In celebration of National Nurses Month, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines), Inc. (J&J Philippines) steps up its commitment to nurses, who are in many ways our country’s ‘champions of care’, by supporting their continued education.
A recent report by the World Health Organization confirms that the Philippines will be saddled with a shortage of around 250,000 nurses by 2030 if no immediate action is taken to retain them within the local health sector. In response, J&J Philippines is working through its Center for Health Worker Innovation (CHWI) to accelerate programs and partnerships that provide continuing education and upskilling, leadership and management training, and mental health and psychosocial support.
“Putting the health worker at the center, we have redesigned our support system as we continue to listen and learn from our partners in the frontline to make sure that we are supporting them where they need it most to help them thrive,” says Raghu Krishnan, president and managing director of J&J Philippines.
One such program is J&J’s partnership with InvestEd Frontliners’ First which has provided education loans to some 100 nursing students in 2021 and looking forward to having more than 250 students onboard by end of 2022. These loans have helped nurses from disadvantaged backgrounds to continue their college education, as they will continue to receive free and personalized follow-up coaching support on the tech-driven Education-to-Adulthood (E2A) Platform.
The UP College of Nursing announced the graduation of its first cohort of 141 public health nurses for its first year offering of their J&J Philippines-supported NurseLEAD program, a new leadership training course designed to enhance the competencies of nurses in leadership, management, and collaborative practice in public health care services.
Third, through a partnership with the Philippine Mental Health Association, Inc. (PMHA), J&J Philippines continues to provide online and face-to-face mental health and psychosocial support to 1,127 frontline health workers. To date, at least 70 percent of the program’s participants underwent training in provision of psychosocial support in their communities and are continuously provided mental health services that will allow them to manage their mental well-being.
Lastly, the notable and long-standing partnership of J&J Philippines with the Mother and Child Nurses Association of the Philippines (MCNAP) constantly rolls out several activities that will aid in their knowledge and practice such as Empowering Nurse Programs and lay lectures for topics related to pre and post-natal care.
“We believe such programs are critical and contribute significantly to the well-being and capability of our Filipina nurses. In this way, we build on the capacity of the frontline healthcare workforce and help create a healthier future for all,” adds Krishnan.