The Center’s Mission…..
“Building upon a foundation of evidence, the Center advocates for and provides professional education, leadership development, coaching and data analysis to continually strengthen a diverse nursing and healthcare workforce. Our defining strategy is to convene and engage the right people, at the right time, to develop and implement innovative solutions to emerging healthcare challenges.”
The Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence – The Largest Workforce Center in the US
The Center works within communities throughout Colorado and across the nation building a stronger healthcare workforce. The Center’s impact of communities continues to attract loyal funding sponsors and passionate partners that embrace our mission and sustain our efforts. This powerful collaboration propels our continued growth and has made us the largest nursing workforce center in the country.
Explore our programs, events, and workshops to learn more about how to expand your individual career and/or develop team skills to ensure a strong healthcare workforce.
Our Journey to Become Inclusive
Our journey began in 2013 when we convened a group of key stakeholders to begin the conversation on how to create a more diverse and inclusive nursing workforce. This provided insight on the strategies needed to support a diversified workforce.
Contact us to learn more about the work The Center has done from the first Nurse Workforce Diversity HRSA grant to our custom programs like Bias Busters and Becoming Culturally Inclusive.
Contact Us – Mauritha@ColoradoNursingCenter.org
A Note from Our CEO
The words “Equal Justice for All” are carved into the United States Supreme Court Building. We are now experiencing and participating in a nation-wide call for those words to be upheld in a way they never have been in the nearly 250 years of our republic. It is important as we take up the mantle of creating a more equitable and inclusive union that the healthcare community identify that we also have often fallen down in ensuring all people receive equal care, regardless of race, age, sexual orientation or religion. The disparities we are finding in the rate of COVID 19 infections in our communities of color cannot be ignored. Now is our opportunity to actively change that dynamic within our healthcare system.
The Center has been building solution-based programs to address health disparities in our diverse and underserved communities by actively working to build a more diverse nursing workforce for several years. We know patients are more trusting of health professionals who speak their language, understand their culture, and look a bit like them. We can go into the long history of broken trust that these communities have experienced which lead to mistrust and cynicism of the system, and we should have those tough conversations. However, that isn’t enough. We must walk the talk.
The Center, lead by the work of Amanda Quintana and Mauritha Hughes, will move ahead with our Mentor Training Institute in an online format to respect social distancing. The program is designed to train mentors to work with diverse nursing students who are often first-generation college students. Funded by HRSA, this project provides financial, educational, and individual support to these students to help them successfully enter the profession of nursing. Additionally, we will be ramping up other bias training programs to help increase personal awareness around how we look at and treat each other, often subconsciously. This includes rescheduling our annual Diversity Summit which directly addresses these issues. Until we admit that we don’t treat each other equally or give each other equal opportunity, we will never reach our full potential as a nation.
When we don’t provide opportunities for all people to achieve their highest potential, we lose intellectual capacity and opportunities for innovation for our country. Healthcare has the chance to move the needle on health disparities by addressing our own biases and diversifying our workforce. We believe this work will positively impact health outcomes for all. A healthier nation is a stronger nation.
Ingrid Johnson DNP, MPP, RN, President and CEO
Behavioral Health Fellowship
The Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence developed this fellowship program to support nurse practitioners living in rural communities through the process of obtaining their certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP). This is a “Grow Your Own” model where the recipients of the are NP’s already living and working in the rural community where they plan to practice.
NLC
The Nursing Leadership Connection enables and prepares nurses for leadership roles through education, skill-building, and networking. With quarterly networking events and an annual full-day conference, NLC is a structured path to develop executive presence, leadership skills, and networking/community enhancement.
Learn more about how to join this nurse leadership group.
Nurse Residency Program
Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence has been certified by the U.S. Department of Labor as a sponsor of the new nurse residency apprenticeship program. This program is designed to make the transition to practice smoother by providing new nurses with the support they need to quickly get up to speed and serve as an invaluable clinical resource for rural healthcare facilities in need of additional staff.
The Ripple Effect
In keeping with The Center’s coaching philosophy, our team has created a program to support the healthcare workforce through these difficult times and beyond. The program provides the necessary tools & strategies to ride the storm and come out stronger and more confident to face the uncertain future. Includes Support Sessions, Learning Sessions, and Coaching.
Open to all healthcare disciplines & support staff.
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