Established in January 2022 through a one-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the New Jersey Nursing and Emotional Well-Being Institute (NJ-NEW) is dedicated to addressing the critical emotional needs of Garden State nurses. The institute is led by Director Susan Salmond, EdD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, and Assistant Director Jennifer Polakowski, MPA.
Data supports the serious need for NJ-NEW’s efforts, with the state’s 172,000-member nursing workforce facing ongoing anxiety, depression, job-induced stress, burnout, and turnover. And, these ongoing problems have been substantially exacerbated by the pandemic.
In response, the institute is initiating a two-pronged approach. First, NJ-NEW will provide statewide, research-based programming and direct support to address the emotional well-being needs of nurses, both on an individual and organizational level. Second, the institute is leading the way in establishing a repository for programming, services, and resources targeting emotional well-being and resiliency.