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Location:
Jackson, Mississippi
United States
My Websites:
www.aarp.org/ms

My Journals (3)

Senior State Director Participates in Nursing Summit

  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:               June 25, 2008
Contact:          Ronda Gooden, 601-206-1850
 
 
MISSISSIPPI  TEAM SELECTED TO ADVANCE SOLUTIONS
TO NURSING, FACULTY SHORTAGES
 
SHERRI DAVIS-GARNER TO PARTICIPATE IN AARP, RWJF,  
LABOR DEPARTMENT SUMMIT TO ADDRESS NURSING EDUCATION CAPACITY
 
Jackson, MS – AARP Mississippi Senior State Director Sherri Davis-Garner will  participate in the first Nursing Education Capacity Summit convened by AARP, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in Washington, D.C. on June 26 and 27. The goal of the Summit is to identify solutions to the nurse faculty shortage that is forcing nursing schools to turn away thousands of qualified nursing candidates each year.  Summit participants will identify and develop approaches to improving nursing education capacity – with the ultimate goal of reversing the persistent nursing shortage that could leave the United States without enough nurses.
 
Mississippi will send a team of multi stakeholders to the Summit including Davis-Garner. Other states participating include: AL, CA, CO, FL, HI, IL, MA, MD, MI, NC, ND, NJ, OR, SC, TX, VA and WI. They will share best practices and focus on four key areas: strategic partnerships and resource alignment; policy and regulation; increasing faculty capacity and diversity; and education redesign.  
 
“AARP recognizes the important role that states play; they are where the rubber meets the road in terms of health care delivery,” said Senior Vice President of the AARP Public Policy Institute and Chief Strategist for the Center to Champion Nursing in America Susan Reinhard. The Center to Champion Nursing in America is a joint initiative of AARP, the AARP Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Nurses play a significant role in reducing medical errors and improving health care quality, which is why we urgently need to find solutions to address both the shortage of nurses and the shortage of faculty to educate them,” Reinhard added.
 
Mississippi is uniquely positioned to contribute to the Summit because of a commitment to team work, demonstrated best practices related to increasing the nursing workforce, and excellent capacity to build even more effective partnerships for solutions in the future.  
 
The Summit comes at a critical time for nursing. Latest surveys project that the United States could fall short by close to half a million registered nurses by 2025 absent aggressive action. Currently, the supply of new nurses is failing to keep pace with rising patient demand, in part because a significant number of interested and qualified nursing school applicants have been turned away in recent years due to a growing shortage of nursing faculty. 
 
“The time to simply talk about the problem is over,” said RWJF Senior Program Officer Susan Hassmiller. “What’s essential now is to fundamentally rethink how nurses are and should be educated and how they should be deployed in the workforce. The experiences of these states offer the best hope for achieving these goals.”
 
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The AARP Foundation is AARP’s affiliated charity. Foundation programs provide security, protection and empowerment for older persons in need. Low-income older workers receive the job training and placement they need to re-join the workforce. Free tax preparation is provided for low- and moderate-income individuals, with special attention to those 60 and older. The Foundation’s litigation staff protects the legal rights of older Americans in critical health, long-term care, consumer and employment situations. Additional programs provide information, education and services to ensure that people over 50 lead lives of independence, dignity and purpose. Foundation programs are funded by grants, tax-deductible contributions and AARP.   For more information visit www.aarp.org/foundation
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 33 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's 39 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org
 
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
 
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Added: June 25, 2008
Views: 92 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0

Columbia Gets Andrus Legacy Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                Contact: Ronda Gooden
March 19, 2008                                                       (601) 206-1850 (work)        
                                                                              (601) 209-1812 (cell)
 
AARP Presents Columbia High School $10,000 Award For Innovation

Recognition highlight’s AARP’s 50th Anniversary

 

Jackson - Columbia High School will receive AARP Mississippi’s Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award in recognition of the school’s student performance incentive program at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 19 at the school, 1009 Broad Street, Columbia, MS. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, AARP is providing $10,000 awards to one innovative high school in each state, as well as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia.

AARP’s 50th Anniversary, “Generations Connecting for Change,” is a year-long, national celebration that highlights the association’s foundation of leadership and service to others by uniting generations and building a better future. AARP was founded 50 years ago by Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired teacher and principal from California.

“Dr. Andrus was a champion for all generations who believed, as we do today, that the generations are connected by a strong commitment to values, community and service,” said Sherri Davis-Garner, AARP Mississippi’s Senior State Director. “This award not only pays tribute to Dr. Andrus, it also acknowledges our continued commitment to recognize and encourage educational achievements in Mississippi and throughout the country.”

After a statewide selection process, Columbia High School was selected for an innovative program that rewards students’ passing grades, good behavior and school attendance.

Three years ago, school principal Sheila Burbridge developed a program aimed at helping students excel academically and improve their attendance. Working with partners in the community, she purchased tickets to a New Orleans Saints football game to give to those students who earned passing grades, and demonstrated good behavior and exemplary attendance. The money raised also helped pay for a charter bus to drive the two-hour distance to New Orleans. Students returned motivated to excel. Now the school, through its community partners, purchases season tickets so more students can be awarded for good grades, behavior and attendance. Burbridge credits the program with raising the school’s state academic rating from level three to four (five is highest).

Learn more about Columbia High School at www.chs.columbiaschools.org.

Nationwide, AARP has donated more than $1 million to support educational programs that have demonstrated a commitment to connect generations and foster greater civic engagement among students and their communities. Schools in Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Houston, Miami and Philadelphia received $100,000 awards.

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AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have

independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

AARP has launched Divided We Fail to raise the voices of millions of Americans who believe that health care and life-time financial security are the most pressing domestic issues facing our nation. Learn the issues, add your voice and find out how you can get involved at www.dividedwefail.org
Added: March 25, 2008
Views: 469 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0

AARP Mississippi's 2008 Day at the Capitol
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                            Contact: Ronda Gooden
March 5, 2008                                                                       (601) 206-1850 (work)
                                                                                                (601) 209-1812 (cell)
 
Day at the Capitol brings AARP members,
 volunteers to State Capitol
 
Medicaid, proposed utility rate hike
among AARP’s top legislative issues
 
Jackson – More than 300 AARP Mississippi volunteers and members from throughout the state will bring their concerns to legislators on Thursday, March 6, 2008. AARP’s annual Day at the Capitol gives Mississippi’s 50-plus population the opportunity to ask lawmakers about legislation that is important to them.
 
This year’s top legislative issues include: long-term care choices, identity theft prevention and a tobacco tax increase/food tax decrease legislation. AARP has organized grassroots advocacy volunteers and members throughout Mississippi’s Congressional and state legislative districts. These members are able to respond to state and federal legislative calls to action.
 
Key legislation that is still being considered includes:
  • Medicaid Technical Bill (House Bill 1013), which increases the excise tax on cigarettes by $1 to help fund the state’s Medicaid program. AARP opposes proposals that would increase taxes on hospital beds because these would only be passed on to patients.
  • Electric Rate Hike Bill (Senate 2793), which authorizes the Public Service Commission to allow public utility companies to increase consumer rates for all expenditures, including pre-construction, construction, operating and related costs.
 
AARP supports the Medicaid Technical Bill because its provides for a “Money Follows The Person” program, which could give nursing home residents a choice in their long-term care by remaining in a nursing home or receiving long-term care in a community setting.
 
“AARP members are concerned about this bill because it would provide choices in their personal long-term care,” said Sherri Davis-Garner, AARP Mississippi’s State Director. “Our members are concerned about the quality of their lives as they grow older, and they want long-term care options to be available to them.”
 
AARP members and electric consumers throughout the state are concerned about the possibility of utility rate increases as the economy continues to look bleak.
 
“As energy consumption increases, certainly the need for more powerful facilities grows,” Davis said. “But Senate Bill 2793 places the entire financial burden of new facilities on the shoulders of Mississippi ratepayers.” AARP members say the shareholders of the utility companies should handle the expense of building new facilities.
 
Day at the Capitol begins at 9:15 a.m. with a review of AARP’s top legislative issues at Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church, 305 N. Congress Street. Then members will walk across the street to the state Capitol to discuss the issues with legislators.
 
“Day at the Capitol is important because AARP is an organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all as we age,” said Bruce Brice, AARP Mississippi’s Interim State President. “Our volunteers’ presence shows their dedication.”
 
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AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP has launched Divided We Fail to raise the voices of millions of Americans who believe that health care and life-time financial security are the most pressing domestic issues facing our nation. Learn the issues, add your voice and find out how you can get involved at www.dividedwefail.org
 
Added: March 25, 2008
Views: 700 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0