Overview of the regional collaboratives.

Responding to demands that nursing leaders conduct business in creative, proactive ways, the authors of this department share the work of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's national program. Colleagues in Caring: Regional Collaboratives for Nursing Work Force Development. The purpose of this initiative is to enhance regional and state collaborative planning and implement actions and policies to address the rapid changes occurring in the United States nursing labor market. This department presents the ongoing work of the program, highlighting the work of the 20 individual collaboratives. Regional approaches to the expected program outcomes and specific challenges and opportunities that are unique to each region's environment are included. The Colleagues in Caring program is administered by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Current information on the initiative can be found at http:/(/)www.aacn.nche.edu under Special Projects. The staff at the National Program Office can be reached at 202/496-1095 (fax: 202/496-1093).