The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced grants totaling $3 million to help states prepare the nursing profession for a changing healthcare environment.

The foundation awarded two-year grants of up to $150,000 each through its Future of Nursing State Implementation Program to twenty state-based Campaign for Action coalitions in support of their efforts to transform the delivery of health care and meet the challenges stemming from an aging and more diverse population. A joint initiative of AARP and RWJF, the Campaign for Action is working to implement evidence-based recommendations for nursing developed by the Institute of Medicine.

The funds, which states must match, will be used to implement programs that prepare nurses to lead system change, strengthen nursing education, expand access to and improve the quality and coordination of care, and recruit and train a more diverse nursing workforce. Grant recipients include Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

"This program is designed to spur progress by supporting Action Coalitions, most of which are led by volunteers, that are doing promising work to implement the IOM recommendations," said Susan B. Hassmiller, senior advisor for nursing at RWJF and director of the Campaign for Action. "The foundation is committed to providing states with the support they need to build a more highly educated, diverse nursing workforce that will improve health outcomes for patients, families, and communities."