ANA President Barbara A. Blakeney, MS, APRN,BC, ANP, traveled to Waco, TX, in August to participate in a special economic forum called by President George W. Bush.

The forum brought together a wide range of people, from government policy-makers and small business owners to corporate executives and union members, to discuss the fundamentals of the economy and the President's agenda to increase economic growth. Blakeney participated in a group discussion on health care security, which was chaired by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

In her comments, Blakeney provided an overview of the nursing shortage and cited contributing factors, such as the aging nurse population and the availability of more career options for women.

Further, she told group participants about nurses leaving the profession because they cannot provide safe, quality care to their patients.

"This exacerbates a vicious cycle," Blakeney said. "When there are too few nurses to deliver quality care, nurses experience high stress and low job satisfaction, leading to burnout, high turnover rates and, in some cases, to leave nursing altogether. These conditions discourage young people from considering nursing as a career choice."

Blakeney also spoke about the nursing shortage's negative impact on the public's access to care, including delayed or canceled surgeries and long emergency room waits.

On the positive side, she noted the President's recent signing of the "Nurse Reinvestment Act," designed to help ease the nursing shortage, and the importance of the Magnet Recognition Program, which has been shown to help health care facilities retain nurses. The American Nurses Credentialing Center, an ANA subsidiary, awards "Magnet" status to health care facilities that provide excellent nursing services and support nurses in their practice.

To read Blakeney's entire comments, go to ANA's Web site at www.NursingWorld.org/pressrel/2002/bbspeech.htm.

Funding needed for Nurse Reinvestment Act

Through relentless lobbying, key testimony, and the unified voice of its members, the ANA achieved a major legislative victory when President Bush signed the Nurse Reinvestment Act (P.L. 107-205) into law on Aug. 1. But efforts to address the growing nurse shortage through this legislation are not over -- funding still needs to be approved by Congress to ensure that the law is implemented. Once funded, the law will promote the nursing profession through public service announcements, provide scholarships and loan repayments to nursing students who agree to work in areas with critical nurse shortages, offer additional education and training opportunities to help nurses advance in their careers and promote retention by enhancing nurse involvement in organizational and clinical decision making.

The ANA is currently seeking funding for the Nurse Reinvestment Act before Congress adjourns for the year. We need your help. Please call your members of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to provide $250 million for Fiscal Year 2003 to fund the Nurse Reinvestment Act. Together, we can make a difference!