Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo receives Grant to support their graduate nurse residency program.

Buffalo, NY, January 23, 2023 — Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo (HPCB), amidst a national nursing shortage, has responded to this health care issue in a way that will assure patients and families in hospice and palliative care receive the specialized care they deserve. The existing Graduate Nursing Program (GNR) is crucial in providing such invaluable training and experience, and the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation believes in HPCB’s mission to provide care, support, advocacy, and education to Erie County residents, impacted by serious illness and loss, and as such, has granted $200,000 to support this important initiative.

The Graduate Nurse Residency (GNR) Program specifically aims to alleviate the impact of this nursing shortage on the agency by providing an intensive, patient-facing, hands-on training to newly licensed nursing professionals. Nurses in the program receive comprehensive education and one-on-one mentoring, by extending the orientation to the specialty of Hospice and Palliative Care. This extended time to develop, both within the classroom and during field training, prior to independently managing a caseload of patients—results in nurses who will be better equipped to provide compassionate, quality care to patients and their families.

“We want to hire nurses fresh out of school, give them the time to develop the skills that can only be obtained with time and experience, but without the pressure of being “on their own” right out of the gate. This one-on-one mentoring allows them to appreciate the specialty of hospice and palliative care nursing and validates the reasons they became nurses in the first place” says Kelley Clem, VP of Education. “We are incredibly grateful to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for their financial commitment to support this important program.”

“There is a dire shortage of trained nurses entering the workforce, and patient care is suffering as a result,” noted John Craik, Program Officer with the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. “We are very interested in taking a lead on addressing this issue, and very happy to partner with Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo as we work on this important project.”

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of vulnerable communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services.

The next GNR semester begins in March. Applications are currently being accepted and interested registered nurses can apply at HospiceBuffalo.com/careers.