Chartis Center for Rural Health Top Rural Health Facilities in Colorado

February 14, 2022

To determine the 2022 list, the Chartis Center used the Hospital Strength Index, which assesses performance in eight areas: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge and financial efficiency.

Congratulations to the top rural health facilities in Colorado:

Gunnison Valley Health
Mount San Rafael Hospital (Trinidad)
Wray Community District Hospital

ANA Calls on Congress and the Administration to Investigate and Mitigate the Root Causes of Nurse Shortages

February 8, 2022

Nurses Don't Need Platitudes Take Action Now

The American Nurses Association (ANA) continues to call on Congress and the Administration to take meaningful action to address the chronic causes of cyclical nursing shortages that have occurred over the past 50 years.  While overhead costs associated with staffing agencies have recently been targeted as a driver of staffing shortages, it is only one symptom of a much larger systemic problem. More needs to be done to effectively investigate and mitigate the root causes of nursing shortages. Changes must be made in providing better work environments, appropriate compensation and benefits, and making patient safety a top priority to attract and retain nurses today and in the future.  

Nurses, like all other Americans, have the right to seek employment that meets their financial needs, allows them to work in safe conditions and to provide quality care for their patients.   Even before the pandemic, many nurses felt undervalued in how they are treated by their employers.   The pandemic has exacerbated this issue.  Nurses report that they are working too many hours with too many patients, and many are under constant stress given their responsibilities plus the fear of being assaulted at work.   Staffing agencies may in some circumstances provide them greater resources, flexibility, and choices about their work environments.  Many nurses are choosing this option or retiring and leaving direct patient care or the profession altogether.  

Recently, Representatives Peter Welch (D-VT) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) coauthored a letter to the White House COVID-19 Task Force calling for an investigation into staffing agencies for price gouging during the pandemic.  While we applaud efforts to end price gouging by agencies, we call on Congress to ensure that travel nurses are not negatively impacted in the process.

The nursing shortage crisis will not be solved by a short-term piecemeal approach.  Nurses across the continuum of care are the backbone on the health care system, and deserve to be respected and valued.   We call on health care systems and private payors to join nurses in working with Congress and the Administration to find a sustainable solution to address nurse shortages.    

Fort Lewis College & CU Anschutz Medical Campus Announce Partnership

AURORA, Colo.(February 8, 2022) – Fort Lewis College (FLC) and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have announced a new partnership to create a four-year undergraduate degree in nursing, bringing the state’s flagship medical institute of higher education to the rural and Indigenous-serving campus of Southwest Colorado.

Ushering in a new model of health and collaboration in higher education, FLC and the University of Colorado College of Nursing at Anschutz Medical Campus are combining hands-on, culturally sensitive, patient-centered healthcare with the latest trends in medicine, like telehealth, which is an immediate need in rural communities around Durango.

Read full press release.

This announcement is a benefit of Affiliate membership to CNA. More information on Affiliate membership can be found here.

Register for CNA's Conference Feb. 25 & 26 at the Hilton Denver Inverness

The conference kicks off at the Hilton Denver Inverness hotel on Friday afternoon, Feb. 25 and resumes on Saturday morning, Feb. 26 for a half day of education.

State Representative, Kyle Mullica will close out the conference on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Rep. Mullica is an ER nurse and father of three, currently serving his second term as representative for House District 34. “Whether as a frontline health care worker or as a legislator, I have fought to save lives and protect Colorado’s health and economy,” Rep. Mullica said.

See the conference schedule including session details and speaker information. Don't miss out on the stellar session lineup and exhibit hall!

Session Highlights

• Facing Addiction in America, Evidenced Based Strategies for Nurses presented by Dana Murphy Parker, MS, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP, FIAAN
• Uncertainty and Fear Link to Mental Health Among Nurses' Lived Experience with COVID-19 presented by Kathy Prue-Owens PhD, RN, CCRN
• Nurses Role in Equality, Equity, Justice and Human Dignity presented by Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, CCTP
• Beyond Burnout: Insights from the Colorado Healthcare Worker Survey on Trauma, Moral Distress, and Incivility/Disrespect presented by Heather Cook, MPH, MA, LPC

REGISTER NOW!