The University of Saint Francis in Crown Point is among a coalition of Indiana colleges working to develop a culture of health and promote health equity across the state.
USF and seven other Indiana colleges will receive a nearly $2.2 million four-year grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration Diversity in Nursing to develop the initiative through the Indiana Center for Nursing’s Nursing Education and Engagement in Diversity Statewide 2B Program.
“This work is in keeping with our Franciscan values, one of which is to ‘Reverence the Unique Dignity of Each Person,’” said Margaret DeYoung, USF Crown Point nursing program director. “This grant award is timely in today’s social environment and will afford USF Crown Point the opportunity to support individuals from underrepresented minorities, in real time, as they progress through the nursing program (and) diversity in our graduates will contribute to diversity and inclusion in the Indiana nursing workforce.”
USF said the participating colleges were selected based on submissions of replicable strategies that help nurses build a culture of health and promote health equity and well-being, while highlighting the importance of collaboration with diverse stakeholders.
The other schools in the program are Anderson University, Goshen College, Indiana University East, Indiana University Purdue University Columbus, Indiana Wesleyan University, Purdue University, and the University of Southern Indiana. Community Health Network also will join the effort.
The goal for the four-year grant is to assist in the creation of replicable programs that diversify the nursing workforce and improve healthcare equity across all sectors, while highlighting the importance of collaboration with diverse stakeholders of all types, USF said.
The USF nursing program is a long-term member of the ICN. During the last several years, USF has served on the Nursing Education and Engagement in Diversity Statewide task force, which developed toolkits for nursing education programs with a focus on holistic admission practices, pairing students up with mentors, and training faculty.
Through the grant, each school will work collaboratively to achieve the following NEEDS2B Program goals:
- Increase diversity and inclusion in the Indiana nursing workforce by implementing the objectives that include scholarships and stipends for students accepted into the program; holistic review and admissions to the school of nursing, mentoring programs; faculty recruitment and retention of diverse faculty; increased percentage of enrollment; retention and graduation of diverse students; and inclusion of cultural intelligence education.
- Expand implementation of the current mentoring programs of the schools.
- Address social determinates of health and education through a collaborative partnership representing academia, practice, and the community at large.
