AONL, AHA partner with Ochsner Health to help Ukrainian nurses relocate

AONL, the American Hospital Association (AHA) and CGFNS International are among the partners Ochsner Health in New Orleans worked with to help Ukrainian nurses who are fleeing war to relocate in Louisiana. The nurses, who will receive refugee status, will start permanent positions working at health care facilities once they arrive. Ochsner is the first U.S. health care system to participate in Passport2Liberty, an CGFNS International initiative to restore credentials to Ukranian nurses. To further expand the initiative, AHA and AONL will facilitate partnerships with health care systems and work with the state boards of nursing.  “Passport2Liberty offers a path for hospitals and health systems to help displaced Ukrainian nurses find support and assistance in rebuilding their lives, while continuing their nursing careers in the United States,” said Robyn Begley, AONL CEO and AHA senior vice president of workforce and chief nursing officer. Warner Thomas, president and CEO of Ochsner Health, talked recently about this initiative with Begley in an AHA Advancing Health podcast. They discussed the opportunity for health care facilities to employ trained nurses at a time when the provider organizations do not have enough nurses to meet demand.