Social Mission Initiative Supports nearly 600 in Nursing Education
Independence Blue Cross was honored today by the City Council of Philadelphia with a resolution saluting one of the health insurer's Social Mission initiatives, the IBC Nurse Scholars Program.
Introduced by Councilwoman and Majority Whip Marian Tasco and Councilman Frank DiCicco, the resolution recognizes IBC for addressing the nursing shortage through the 3-year, $3-million program that supports graduate and undergraduate nursing education.
"We're honored that the City of Philadelphia recognizes IBC's commitment to the community's overall health," said Stephen P. Fera, IBC Vice President of Social Mission Programs. "Your recognition of this program truly honors the nearly 600 scholarship recipients whose work will improve the quality of care we receive tomorrow and for generations to come."
The Nurse Scholars program is an extension of IBC's Social Mission, which is responsible for providing health insurance to some 150,000 Pennsylvanians who otherwise would be uninsured. The IBC Nurse Scholars Program represents a commitment from IBC and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation to address the region's shortage of nurses by increasing the number of nursing educators and practicing nurses.
With more than 78 million baby boomers poised to retire, the need for nurses is about the increase dramatically. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects an 800,000 national shortfall of working nurses by the year 2020 and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 1 million registered nurse positions will be vacant by 2010.
However, nursing educators say the biggest obstacle to increasing the number of nurses is the availability of nursing faculty. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing confirmed that since 1995, college nursing programs have been forced to turn away more than 11,000 qualified students due to limited faculty, clinical sites, and classroom space.
This year, 29 area colleges and universities have received grants from the Nurse Scholars Program and have awarded scholarships to nearly 600 graduate and undergraduate students. Over the next three years, IBC will contribute $1.74 million and PHEF is contributing $510,000 to the Scholars Program. IBC also committed an additional $750,000 over the next three years to PHEF's Nursing Education Initiative in Southeastern Pennsylvania, which provides financial assistance to aspiring undergraduate nursing students.
The Resolution marks the third award IBC received this year in recognition of its expanded Social Mission initiatives. In October, IBC President and CEO G. Fred DiBona, Jr. was the recipient of the Philadelphia Health Management Corporations (PHMC)'s Carl Moore Leadership Award and the Public Health Award presented by the National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC).
Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.5 million people.
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