The DHF Story

HOW DID THE PSBHN™ PROGRAM BEGIN IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA?
Lizabeth Carlson, Dean of the School of Nursing at Delta State University attended the first community-based Problem Solving for Better Health Workshop in Clarksdale, MS in 2003 and subsequently implemented two projects to improve the nursing work environment as well as the health of the broader community. As a result of these successful small scale projects, the Dreyfus Health Foundation submitted a proposal to the Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future Program (PIN), a national program led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Northwest Health Foundation, for additional funding to build upon the existing efforts to address nursing workforce issues in the Mississippi Delta. In the fall of 2006 the Dreyfus Health Foundation received one of ten grants nationwide to implement a nursing initiative in the Mississippi Delta that aims to increase completion of the Bachelor of Science program, improve first-write success on state board exams, and retain nursing talent in the Mississippi Delta region. This project is currently in the implementation phase.

Source: Dreyfus Health Foundation