The amendment would increase funding for the Nurse Reinvestment Act and other nursing workforce development programs (Title VIII) by $50 million, bringing the total funding to almost $163 million for these vital programs.
"America is facing a nursing shortage," said Senator Mikulski. "There are more than 125,000 nurse vacancies in hospitals nationwide. In Maryland, nearly 13 percent of hospital nursing jobs are vacant. The nursing shortage is only getting worse. Senator Collins and I worked together to make nursing recruitment and retention a priority in the federal law book when we passed the Nurse Reinvestment Act last year. Today we worked together to make sure nursing is a priority in the federal checkbook."
"In Maine, almost one out of every 10 nursing positions at hospitals across the state are vacant, and we also face persistent shortages of certified nursing assistants and other front-line health care workers in our hospitals, home health agencies, and nursing homes," said Senator Collins. "Our amendment will help turn these statistics around by providing funding for programs that play a vital role in recruiting nurses and making certain that they have the training that they need to care for patients."
The amendment introduced by Senators Mikulski and Collins increases federal funding for the Nurse Reinvestment Act and other nursing workforce development programs to recruit and retain nurses. The Senators fought last year to pass the Nurse Reinvestment Act, programs that offer financial assistance for men and women to cover the costs of nursing education and training. Since the Nurse Reinvestment Act passed last year, the Senators have spearheaded the effort to fund these programs.
More specifically, the amendment increases federal funding for scholarship and loan repayment programs for nurses who work in facilities with a critical shortage of nurses. The amendment would also cancel education loans for nurses who agree to teach at schools of nursing. Last year, nursing schools turned away over 5,200 qualified applicants because they did not have enough faculty. Nationwide, an estimated 2.8 million registered nurses will be needed by the year 2020 but only about 2 million are expected to be available.
This amendment was attached to the FY 2004 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill and was cosponsored by 34 Senators. It was also supported by more than 40 organizations including the American Nurses Association, American Hospital Association, and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.