NURSES TO GATHER AT FIRST STATEWIDE SUMMIT CONVENED BY Horizon/Mercy ~ Former U.S. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders, Legislators, and Nursing Experts to Discuss Key Issues Affecting Nurses and Healthcare Delivery Under Managed Care ~

Horizon/Mercy announces its inaugural nursing summit, "Nurses and Managed Care: Making the Promise Real." Designed for nurses, nursing students, nursing employers, nursing educators, insurers, healthcare providers, and others who have an involvement and vested interest in the field of nursing, the summit will address the important issues surrounding nursing and managed care May 9-10 at the Ocean Place Conference Resort in Long Branch, N.J.

The keynote speaker for the summit will be former U.S. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders, who will speak on the role of nurses in fulfilling the promise of managed care. Other notable speakers include: Christine R. Curran, Ph.D., R.N. C.A.N., assistant professor at Columbia University School of Nursing; Hurdis Griffith, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., dean and professor at the College of Nursing at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and Horizon/Mercy President and Chief Executive Officer Velvet Miller, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.

"Nurses are critical to the delivery of quality healthcare, particularly in a managed care setting," says Dr. Miller. "By sponsoring this important summit, we aim to inspire ideas and educate health care professionals about the role nurses play in ensuring the promise of managed care. Considering the current nursing shortage, nurses are even more critical in making the current delivery system work to benefit the people we serve in a manner which is efficient, effective and equitable."

The summit will kick off the evening of May 9 with an introductory presentation followed by a beach party and entertainment. Workshops and presentations will take place throughout the day on May 10. In addition, summit attendees will have the opportunity to visit exhibitor booths, relax in a meditation room and enjoy a massage.

Registration is $249 for the May 9 kick-off evening and the May 10 summit, including hotel and all meals and snacks, or $125 for the one-day summit on May 10, including all meals and snacks. The deadline for registration is April 26, and space is limited to 300 attendees. For registration information please call World Event Management at 609-773-0000.

Horizon/Mercy is New Jersey's largest managed healthcare organization serving the publicly insured, providing healthcare services to more than 270,000 people in all 21 New Jersey counties. With headquarters located in Trenton, N.J., the organization is a partnership of Horizon Healthcare of NJ, Inc., a subsidiary of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield (HBCBS), and Mercy Health Plan, a subsidiary of Mercy Health System.