Rep. Titus, Sen. Tester Introduce Nurse Act to Help Schools Hire More Nurses

Statement

Today Representative Dina Titus of Nevada's First Congressional District introduced bicameral legislation with Senator Jon Tester of Montana to help K-12 schools hire more full-time nurses. The Nurses for Under-Resources Schools Everywhere (NURSE) Act, introduced on National School Nurse Day, will allow public elementary and secondary schools to apply for grants from the Department of Education to reduce the cost of hiring nurses.

Clark County School District (CCSD) has 202 school nurses serving more than 320,000 students in over 350 schools. Yet, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends one full-time registered nurse in every school. The school nurse shortage has recently gained the attention of local and national media.

"School nurses are vital to creating a healthy learning environment for students," said Congresswoman Titus. "Yet, schools in Clark County and across the country are struggling to hire nurses to keep up with their students' needs. This legislation will help make sure every student has access to the high quality of care that school nurses provide."

"Our schools are increasingly becoming the primary sources of health care for Montana kids," said Senator Tester. "Without nurses, many students would go without access to care. Providing schools with the resources they need to keep nurses on staff will allow our kids to get a quality education in a healthy environment."

"School nurses are an important and valuable component to student success," said Clark County Superintendent Jesus Jara. "They administer medication and make it possible from some medically fragile children to attend school. Each of our school nurses is assigned to multiple school campuses depending on need. On average in the district, there is just one school nurse assigned to over 1,800 students. The funding is needed to ensure we bring that ratio down."

"As President of the Nevada State Association of School Nurses and a Clark County School District School Nurse, I am aware of the tremendous need for nurses to meet the future needs of a growing state population," said Nevada State Association of School Nurses President Terry Smiley. "The expected number of school nurses eligible for retirement in the next 5 to 10 years makes the NURSE Act important in advancing the opportunity to fund qualified school nurses in all schools across Nevada. School nurses are the health and educational future of our children. This legislation is an investment in school nurses, the future of all children, their health and their education."

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