On the other side, this mission requires a robust cadre of skilled professionals. But both sides of this coin share a similar problem – they’re aging.

However, sounding the alarm that a crisis is coming is a bit like the midnight ride of Paul Revere at this stage of the game – old news.

But the good news is that the Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center has been laying the groundwork behind the scenes to achieve long-term solutions. Located in the Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park, the agency has a multi-faceted mission. Its goals include strengthening Oklahoma’s educational system to meet the ever-increasing demand for health care practitioners, improving job satisfaction and retention rates of the current health care workforce, while also increasing public awareness of the spectrum of health-related career opportunities.

In August 2007, the Oklahoma Hospital Association announced that the OHCWC is one of 27 organizations nationwide that has been awarded a grant to participate in “Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future.” A national initiative led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in conjunction with the Northwest Health Foundation, the project will develop and test solutions to America’s nursing shortage.

Sheryl McLain, interim executive director of the OHCWC and vice-president of workforce initiatives at the OHA, said the grant has several over-arching focuses.

“One is leadership and management development of nurses currently practicing in Oklahoma,” McLain said. “But the grant also addresses faculty development by funding scholarships to transition BSN-prepared nurse-educators to the master’s level.”

Ruth Eckenstein, program specialist in health-careers education at the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, or Career-tech, helped write the grant and will be instrumental in its implementation.

“Nurses are the No. 1 shortage,” Eckenstein said. “We need to prepare faculty to teach the RNs and the LPNs of the future.”

The two-year, $250,000 grant will include an additional $125,000 contributed by Oklahoma Work Investment Boards – regional partnerships consisting of health care organizations in multi-county areas.

“This will give us funding to build on a leadership and management development series that has been the brainchild of Dr. Carol Mannahan at OU College of Nursing,” McLain said.

Pointing out that nurses may transition into management without education in leadership dynamics, McLain said the OHA Health Care and Management Leadership Series is a certificate program for emerging and middle managers. By converting the series to a distance-learning format, nurses in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health departments and other health care facilities throughout the state will be able to access this information via the Internet and Oklahoma’s OneNet fiber optic telecommunications system.

“We believe this education can impact retention and decrease staff turnover while increasing job satisfaction,” McLain said.

Eckenstein added that the Career-tech system is technologically equipped with distance-learning venues technological venues that enable participants to advance their education with minimal drive time.

Other goals of the grant are to address diversity and under-served populations such as the Native-American population, while also stimulating grassroots involvement. Consequently, McLain credited strong community participation as a major factor in receiving the award.

Partnering agencies that contributed vital companion funds include Valley View Regional Hospital in Ada; Tahlequah City Hospital; Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority in Talihina; as well as the Eastern, Southern and Southeast Workforce Investment Boards in Muskogee, Durant and Wilburton respectively.

“The level of commitment from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the Career-tech system, and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce has also been invaluable,” McLain said.