HIP Partners on National Nurse Week Proclamation to Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors

Santa Cruz County: The Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County (HIP) in partnership with the Santa Cruz County Workforce Development Board, Dignity Health - Dominican Hospital, Cabrillo College Nursing Program, and Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency, presented at the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors meeting May 9th, a proclamation: MAY 6-12, 2023 AS NATIONAL NURSES WEEK IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.

The proclamation, written by Anna Sutton, Director of Nursing, Public Health Division of the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (SCCHSA), endorsed by SCCHSA leadership, and presented by Assistant Director, Jennifer Herrera and representatives from partnering organizations, made a declaration that Santa Cruz County nurses, now more than ever, are vital to the wellbeing of our communities as we recover and continue to respond to the multifaceted threats to health. View the proclamation here.

The proclamation was inspired by collaboration within HIP’s Health Workforce Council Nurse Workgroup. The Health Workforce Council aims to build, strengthen and diversify Santa Cruz County’s health workforce with qualified individuals who can best support and provide health services to the community and seeks to increase opportunities for Santa Cruz County residents to advance in health professions and align and expand education and training through pipeline programs, work-based learning, and continued professional development for incumbent workers.

April LoFranco, BSN, RN, an Associate Faculty Internship and Residency Liaison at Dominican Hospital Telemetry Registered Nurse and an instructor in the Cabrillo College Nursing Program, who facilitates the Nurse Workgroup reflects that “National Nurses Week is a time of recognition and celebration for the amazing work our nurses do in our county. I had the pleasure of being a part of a group of nurses who read the public proclamation in front of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors this year. Not only did I feel proud to represent as a nurse in this effort, but I also felt extremely supported by my leadership, Eric Conrad, CNO, Dr. Whitley, CMO of Dominican Hospital, and Jen Holm, Director of Cabrillo College’s Nursing Program. It was such an honor to acknowledge the important work of nurses beyond the walls of their workplaces.”

Anna Sutton, also a Nurse Workgroup member, remarks "Nurses promote better health every day for everyone and will be needed and challenged to advance health equity within Santa Cruz County and around the State. We are in a unique position because we “live and work at the intersection of health, education, and communities” (Future of Nursing 2020-2030).

We invite Santa Cruz County healthcare professionals and those working in health education and training programs to join the Health Workforce Council Nurse Workgroup which meets monthly online. Interested participants can contact HIP’s Workforce Development Program Manager, Hayley Mears, at hmears@hipscc.org.

For more information about HIP’s Workforce Development program, please visit www.hipscc.org/workforce.