands on the health care system. These factors and others have generated an urgent need for additional hospital caregivers. In addition, implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which includes significant changes to payments and health care delivery systems, coupled with new technology, such as electronic health records, has increased demand for workers with highly specialized skills.

"This grant is a huge success for us," stated Judy Feuquay, CEO of NRMC. "We need to acknowledge the work that was done on the grant application by Mandi Jordan. Mandi has worked with the funding team of Healthy Nevada to learn skills in grant writing. It is through her efforts that we are able to apply and be chosen for this grant."

At NRMC, Grow Your Own funds will be used to enhance the hiring and on-boarding process in Human Resources, develop and implement job shadowing and preceptoring, and promote professional growth with educational opportunities.

"The workforce challenge for Missouri hospitals is two-fold," said Herb B. Kuhn, MHA president and CEO. "First, hospitals must address the shortage of educated health care workers, including primary care physicians, nurses, therapists and imaging technicians, to meet the expanding demand for care.

"Second, hospital leaders also must recruit and retain talented individuals to manage increasingly complex health care organizations. The Grow Your Own program allows hospitals to address these challenges with plans that are tailored to the needs of their organizations and the communities they serve."

Applications for the Grow Your Own Hospital Grant Program were submitted in July. The applications were reviewed and selected by an independent committee composed of representatives from healthcare, educational institutions and non-profit organizations with experience in healthcare grant development and funding processes.