Dean Nilda Peragallo Montano addresses the South Florida Session of the Statewide Nursing Summit held at University of Miami Hospital.

The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies and University of Miami Hospital (UMH) co-hosted the South Florida Satellite Center of the Florida Blue Foundation and Florida Action Coalition’s 2013 Statewide Nursing Summit at UMH last week. University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala delivered the summit’s keynote address via simulcast from the main location at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

“I can think of no better time to be a nurse,” President Shalala said. “To take a large step in social policy, you need consensus, and nurses are the key to this process. We are entering the golden age of nursing.”

School of Nursing and Health Studies Dean Nilda Peragallo Montano opened the South Florida session with encouraging words for established, mid-career and budding health care professionals. “Your presence here indicates your interest in equipping yourself with the tools and the knowledge to succeed in your chosen health care profession and in caring for patients and families”, she said. “The people in this room today will have a voice in the future of nursing in Florida.”

The purpose of the November 14-15 summit was to empower nurses and other health care professionals from varied settings with the information and contacts needed for them to succeed in their careers and in caring for patients.

The two-day summit was filled with networking and learning opportunities, live panels with distinguished guest speakers, and various workshops showcasing the best practices and innovations in Florida’s nursing care delivery. Invitees represented a wide array of the health care disciplines, including nurse educators, researchers, administrators, bedside care providers, physicians, psychologists, students and others in health-related fields.

“Despite the degree of uncertainty that exists about the future of health care, this summit is exactly what health care thought leaders should be doing,” said event co-host David Zambrana, Chief Operating Officer of UMH, who delivered opening remarks on the second day of the summit.

“The inter-professional collaboration between higher education, health care organizations, clinicians, and providers is the only way we will be able to develop the next generation of clinicians and leaders, and care for our community in meaningful and sustainable ways,” said Zambrana. “I am thrilled to partner with the UM SONHS in hosting the South Florida Satellite Center of the summit.”

Other satellite centers for the 2013 Nursing Summit included Florida State University in Tallahassee, University of South Florida in Tampa and Pensacola State College University.