Strengthening the Nursing Pipeline

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (May 18, 2022) – East Tennessee State University brought together leaders from Ballad Health and from colleges and universities from Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia for a strategic planning meeting to brainstorm ways to increase the pipeline of students into the field of nursing.

This 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 grade and to address increasing nurses at all levels including CNAs, LPNs, RNs and beyond.

A key element of the center’s work is to develop partnerships with other colleges and universities across the Appalachian Highlands.

Twelve higher education institutions were represented at the gathering, which included college presidents, chancellors, provosts, deans and directors.

ETSU President Dr. Brian Noland welcomed the leaders and provided background about the center.

“Strengthening the nursing pipeline is a task of monumental importance to the future of health care in our region,” said Noland. “I hope what can come out of this meeting today are ideas and opportunities to help us address a challenge that we all share – to elevate the level of care for the people of our region. As educational institutions that train the workforce, we have the shared responsibility to address that challenge. We have presidents, provosts and deans from across the region in a room together today. Ballad has provided the seeds and the funding to get this moving and ETSU has provided a venue for the discussion, but the collaboration is going to come by bringing all of the institutions together to put their ideas on the table to grow and strengthen the nursing pipeline. This is not just an ETSU initiative or a Ballad initiative – this is a regional initiative.

“Today we are excited to have everyone join us for this conversation.”

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 throughout the region. He mentioned current efforts such as the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation Grant, aimed at providing more opportunities for students in Southwest Virginia to gain exposure to careers in health care. He challenged the leaders to think creatively to address the nursing shortage that faces the region.

“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 not only work to increase the pipeline for new nurses, but it will also create a data system that provides visibility around gaps in the nursing pipeline, as well as provide opportunities for current nurses to continue lifelong learning opportunities across the higher education landscape.

In addition to Ballad Health’s $10 million commitment for a regional initiative, Noland and Levine also went to Nashville to meet with policymakers and make a case for a statewide focus. Through those meetings, they were able to secure additional state funding so that the center will become a source of labor, workforce and policy information in the field of nursing for the entire state of Tennessee.

After the formal program, the leaders broke into four major work groups focusing on data, pipeline, innovative clinical and education models, and nurse well-being.

“This is an opportunity to brainstorm, to collaborate and to share ideas that will lay the foundation for the work of the Appalachian Highlands Center for Nursing Advancement,” Noland said. “Ultimately, the work of the center will be driven by the important discussions that happen here today.”