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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2001
CONTACT:
Hope Hall, 202-651-7027
Cindy Price, 202-651-7038
rn=realnews@ana.org
www.nursingworld.org/rnrealnews
Legislation Gives Nurses an Extra Boost for
National Nurses Week
Legislation Will Address Issues Around the Nursing Shortage
Washington, DC --In the midst of celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of the nation's nurses during National Nurses Week, May 6-12, the American Nurses Association (ANA) applauded the April introduction of the Nurse Reinvestment Act in the Senate and the House of Representatives at a press conference today. The legislation, which comprises two companion bills, S. 706 and H.R. 1436, was introduced in the Senate by Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), James Jeffords (R-VT), Tom Daschle (D-SD), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and 18 other senators, and in the House by Reps. Lois Capps (D-CA), Sue Kelly (R-NY) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), along with 24 other representatives.
The proposed act establishes the National Nurse Service Corps, which would fund nurse scholarships; public service announcements; grants for continuing education, recruitment and training; enhanced loan repayment programs; scholarships, loans and stipends to encourage nursing faculty development; and increased Medicare and Medicaid funding for nurse education.
ANA President Mary Foley, MS, RN, hailed the introduction of the Nurse Reinvestment Act, stating it "will serve the dual purpose of attracting young people into nursing while also retaining current nurses who wish to further their education." Even more critical, Foley noted, "The bill will help counter a looming shortage of nurses that may soon reach crisis proportions, as the nation's aging baby boom population begins placing greater demands on the U.S. health care system."
Further addressing issues associated with the nurse shortage, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) introduced the Patient Safety Act today. ANA was instrumental in the original drafting of this legislation which would require health care institutions to make public specific information on staffing levels, mix and patient outcomes. Mandates would be set for the disclosure of the number of RNs and unlicensed personnel providing direct care; the average number of patients per RN providing care; patient mortality rates; the incidence of adverse outcomes; and methods used for adjusting staffing levels and patient care needs.
The announcement of the Nurse Reinvestment Act and the Patient Safety Act comes on the heals of an emerging nursing shortage and at a time when nurses are frustrated with the state of health care and their working conditions. Just this week, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Nurse Alliance and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research released reports that further substantiated findings in a staffing survey released by ANA in February 2001. Both the SEIU and the University of Pennsylvania studies reported that stressful working conditions, including inadequate staffing, were causing large percentages of nurses to consider leaving the profession before retirement age. This concern over working conditions validates results of ANA's own survey in which 56 percent of nurses felt their time available for direct patient care had decreased and 75 percent believed that the quality of nursing care had declined in the work setting within the last two years.
"At the rate nurses are considering leaving the profession, it's important that we do something now to address the emerging shortage," said Foley. "Increased recruiting efforts combined with strategies for making the work environment safer and more satisfying must be addressed in order to maintain the nurses already in the pipeline. The legislation announced today is a critical first step toward addressing some of the issues revolving around the nursing shortage. I encourage nurses to rally around this legislation, which will help ensure an adequate supply of nurses and safe, quality care for patients."
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The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.7 million Registered Nurses through its constituent member state nurses associations. The 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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