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AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATION GIVES HIGH MARKS TO ADMINISTRATION’S FY 2000 BUDGETNursing Education Receives Level Funding; ANA Continues to Push for Increased Support to Meet Needs of Underserved PopulationsWashington, DC -- Welcoming President Clinton’s clear commitment to progress in meeting the nation’s health care needs, the American Nurses Association (ANA) today praised the administration’s proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 budget. ANA was particularly gratified that, as mentioned in his State of the Union address, Clinton’s budget proposal places a strong emphasis on the quality of patient care as well as on patient protections. In recent years, the administration has made strides to increase the affordability, accessibility, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. The FY 2000 budget proposal builds on those efforts, including $6 billion over five years for an initiative to help patients, families, and care givers cope with the responsibilities of long-term care; $2 billion over five years to eliminate barriers to employment for people with disabilities; new proposals to improve access to health insurance; and, measures to strengthen the management of Medicare and Medicaid. The FY 2000 budget request for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which pertains to Americans’ needs for nursing care, equals $4.2 billion, a net increase of $42 million over FY ’99. HRSA’s goals and those of RNs go hand in hand in that HRSA’s mission is to improve access to essential health care for millions of Americans who are medically underserved because they are uninsured, live where health care is limited, and/or have HIV/AIDS or other serious health conditions. In addition, HRSA assists in expanding and enhancing health care for all pregnant women and children. HRSA also contributes toward increasing the diversity and distribution of health care professionals, another priority for ANA. Funding for nurse education in FY 2000 is proposed at approximately $67 million, the level at which it was funded in FY ’99. According to White House documents, continuing level funding is one of the administration’s efforts to “achieve a better balanced [health care] workforce.” “Level funding for the Nurse Education Act is a positive step toward quality,” said ANA President Beverly L. Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. “The unprecedented changes in our health care delivery system, coupled with changing demographics and complexity of care, underscore the critical need for federal funding for nurse education programs and nursing research.” Another priority for ANA and nursing is funding for the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health. ANA is committed to obtaining a substantial increase for the vital work of nursing research. “We are pleased by the president’s budget proposal and the administration’s recognition of the important roles that nurses play in meeting the health care needs of the American public, particularly those in underserved areas. As front-line care givers, however, we see the need for additional funding to ensure the future of health care for all citizens,” added Malone. “Additional funding to support graduate-level education for registered nurses is critical, so that we’ll enter the 21st century prepared to provide adequate health care to aging baby boomers and their grandchildren.” As health care shifts from the hospital setting to community-based sites, and the types of health care services needed become more complex, the demand for highly skilled RNs also will increase. In addition, the recent trend to reduce RN staffs in hospitals and increase the use of unlicensed assistive personnel -- sometimes referred to as nurses’ aides, patient care associates, patient care technicians, or nursing assistants -- has proved unsatisfactory, producing poor outcomes, and prompting more hospitals to boost RN recruitment. Furthermore, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of RNs will increase, faster than the average for all occupations, through 2005. The demand for more RNs also will be fueled by converging demographic trends, an aging population overall, as well as an aging RN work force. In 1996, according to the federal Division of Nursing, the average age of RNs in the U.S. was 44 years and only 9 percent of the nation’s 2.6 million registered nurses were under the age of 30. “While the American Nurses Association is pleased with the administration’s proposal for level funding for nurse education, we will be working with Congress to increase those numbers as the appropriations process develops,” said Malone. “Federal support for nursing education under Title VIII is essential because it is the only federal money earmarked for nurse education, including support for curriculum development and other programs to help change the focus of nurse education from acute care settings to community and home settings, where there is a greater demand,” she continued. “Another advantage is that this funding will assist in expanding the numbers of minority nurses who provide culturally competent, linguistically appropriate health care services to underserved communities.” The ANA was also pleased to see proposed increases in funding for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a research arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Department of Labor. The work of these two agencies is critical in protecting health care workers -- the largest number of whom are nurses -- and their patients. An important initiative for ANA is continued collaboration with OSHA to implement aggressive approaches to safeguard nurses and their patients against needlestick injuries. According to CDC, American health care workers report more than 800,000 needlesticks and sharps injuries each year; however, the numbers of needlestick injuries are considered to be underreported. Approximately 80 percent of blood contacts occur through needlesticks, making them the most common cause of health care worker-related exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Overall, ANA characterized the FY 2000 budget proposal as a victory for nursing and a testament to effective grass-roots lobbying efforts. As the health care profession’s premier patient advocates, RNs have brought their influence to bear through ANA and its state nurses associations (SNAs). Annually, the SNA members actively lobby Congress in support of NEA funding through the Nurses Strategic Action Team (N-STAT), a grass-roots network of more than 50,000 nurses. Their efforts during the last two years in particular have resulted in successful funding measures reflected in the Clinton administration’s FY ’99 and 2000 budgets. The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation’s 2.6 million Registered Nurses through its 53 constituent associations. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
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