Senator Collins Requests Support For Funding To Ease Nation's Nursing Shortage

SENATOR COLLINS REQUESTS SUPPORT FOR FUNDING TO EASE NATION'S NURSING SHORTAGE

In a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee today, Senator Susan Collins joined Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) in requesting that they retain the Senate funding level of $150 million for nursing education and workforce development programs as they complete the FY 2007 Labor, HHS, Education appropriations bill.

"Our nation is facing a serious nursing shortage," said Senator Collins. "In Maine there are 1,100 nursing vacancies. This number is expected to balloon to more than 5,200 over the next 15 years. At a time when the baby boomers are reaching retirement, and as more and more people are living longer and longer, with increasing health care needs, the ramifications of this shortage are worrisome."

Following is the full text of the Senators' letter to Chairman Robert Byrd and Ranking Member Thad Cochran.

Dear Chairman Byrd and Ranking Member Cochran:

We applaud your efforts to pass a year-long continuing resolution to complete the FY 2007 appropriations bills in a timely and bipartisan way. During your work to complete the FY 2007 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education appropriations bill, we ask that you retain the Senate funding level of $150 million for Nursing Workforce Development (Title VIII, Public Health Service Act) programs at the Committee-passed level of $150 million. Moreover, we urge you to allocate additional funds to these important Title VIII programs.

The seven authorities under Title VIII provide the largest source of federal funding that focuses on the nursing shortage. They address nursing recruitment, education, and retention programs in schools of nursing as well as assist individual students with tuition assistance. In April 2006, fifty-two of our Senate colleagues supported us in requesting $175 million for these critical programs in FY2007.

As you are aware, our health care system has been crippled by a nursing shortage that is only projected to worsen in coming years. In 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that health care facilities will need to fill more than 1.2 million RN job openings by 2014 to accommodate growing patient needs, the aging baby boomers, and to replace retiring nurses. We firmly believe that the Nursing Workforce Development programs provide a long-term solution that addresses the nursing workforce.

The Title VIII programs represent an important investment for patients. We encourage you to join us in this bi-artisan effort to ensure that these programs have the resources required to educate, recruit, and retain enough registered nurses. We respectfully request the retention of the Committee passed level of $150 million, and urge your consideration of providing additional appropriations in the final year-long continuing resolution for these important programs.

Your consideration of this request is greatly appreciated.

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