Today the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced that 10 states will be part of a $4.5 million initiative, the Future of Nursing State Implementation Program. The program is helping states prepare the nursing profession to address our nation’s most pressing health care challenges—access, quality, and cost. The program launched with 20 states in February.

The State Implementation Program bolsters efforts already underway in 50 states and the District of Columbia—the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action—to improve health and health care through nursing. A joint initiative of AARP and RWJF, the Campaign is working to implement the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) evidence-based recommendations on the future of nursing. It provides a vehicle for nurses at all levels to lead system change to improve care for patients and families through collaboration with business, consumer, and other health professional organizations.

The State Implementation Program is providing two-year grants of up to $150,000 to a total of 30 state-based Action Coalitions that have developed or made substantial progress toward implementing the IOM recommendations. States must obtain matching funds to receive the grant. Grants were announced today in: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia. The 20 states that received grants in February are: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA), an initiative of AARP, the AARP Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, serves as the national program office for the Future of Nursing State Implementation Program. To learn more, read the full press release from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.