Portland, Ore.

WHAT:

The Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing is proud to announce the opening of the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence (CGNE). The center is the result of a $1.3 million, five-year grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation Inc. of New York City. Only five nursing schools nationwide received this prestigious award.

Former Sen. Mark O. Hatfield will give the keynote address, "An Aging America: Nursing Answers the Call for Leadership." The event also will feature a ribbon cutting, and a presentation that highlights the partners' and the center's future activities. A reception will follow.

The center is dedicated to improving the quality of health care for elderly Americans through three programs. The first is the "Best Practices Initiative," which will look at which "best practices" can realistically be adopted into the clinical setting and ways to monitor the introduction of these practices. The other two programs focus on education. The "Summer Postdoctoral Fellowship Program" provides advanced research training in gerontological nursing during two consecutive summers, with faculty mentoring continuing during the bridging academic years. The "B.S. to M.S./Ph.D. Fast Track Program" allows graduates to move directly into an M.S./Ph.D. program concentrating on gerontological nursing and advanced research training.

WHEN:

Monday, May 7, 2001, 4 p.m.

WHERE:

OHSU School of Nursing, sixth floor Oregon Health & Science University, Marquam Hill campus

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