Today, health care leaders in Maryland said they are making a down payment on a strategy for solving the state's long-term nursing crisis and announced that donors have pledged $15.5 million over five years and17 Maryland schools of nursing will receive grants from these funds to educate more nurses.

Maryland hospitals and nursing education leaders first announced the strategy to double the number of nurses educated in Maryland in November 2007. The first grants will increase the number of nurses graduating by 300 students and add 20 faculty positions.

“Less than two years ago we predicted that unless we increased the number of nurses being educated inMaryland we would be short 10,000 nurses by 2016,” said Maryland Hospital Association President and CEO Carmela Coyle. “Today we are thrilled to announce real progress and are committed to maintaining the momentum we need to reach our goal of adding 1,500 students.”

 “With major efforts underway to expand health care access, it is likely there will be an even greater need for nurses,” said Campaign Co-Chair, and CareFirst BlueCross President and CEO Chet Burrell. “We have pledged significant support for the program, and the progress of the campaign brings us a step closer to addressing the question of who will care for the next generation of Marylanders.”

The fundraising campaign, which is known as "Who Will Care?", has attracted a broad-based group of concerned hospitals, insurance, business, and academic leaders; as well as nurses, long-term care providers, and concerned private citizens. In all $60 million from the public and private sector is sought to fully fund the initiative.

“In recent years Maryland nursing schools have had to turn away qualified applicants because there are simply not enough faculty available to handle additional numbers of students,” said Campaign Co-Chair, and Hopkins Health System President Ronald R. Peterson. “Yet the number of nurses graduating in Maryland is not keeping pace with the nurses we will need in the next 10 years. These grants will begin to increase the number of nurses so we won’t face a huge chasm when almost half of the nursing workforce retires just as the baby boomer generation’s health needs reach their peak.”