(upbeat music) - Hey, everyone, Steve Adubato.

We kick off the program talking about nursing and everything connected to nurses, and why they're so important.

We have Howard Reid, who's Senior Vice President of Corporate Brand and Purpose at Johnson and Johnson, a long time underwriter of public broadcasting, and also Dr.

Bridget Nkatta, who is Executive Director of Bridge to Life Clinical Care.

Howard and Doctor, great to have you with us.

Howard put this in context for us, I've said this before, Johnson and Johnson has a long time history of being committed to nursing, the nursing profession.

What is this program, Bridge to Life Clinical Care, and how is it connected to J&J?

- Yeah, so we have a number of programs across New Jersey supporting nursing.

The one particular program you're talking about is the nurse practitioner entrepreneurship program, which is an incredible year-long program that provides nurse practitioners with essential leadership and business skills required to address some of the primary care and behavioral healthcare needs of the vulnerable populations within their community.

This is a program powered by Duke Health and it's supported by the J&J Foundation.

Equipping nurse practitioners with business acumen and leadership skills to establish their own nurse-led healthcare businesses.

I know Dr.

Nkatta can speak quite a bit to the program.

She was a part of our inaugural class of the program as well.

- Talk about that, Doctor.

You have a doctorate in nursing practice, you're a family nurse practitioner.

Talk about your journey and sort of connection to what Howard was just describing.

- Yes, thank you, Steve.

So I'm a family nurse practitioner licensed in the state of New York and New Jersey to provide primary care.

Bridge to Life Clinic is a nurse led primary care practice and it was established out of a need to close the gaps in care.

And so being part of the nurse practitioner entrepreneurship program that Howard mentioned was a way to empower nurse practitioners to provide, to implement and sustain practices that are expanding access to care and also providing culturally sensitive conscious care in order to improve patient outcomes.

So one of the things, first of all, I have to say, express my gratitude to Johnson and Johnson for staying true to their credo to advance nursing practice and help meet the needs of nurses.

Being in that program, I was empowered to gain that business skills that I was lacking.

One of the things that I learned throughout the program was creating a business plan.

When I started Bridge to Life clinic, I started with a one page business plan, which I mean, you can think about what that would mean.

And I really consider the end care program, I credit that for keeping me in practice to sustaining my practice.

Having that skills in the business arena was a blessing.

I gained mentors, I had mentors, I had coaches, my fellow nurse practitioners from across the country.

We learned how to use those business plan to create manuals and processes that helped us.

- Howard, let me ask you.

We've talked about this with J&J and again, to disclose a really long time support on the national level with public broadcasting, on the regional and state level as well with us as well.

Why the commitment that J&J has to nursing, particularly, with the nursing shortage being what it is today?

Please, Howard?

- Yeah, you know, it's a great question and it goes right back to the start of our company.

Nursing is a part of J&J's origin story going back nearly 130 years where we've been proud advocates for the nursing profession because we're really clear that nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system and ultimately they're critical to driving and improving patient outcomes.

And Steve, it comes back to the data.

If you look at the globe, nurses make up nearly half of the global health workforce and they're responsible for delivering over 80% of the hands-on care.

Many places around the world, a nurse will be the first healthcare professional you see.

They may be the only healthcare professional you see.

And when you think about the out-sized impact nurses are having, that's why we're championing the role that nurses can play.

They're essential not only to the foundation of the healthcare system, but they're essential to the future of the healthcare system as well.

- And to follow up on this, nurse practitioners, define, Doctor, what a nurse practitioner is and then the argument that many make that they're severely underutilized.

Please, Doctor, what's a nurse practitioner?

- A nurse practitioner is a nurse that has gone on to receive advanced knowledge, training and skills to be able to diagnose, assess, treat and manage both acute conditions and chronic conditions.

One of the things that we focus on is health promotion and reducing chronic conditions.

For me, I am so passionate about preventative care.

Throughout my over 20 years in the medical field, I've seen the health system, it's almost like we are putting bandaids over wound.

And, nurses, we are known, we are unique in terms of patient education.

Knowledge is power in my opinion and that's what nurse practitioners bring to the table to reduce chronic conditions and complications that come from.

- Yeah, I wanna follow up on this, for both you, Doctor and Howard.

A graphic will come up because we're involved in an initiative called Trust in Public Health.

And frankly, there's a lot of mistrust in public health.

For you, Howard, why is it more important than ever, particularly with all the medical and health challenges out there, and misinformation and social media, et cetera, et cetera, why is it more important than ever that there be trust questioning, yes, challenging, yes.

Put trust in the public health system.

Howard.

- Yeah, I think when it comes down to it, without trust, we're not going to see the types of patient outcomes we need to see in the healthcare system.

A patient is entrusting their healthcare provider, they're not gonna be compliant on their medication, they're not going to be compliant with their treatments.

Trust is the foundation of a healthy relationship, ultimately, resulting in a strong patient outcome.

And I think with that, in addition to trust, I think it's also recognition of the role that nurses play.

You know, one of the images that I always think about when I think about the pandemic is if you remember when the nurses would turn over their shifts, you would have people on their balconies, you would people hanging, have people hanging out other windows, banging pots and pans, celebrating the role that nurses played in delivering healthcare during one of the most vulnerable times in our country's history.

And we need to get back to that.

I mean, nursing in many ways is in a crisis.

If you think about what the WHO is releasing saying- - World Health Organization.

- Million nurses, that would be a shortfall globally by 2030 due to burnout, due to stressful work conditions, due to a whole host of complexities in their working environments.

This is absolutely something that we have to pay attention to, not only as J&J, but as a society.

- And as we move forward.

Final words on that, Doctor, real quick, 30 seconds.

Why nurses are so important to promoting trust in the public health system.

- So year after year, nurses have been voted as the most trusted profession.

- That's right.

- And as J&J rightly knows, without nurses in the healthcare system, you can't have things work.

We are the backbone.

We constantly put others ahead of us, not because we think about ourselves as less, but because it's a calling for us.

We are passionate about giving care, about taking care other people, and we are ready and willing to close that gaps in care, and we want the legislators and partners to work with us and give us the ability to be able to do what we love doing.

- Doctor, thank you.

Howard, thank you.

I promise, we'll continue to focus on the nursing profession, the nursing shortage, and the need to respect, appreciate our nurses, not just in a crisis but every day.

Thank you both for joining us.

We appreciate it.

- Thanks so much.

- Thank you.

- You got it.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by The Adubado Center for Media Leadership.

Valley Bank.

The New Jersey Education Association.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

PSE&G.

EJI, Excellence in Medicine Awards.

A New Jersey health foundation program.

in support of the Adler Aphasia Center.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

And by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Promotional support provided by CIANJ, and Commerce Magazine.

And by NJBIZ.

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