Divina Grossman Recognized For Her Impact On South Florida Community
MIAMI, FL --- The American Red Cross’ Greater Miami and Florida Keys Division honored Divina Grossman, PhD, RN, ARNP, FAAN, Dean of the School of Nursing at Florida International University (FIU), with the 2006 Spectrum Health Care Award in recognition of her tremendous impact on the South Florida community. Grossman, the first nursing school dean to receive this honor, was presented with the award on April 4, 2006 at the Sara Hopkins Woodruff Spectrum Awards for Women Luncheon at the Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove.
The American Red Cross Spectrum Awards for Women recognizes outstanding women whose efforts have made significant contributions to the quality of life in South Florida. This leadership award acknowledges the humanitarian principles of the American Red Cross: humanity, impartiality, independence, unity, neutrality, and voluntary service. Prior winners include renowned environmentalist Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, U.S. Congresswoman Carrie Meek and State Senator Frederica Wilson.
Grossman was nominated for the Spectrum Award by the Health Foundation of South Florida, a philanthropic organization located in Miami, Florida. Dr. Steven Marcus, the Foundation’s CEO, had this to say about their decision to nominate Dr. Grossman: “Divina’s dedication to the nursing community, and the community as a whole has been unmatched. She is a crusader and a true leader
who is constantly providing new and innovative nursing education programs, finding ways to over-come the nursing shortage, and working to close the diversity gap between healthcare professionals and patients. She is a woman who truly deserved this recognition.“
In her five years as leader of the FIU School of Nursing, Dr. Grossman has tackled the nursing shortage crisis by spearheading many education initiatives and programs, which have increased enrollment by more than 125% and helped catapult the institution to become the second-largest producer of nursing graduates in the state (at an average of 300 graduates annually).
Among her many achievements, she has:
� In response to the nursing shortage crisis, led and directed the development and implementation of new academic programs at FIU such as the Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Executive, Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing, and the first-in-the-nation Foreign Physicians Nursing Program.
� Developed and implemented cultural competence educational programs and curricula for nursing students, nurses, case managers, physicians, and other health care professionals to enable them to provide culturally competent care to minority populations in South Florida.
� Provided exemplary volunteer service to improve health care to minority populations
and the underserved through her work as a Board member of the Health Foundation of South Florida, Chairman of the Board at Kendall Regional Medical Center, and Chairperson of the Health Disparities Task Force of the American Academy of Nursing.
The Foreign MD-to-RN program is lauded as an innovative solution to the nursing shortage, whereby foreign-educated physicians not practicing as doctors in this country are transformed into nurses through a specially designed, accelerated nursing education program. This program has produced more than 80 RNs into the nursing workforce, with another 50 ready to graduate this year, and has been expanded to Orlando and Tampa through the use of long-distance equipment.
“The nursing shortage crisis is a health care issue that affects everyone,“ said Grossman. “To be recognized for helping a cause I am passionate about is a great honor. I will continue to work, along with the entire FIU School of Nursing family, to help alleviate health care inadequacies, and strive to enhance the quality of care to all of South Florida’s diversified communities.”
As Chairperson of the Board of Directors at Kendall Regional Medical Center, Grossman is the first nurse to hold this position in the hospital’s history. She also currently serves on the Board of the American Association of Nursing (AAN) -- for which she is the first representative from Florida to do so – and as Chair of the AAN’s National Health Disparities Task Force. She has also been past president of the Florida League for Nursing, Chairperson of the Florida Nurses Association Task Force on Cultural Diversity and Chairperson of the American Nurses Association Council on Medical-Surgical Nursing Practice.