ACP: Governmental Affairs and Public Policy - Critical Linkages: Patient Safety, Nurse Staffing, and Leadership Solutions for Tomorrow

Advocacy

Critical Linkages: Patient Safety, Nurse Staffing, and Leadership Solutions for Tomorrow

July 26, 2004

Dennis S. O'Leary, MD
President
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

Dear Dennis:

Pursuant to your letter dated June 28, 2004, the American College of Physicians (ACP), as a long-standing corporate member of the Joint Commission, is pleased to offer its endorsement of your fall symposium highlighting the critical linkages between nurse staffing and patient safety, and seeking solutions to reduce nursing shortages on a local, national, and global scale. Over the years, ACP has actively advocated for increasing the supply of nurses, and in 2002 issued a policy paper on this topic, entitled "Addressing the Nation's Nursing Shortage," a copy of which is enclosed.

ACP believes the Joint Commission's symposium, "Critical Linkages: Patient Safety, Nurse Staffing, and Leadership Solutions for Tomorrow" is most worthy of our endorsement, bringing together health care executives, nursing executives, physician leaders, public policy leaders, and government agency staff to address one of our nation's health system's most critical needs. We are pleased to be identified in your conference materials as an endorser, and will publicize this meeting to all of our over 116,000 members in the very near future.

ACP wishes you great success for an outstanding symposium. Please contact Mark Gorden of my staff at (202) 261-4544 if there is any way we can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

John Tooker, MD, MBA, FACP
Executive Vice President
Chief Executive Officer