Jonas Center April 2012 Newsletter

Attention
Jonas Scholars & Veterans:

Share Your Story!

We’re inviting Jonas Scholars and Veterans to share their expertise and experiences in our new blog feature, the JCNE Blog

Simply email them to amy.warren@jonascenter.org.

Jonas Veterans Healthcare Program:

One Solution to the

Veteran’s Healthcare Crisis

The Jonas Veterans Healthcare Program will provide doctoral scholarships for nurses focused on veterans’ healthcare needs-including mental health, traumatic brain injury and care coordination, among others-to achieve three major goals:

Increase nursing research to improve veterans’ healthcare;
Prepare academic faculty to educate future generations of nurses on veterans’ healthcare needs; and
Increase the number of advanced practice nurses serving as primary care providers for veterans.

Five military nursing doctoral students at the University of San Diego Hahn School of Nursing comprised the 2011-12 pilot cohort; the program will expand in 2012-2014 with a cohort of 50 students across the country working in partnership with Veterans Administration healthcare facilities.

Bester In addition to the new program, Brigadier General (Ret) William T. Bester has signed on to Advise the Jonas Veterans Healthcare Program. Brigadier General (Ret) Bester is the former Chief of the Army Nurse Corps.

General Bester’s decades of leadership, policy, clinical and academic experience in military and civilian settings give him an unparalleled perspective into veterans’ health issues and how best to train nursing faculty and clinicians to address these needs,” said Donald Jonas, founder of the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence. “With his guidance, there are no limits to what our program can achieve – for our nurse scholars who come from the military and those who will be trained to care for veterans.”

“The Jonas Veterans Healthcare Project is a unique opportunity to build a cadre of future nurse leaders who will make improvements in patient care and policy that will greatly benefit veterans and their families.”

– Bill Bester, RN, MSN, NEA-BC Brigadier General (Retired), U.S. Army

Senior Advisor, Jonas Center

In support of the new program, the Jonas Center is excited to announce they will be hosting the inaugural Jonas Golf Classic to benefit the Jonas Veterans Healthcare Program.The event, sponsored by Olympus Partners, will feature such guests as Master of Ceremonies and professional golfer Michael Breed, Jonas Center founders Barbara & Donald Jonas, Jonas Center Advisory Board Member and Co-Chair, George Fox, and Brigadier General (Ret.) William T. Bester, as well as encouraging words from local veterans.

How You Can Help

We invite you to join our efforts to improve veterans’ healthcare through nursing. Please visit our web site, www.JonasCenter.org, or contact our office at 212.609.1583 for more information. You can also stay up to date on our work by joining us on Facebook and Twitter.

As Congress Considers the Budget & the Supreme Court deliberates on Healthcare Reform, the Jonas Center sponsors AACN’s Student Policy Summit in Washington, D.C.

Caitol Hill

On Sunday March 25th, more than 110 nursing students representing 40 nursing schools from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C. for the 2012 AACN Student Policy Summit. The Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence was recognized as a diamond level sponsor for supporting the conference for the third consecutive year since its launch in 2010. Jonas Center Executive Director Darlene Curley attended the summit to address the enthusiastic group of BS, MSN, DNP, and PHD nurse scholars, which included several current and future Jonas Nurse Leader Scholars. The conference has proven to be nothing less than inspiring for the students, giving them the opportunity to learn about nursing advocacy first-hand through visits to Capitol Hill and lectures from national leaders. The Jonas Center is honored to support such a successful annual event and grateful to AACN for their shared dedication to fostering the future of nursing leadership.

About the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence
The Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence was founded in 2006 by Barbara and Donald Jonas, active NYC philanthropists who are passionate about supporting the nursing profession through grantmaking that focuses on scholarship, leadership and innovation. The Jonas Center is funded through the Jonas Family Fund, a larger initiative that also supports programs that focus on mental health and youth-at-risk. To learn more please visit www.jonascenter.org