Strengthening the pipeline ETSU HOSTS EVENT TO ADDRESS NURSING SHORTAGE

Noland. “As educational institutions that train the workforce, we have the shared responsibility to address that challenge. This is not just an ETSU initiative or a Ballad initiative – this is a regional initiative.”

To brainstorm ways to increase the pipeline of students into the field of nursing, East Tennessee State University brought together leaders from Ballad Health and from 12 colleges and universities from Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

The May 2022 meeting was the first regional gathering of the Appalachian Highlands Center for Nursing Advancement, which was created in October 2021 thanks to a $10 million investment from Ballad Health to create a center dedicated to bringing the region’s academic nursing, clinical nursing, and school systems together to increase the pipeline of opportunity and augment the supply of nurses and nursing support in the Appalachian Highlands. Plans are to start the pipeline with students as young as sixth graders and to address increasing the number of nurses at all levels.

“Strengthening the nursing pipeline is a task of monumental importance to the future of health care in our region,” said ETSU President Dr. Brian

Alan

Levine, Ballad Health Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, spoke about the regional opportunities associated within the center to expand the depth, breadth, and scope of nursing education, and he challenged the leaders to think creatively to address the nursing shortage.

“Ultimately, this is not a workforce issue; it’s a quality of life issue,” Levine said. “Everybody’s contributing to the success of our region’s health care, and I think everybody benefits from its success.

“People all over the state are watching and hoping we find a pathway forward. We have to challenge ourselves – if there were no limitations or boundaries, what solutions could we put forth?”

The Appalachian Highlands Center for Nursing Advancement will also create a data system that provides visibility around gaps in the nursing pipeline, as well as provide opportunities for nurses to continue lifelong learning opportunities.

Noland and Levine also went to Nashville to meet with policymakers and make a case for a statewide focus. Through those meetings, they secured additional state funding so that the center will become a source of labor, workforce, and policy information in the field of nursing for Tennessee.