Collaborating Partners
The collaborating partners in this one-of-a-kind initiative include the John A.
Hartford Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence and the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau
International. No other group is as well positioned to develop, promote,
deliver and employ the products and services focused on RNs and the
environments in which they practice to help the SNF industry prepare for the
growing population of patients/residents that will require its care in the
upcoming decades.
John A. Hartford Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence
The Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI) is confronting the challenges
associated with an aging population through an array of programs. With a $70
million investment to date from the Hartford Foundation, the HGNI is preparing
professional nurses to play leadership roles in improving the health of older
adults. The HGNI works in partnership with the nation’s nursing schools and a
variety of health care organizations and systems. The work of the HGNI is
accomplished through a number of projects administered in significant part by
the John A. Hartford Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence. (HCGNE)
All nine of the HCGNEs have signed letters of agreement to signal their intent
to support and remain advisors to Sigma Theta Tau International’s Center for
Nursing Excellence in Long-Term Care™. These HCGNEs are the Hartford Centers at
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of Iowa, University of
Minnesota, University of Oregon Health Sciences Center, Pennsylvania State
University, University of California at San Francisco, University of Utah,
Arizona State University and University of Pennsylvania.
Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International
The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) is a nonprofit
organization whose mission is to support the learning, knowledge, and
professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health
worldwide. STTI achieves its vision to create a global community of nurses who
lead in using knowledge, scholarship, service, and learning to improve the
health of the world’s people via 130,000 active members affiliated with 469
chapters in 22 countries.
Membership is by invitation to baccalaureate and graduate nursing students who
demonstrate excellence in scholarship and to nurse leaders exhibiting
exceptional achievements in nursing.
Nursing Knowledge International, a not-for-profit subsidiary of STTI, offers books, journal articles, other publications, online
continuing education courses for CE credit, merchandise and a range of
leadership development programs geared to meet the needs of its members. As
such, STTI is well poised to develop and bring to market The Center’s products
and services.
Support includes selected business and academic consultants including:
Cornelia Beck, RN, PhD, FAAN, professor in the Department of
Geriatrics and adjunct professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and
Nursing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), is
co-director of the UAMS Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence.
Beck serves as the lead content expert for the Center for Nursing Excellence in
Long-Term Care™. Beck has served on the Mental Disorders of the Elderly Study Section at the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) and on the Nursing Research Study Section and National Advisory Council
for the National Institute of Nursing Research. She has conducted research in
SNFs for more than 20 years. A prolific writer, Beck has more than 200
publications and has lectured extensively throughout the world. Dr. Beck has
received several national awards including the Distinguished Contribution to
Nursing Science Award from the American Nurses Foundation, the Doris Schwartz
Gerontological Nursing Research Award from the Gerontological Society of America
and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Gerontological Nurses
Association. In 2005, she received the Maureen Reagan Award from the Alzheimer’s
Association.
Christine Mueller, RN, PhD, FAAN is an associate professor at the
University of Minnesota, School of Nursing and co-director of the Minnesota
Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence. She is also the chair of the
Adult and Gerontological Health Department for the School of Nursing.
Mueller teaches gerontological nursing and long-term care nursing administration
in both graduate and undergraduate programs and recently received a national
award as the Outstanding Faculty Member in Gerontological Nursing Education. Her
career has focused on improving the care of elders living in nursing homes and
her research focuses on factors that can influence quality of nursing home care
such as nurse staffing, care delivery systems, and the role of the nurse and
nursing home culture change. Mueller is certified by the ANCC in
gerontological nursing and nursing administration. She is on the board of
directors for the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators and the
Pioneer Network.
Irene Fleshner, RN, MHSA, FACHE serves in a part-time capacity as
the senior vice president for strategic nursing initiatives at Genesis
HealthCare and also as a principal for the consulting firm Reno, Davis and
Associates, Inc. Fleshner's consulting practice is focused primarily in the
long-term care sector in the areas of clinical operations, nursing practice,
business development and quality improvement. Until 2008, Fleshner held the
position of senior vice president for clinical operations and chief nursing
officer at Genesis HealthCare. Prior to her employment at Genesis, Irene worked
as a hospital executive, an acute care nurse executive, staff nurse and
healthcare consultant. Fleshner received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing
from The American University and a master’s in Health Services Administration
from The George Washington University School of Business and Government. She is
a member of STTI and a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
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