Ochsner Health, a 40-hospital health system based in New Orleans, is committing to a pilot program to bring Ukrainian nurses to America.
The health system announced its involvement in a July 22 news release.
Ochsner said it is a founding partner in the CGFNS International "Passport2Liberty" initiative but also the first U.S. health system to commit to it.
As part of the initiative, CGFNS, an immigration neutral nonprofit organization, will help restore credentials for Ukrainian nurses seeking to migrate to the U.S. to escape war, persecution or natural disaster, according to the release.
Ochsner said it will offer employment to eight Ukrainian nurses, who will commit to Ochsner for at least two years. The health system will also help nurses' families with their transition to their new communities.
"I am so proud of our creative and empathetic nursing teams at Ochsner Health, who saw a need to help their fellow nurses from Ukraine, and shared with leadership this idea to participate," Warner Thomas, president and CEO of Ochsner, said in the release. "Not only will this program be part of our international RN recruitment strategy, but it's the right thing to do."
Ochsner expects the first eight nurses to begin work at the health system this fall.
In addition to Ochsner, the Catholic Health Association of the United States will also participate in the pilot, and Global Nurse Partners, a nurse placement agency, will help nurses with their transition to the U.S.
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