Community Nursing Initiative

Yavapai College Foundation Launches Community Nursing Initiative to Combat County Nursing Shortage

The Yavapai College Foundation (YCF) is launching a Community Nursing Initiative in the wake of federal and state funding cuts to its Nursing program. In the coming year the Nursing program will lose more than $630,000 in annual support from the Department of Commerce and Arizona State Bill 1517. This shortfall may cause Yavapai College to cut back its Nursing program and exacerbate a growing nursing shortage in Yavapai County.

"We cannot allow this to happen," says Dr. James Horton, president of Yavapai College. "Nurses are front line caregivers, the backbone of our healthcare system. About 85 percent of the nurses who graduate from Yavapai College remain in the area, caring for our community. That's what makes this a community health issue, and it's why we created the Community Nursing Initiative. We must take action, as a community, to protect our health."

Yavapai County is ahead of the national curve on growth and aging. With an older population comes increased demand for more complex and expensive health procedures. This growing demand, coupled with a diminishing supply of healthcare providers, is compelling YCF to reach out to the community in attempt to avert a healthcare crisis.

Specifically, YCF is appealing to community healthcare stakeholders-local hospitals, physicians, health insurance companies, businesses and non-profits-to fill the gap left by cuts in government funding. These stakeholders are encouraged to contribute to the Nursing program according to their use of nursing services and their financial ability.

Without support from these community resources, Yavapai College will need to downsize its Nursing program by as much as 50 percent, reducing the number of graduating nurses from 128 to only 64 per year.

This situation is not unique to Yavapai College or Yavapai County. Across Arizona educational institutions are cutting back nursing programs as state funding drops. According to the Arizona Healthcare Workforce Data Center, the state will be 49,000 nurses short by year 2017 if the current trend continues.

"What is unique to this area is our ‘pull yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps' mentality," says Dr. Horton. "We believe in the power of the individual, the overall strength of the community when individuals band together. By pulling together we can put this issue to rest before it becomes a crisis. And we can be a role model for the rest the state."

Currently YCF is in the process of meeting with community stakeholders to marshal support for its Nursing program. Interested individuals and foundations are also encouraged to contact YCF for more information or to make a contribution.

For more information about the Community Nursing Initiative, contact the Yavapai College Foundation Office at (928) 776-2025.