American Nurses Foundation, Inc.

The Foundation created the its Nurses on Boards initiative in response to the landmark 2010 Institute of Medicine report on “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” which called for nurses to assume leadership roles, including on boards of directors. As the largest proportion of staff within a health system, nurses bring a focus on patients, quality, strategic planning and so much more to all types of boards of directors, which in turn will improve the health of the community. The initiative includes telling the stories of nurse leaders, supporting nurses in becoming board-ready, and advocating to organizations to include a nurse on their board.

The Foundation’s Honor a Nurse Program enables colleagues, friends, family, and leaders to honor and tell the stories of nurses who have made a positive difference in nursing. The program provides a vehicle for meaningful recognition that is separate from nurses’ employment settings. Instead, the recognition is solely in the purview of the person paying the honor, and, at the same time, encourages philanthropic donations to the nursing profession.

The human toll of the Coronavirus-19 pandemic is being felt throughout the nation and most acutely by the nation's largest body of healthcare professionals – nurses. These nurses will deliver the vast majority of patient care as COVID-19 spreads across the country. To provide support for nurses on the frontlines, American Nurses Foundation has launched Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses.

The Fund has four focus areas, which are based on information we received from tens of thousands of responses to the American Nurses Association COVID-19 survey, townhalls, and outreach from nurses to state nursing associations.
• Ensuring nurses everywhere have access to the latest science-based information to protect themselves, prevent infection, and care for those in need
• Providing direct financial assistance to nurses
• Supporting the mental health of nurses – today and in the future
• Driving the national advocacy focused on nurses and patients

The Latest Science-based Information
RNs and other healthcare providers need the best, latest, unbiased information to protect themselves and their patients. Unfortunately, in the current, often-chaotic environment surrounding the pandemic, there is conflicting information from employers, federal agencies and the media. Accurate, consistent, science and data-based information is a life-critical priority for nurses, and the Fund will invest in materials and tools to ensure all nurses have access to this information as it becomes available.

The American Nurses Foundation Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses has paid for key activities to hear from nurses, and based on their requests, questions, and real-time descriptions of what they need, to get that crucial information to them as quickly as possible.
• More than 32,000 nurses replied to ANA’s first COVID-19 Workplace Survey Additional surveys are being planned.
• Improvements to ANA COVID-19 Resource Center offer a one-stop source of what nurses need to know about the pandemic
• A Free COVID-19 Webinar Series developed by ANA specifically for topics critical to nurses. Over 120,000 nurses registered for the first three webinars, with more on-demand sessions coming.

Direct Financial Assistance
The Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses will be used to provide direct financial assistance to nurses through Nurses House, Inc., a nurse-managed, non-profit organization dedicated to helping registered nurses in need.

Nurses House has established a special COVID-19 fund, to offer one-time financial hardship grants to nurses who are COVID+, caring for a COVID+ family member, or on mandatory quarantine. Nurses do not have to be a current member of ANA to apply, and LPNs are eligible as well. Grant applications for this fund will be accepted through July 31, 2020 or until the fund is depleted.

Mental Health
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses experienced extraordinary levels of stress in their day-to-day work. Early research of healthcare workers in Wuhan, China found that nurses experienced higher likelihood of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress than other health care workers in hospitals. We can expect the same impact on nurses working with COVID-19 patients in the U.S. It's all too apparent nurses need as much mental health and wellbeing support as possible.

In response, the Foundation has launched The Well-Being Initiative, in partnership with American Nurses Association, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, American Psychiatric Nurses Association and the Emergency Nurses Association. The Initiative offers responsive and preventative resources to support nurses’ mental health and resilience, including virtual support systems, a curated digital toolkit, and expressions of gratitude.

Our virtual support system includes opportunities to connect in peer-to-peer conversations, in one-on-one warmline calls, and through narrative expressive writing with feedback provided from trained responders. The digital toolkit includes the best and most relevant video. audio and visual content and the impact it has on nurses' well-being. The Fund will also focus on identifying and providing all nurses with meaningful expressions of gratitude - from peers, patients, and the general public.

Advocating for Nurses and Those They Serve
The Foundation supports American Nurses Association (ANA)’s legislative, regulatory and education efforts to keep nurses’ needs at the center of the conversation.

Efforts thus far include ensuring nurses' needs are understood and factored into government decision making, by engaging with the Administration, government agencies like HHS, FEMA, DOL, and communicating with Congress. The Foundation and ANA's priorities focus on crucial issues such as:
• The needs for testing and increasing production of PPE
• Funding for health care systems, staffing & equipment, and
• Support for nursing education funding

The advocacy driven by the Fund will also campaign to strengthen public health efforts in preventing the spread of coronavirus, managing the care of infected patients, ensuring the flow of accurate public information and shaping the future of the professional field post-pandemic.

In addition to addressing the needs of nurses, the Fund is an opportunity for the public to support and show gratitude through a text-to-give campaign, individual giving and corporate donations.

The RN Initiative (RNI) has granted $14 million to 10 pilot programs in 29 states. These pilots are sparking new ideas and testing solutions. RNI is focused on three priority areas for innovation that present unique opportunities for large-scale, replicable change. Focusing on these areas can enable nurses with cutting-edge knowledge, tools, environments, and systems to deliver equitable and exemplary care to their patients: Practice-Ready Nurse Graduates pilots will prepare newly graduated nurses to immediately succeed in and contribute to a variety of settings where patients need care. Technology-Enabled Nursing Practice pilots will support the design and implementation of technology-based tactics and tools that enhance the practice of nursing. Direct-Reimbursement Nursing Model pilots will expand nursing practice and elevate the value of nursing through direct reimbursement for nursing care delivery, management, and coordination outcomes.