“Remaking American Nursing” on NJN
Addresses a Growing Crisis in Health Care
Airs Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 pm, Sunday, Oct. 22 at 12 pm, and Saturday, Nov. 4 at 12 pm

Trenton, NJ – As many as 100,000 Americans die each year in hospitals due to preventable medical errors. One million more are injured. These startling statistics are evidence of the chaotic conditions existing within America’s health care system.

The NJN original program, Remaking American Nursing, addresses a critical part of the health care crisis facing this country as it examines the issues surrounding nursing, including the nurse/patient ratios issues, on-the-job safety concerns, the nursing professor shortage, nurse retention challenges, and how the nationwide nursing shortage now could impact patient care in the future. Remaking American Nursing airs on NJN on Wednesday, October 18 at 6:30 pm with rebroadcasts on Sunday, October 22 at 12:00 pm and Saturday, November 4 at 12:00 pm, NJN News Health & Medical Correspondent, Sara Lee Kessler, is host and senior producer of the half-hour program which features a distinguished panel of New Jersey nursing experts and a VIP studio audience. The four panelists are: Dr. Felissa Lashley, RN, Dean of the Rutgers University College of Nursing; Linda Parry Carney, RN, BSN, MS, Immediate Past President, New Jersey State Nurses Association; Ruben Fernandez, RN, BSN, MA, Chief Nursing Officer, Palisades General Medical Center; and Dr. Julie Bliss, RN, Director of the Nursing Department at William Paterson University. The program also includes a pre-taped field piece that looks at a national nursing shortage expected to reach the one million mark by the year 2020, and what can and should be done about it. Jo Anne Sabalaske is the producer of Remaking American Nursing. Funding for the program is made possible in part by Johnson and Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. Additional funding for program and outreach made possible by a grant from the Amgen Foundation, Cooper University Hospital, and Atlantic Health.

An integral part of Remaking American Nursing includes NJN’s efforts to build partnerships within New Jersey’s health care community. The formation of a Community Partners Coalition is the result of those efforts, providing an opportunity for leaders from New Jersey’s health and medical sectors to come together to examine the issues facing nursing today. Devoted to this health care issue, Donna Sanzari, Chair of NJN’s Community Partners Coalition and Second Vice Chair of the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority, explains how important such a partnership can be as a catalyst for change. “Through the Coalition we are able to address critical issues affecting the health care community and the people we serve, as well as discuss innovative solutions that may change the direction we are going and improve the quality of health care for everyone. NJN as a Community Partner is helping to get the message out to the public.” Under Sanzari’s leadership, the Community Partners Coalition continues its work, examining the issues surrounding a nursing shortage and developing solutions to address it. The Community Partners Coalition includes representatives from the American Cancer Society, AARP, Hackensack University Medical Center, Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center, NCCJ-New Jersey, NJ Chamber of Commerce, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Rutgers University School of Nursing, UMDNJ School of Nursing, William Paterson University Department of Nursing. This coalition will continue to grow as new partners confirm their participation, providing important support for NJN’s outreach efforts in the coming months.

NJN also brings a compelling four-part PBS series, Remaking American Medicine…Health Care for the 21st Century that explores the quality crisis and the innovative solutions being undertaken by providers, patients and their families to transform the care provided by the institutions we all depend on. Remaking American Medicine airs on NJN on October 18, 25, November 1 and 8 at 10 pm.