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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCTOBER 17, 2002 American Nurses Association Supports Baca Nursing Shortage Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American Nurses Association, the nation's largest organization dedicated to addressing the needs and concerns of nurses and the nursing profession, today expressed its support for H.R. 5606, the Recruitment and Diversity in Nursing Act, which Representative Joe Baca (D-Rialto) introduced last week. "On behalf of the ANA, I thank you for your efforts to address the growing nursing shortage," said Rose Gonzalez, registered nurse and director of ANA government affairs. "We applaud you for introducing this bill which contains key provisions designed to attract underrepresented groups into the profession of nursing." The bill would provide funding for scholarships for people who would not normally consider nursing as a profession. Recipients who agree to work in health care facilities experiencing a nursing shortage crisis would receive the funds in exchange for two years of service. The California Nurses Association has already expressed its full support for the bill. "Nurses are leaving the profession and new nurses are not being trained and hired," Baca said. "This is having a devastating effect on the nurses who choose to remain in the profession and on the quality of healthcare that the people in our community receive." The United States is experiencing a critical nursing shortage. The average age of nurses is 43, and fewer and fewer students are choosing nursing school as they enter college. Males, Latinos, African-Americans, Native-Americans, and Asian-Americans are underrepresented in the nursing profession, even though they make up a large percentage of the workforce. "Numbering nearly 2.1 million, registered nurses are the largest single group of health care professionals in America - nurses literally underpin the health care system," Gonzalez said. "Therefore, the impending nurse shortage threatens the very foundation of our nation's health care." The bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to institute a scholarship program for college students who are considering nursing as a course of undergraduate study. Only 25 percent of the scholarships would be available for nurses seeking post-graduate degrees because providing most of the aid to persons who have already chosen nursing as a profession would defeat the purpose of the bill. The bill would also provide funds for the marketing of the nursing profession to underrepresented segments of the population by various healthcare organizations. "This is an education bill that will create more educational opportunities both in our district and across America," Baca said. "Our local schools are very diverse, and many of our students would benefit greatly from readily-available information about nursing and scholarships to help them achieve the goal of becoming nurses." # # # |
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