In 2002, under the leadership of the Michigan Academic Consortium (Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and the Michigan Public Health Institute), experts in nurse managed health centers convened to discuss critical issues associated with nurse managed health centers (NMHCs) at a National Summit.

The consensus reached at the Summit endorsed the creation of “a formal, unified coordinating system…that facilitates communication and coordination among centers and…addresses their many common challenges and activities” (Report of the National Nursing Summit addressing Nurse Managed Health Centers, 2002). The outcome of the National Summit was the development of a Institute for Nursing Centers, which is comprised of academic nurse managed health centers nationally.