Initiatives and/or action items (by Task Force) as of October 2003

Leadership

1. Hold quarterly meetings of the Southern Nevada Medical Industry Cluster Group.
2. Insure Task Force Groups are meeting regularly, and develop performance reports for each group from the priorities received from the Co-Champions.
3. Create a public relations strategy for the Group.
4. Develop a website for internal and external communications.
5. Actively recruit new members/volunteers to participate with the Group and Task Forces.

Healthcare Strategic Alliance

1. A research report/document that quantifies the community’s health assets, facilities, programs and infrastructure.
2. A report that documents our area's healthcare "gaps."
3. A report that reviews the major hospitals' plans for future growth (programs and facilities).
4. Promote strategic collaborations between our healthcare providers and academic institutions (building upon our strength and creating new linkages).

Recruitment & Retention/Improving the Workplace

1. Support the research/study conducted by UNLV (Dr. Candela & Dr. Bowles) on the "Educational Preparation and First Job Experiences of Recent RN Graduates"
   • Conduct a second mailing of their survey for greater results
   • Promote the publication or their research to assist in the improvement of the workplace for nurses in Southern Nevada
2. Develop a public relations/communications strategy on the "recommendations" of the UNLV study.
3. Educate the public on the demands of the nursing profession and workplace issues:
   • *PSA's
   • *Chamber & cities communications
4. Develop a nursing and recruitment strategy in partnership with the private placement agencies and medical institutions

Legislation

1. Prioritize selected bills/initiatives to actively support or defeat:
   1. The "Keep Our Doctors in Nevada" campaign/citizen initiative is extremely important and needs to be supported by our Coalition.
   2. The "Mutual Recognition" Bill (SB93) needs our support, which increases the number of nurses in Nevada by recognizing/approving their licenses from other states.
   3. Defeat the efforts by selected special interest groups to mandate nursing to patient ratios (interim ratio study by the legislature). It will take a difficult situation/issue; make it worse and cause the nursing shortage to tumble even further.
   4. A long-term legislative strategy is to support higher education’s financial needs for additional funding for teaching nurses (increasing the number of graduates).
2. Support the development of a Regional Health Plan by the Health District.
3. Coordinate with Clark County’s Medical Society to develop a unified approach to supporting selected legislative bills and the endorsement of candidates for state office.

Education

1. Marketing – create a brochure promoting the educational institutions and their medical programs. Discuss curriculum and articulation.
2. Assist in the creation of new scholarships for nursing students and highlight the outstanding efforts by the medical institutions with their existing scholarships.
3. Research the opportunities to increase mentoring volunteers to assist the educational institutions and the nursing students.
4. Develop an “environmental slant” of what educational programs we have in place (public and private) and what are their plans for the future.
5. Seek ways to simplify the process of advancing within the nursing field (educational articulation).
6. Develop a speakers bureau/directory of volunteers (doctors/nurses) that would guest lecture and provide schools with their knowledge, which would assist the faculty and students.

Public Relations

1. Enhance selected public relations projects:
   • March of Dimes Annual Recognition/Awards Program for Nursing (November)
   • Nurses' Week (May)
2. Assist the Legislative Task Force (TF-4) in their efforts to communicate with the public and legislators.
3. Utilize Johnson & Johnson’s national nursing campaign's literature and public service announcements on the local level. Work with UNLV and local medical institutions in their efforts to promote nursing and other medical careers.
4. Develop/coordinate a Southern Nevada Medical Industry Coalition website.

Business Development

1. Research the gaps in service to create opportunities for recruiting new clinics/institutes into Southern Nevada.
2. Develop a survey tool/instrument to assist in the research. Both personal interviews and selected confidential mail surveys are planned.
3. Service gaps are to be targeted so that residents do not have to leave the area for specialty procedures.
4. Develop marketing materials to be mailed to clinics/institutes outside the area to illustrate the opportunities that exist in Southern Nevada.