When leaders gathered in the nation’s capital this spring to address one of health care’s most urgent challenges — the future of the nursing workforce — North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Community College had a seat at the table.
Leigh Angel, Blue Ridge’s dean of health sciences, joined a panel convened by the Duke University School of Nursing, Duke Health, and Duke Government Relations. The event, “Strengthening the Nursing Pipeline,” brought together academic and workforce leaders, policymakers, and health care executives from across North Carolina to discuss strategies for rebuilding and sustaining the nursing workforce. While focused on North Carolina, which has one of the nation’s most significant nursing shortages, the discussion carried national relevance.
Angel represented Blue Ridge as a voice for North Carolina’s 58 community colleges, which play a critical role in preparing the next generation of nurses and other essential health care professionals through accessible, high-quality training programs…