Ehrlich on Washington column, July 28, 2002

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, ir. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Rood, Sod* 304 315 Cannon Нот* Office Building Lutherville, Maryland 2 1 093 Woihington, D.C 205 1 5 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of July 28, 2002 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. A Shot In The Arm For The Nursing Profession Every American depends on a nurse’s care at one point in life. Highly-trained nursing professionals are central to our health care system and the ability of doctors to care for patients. The growing national nursing shortage, however, is slowly affecting the system’s ability to care for folks in need. Accordingly, several of my congressional colleagues and I crafted legislation that would strengthen this critical profession for the future. After several months of hard work, I am pleased to announce that Congress passed The Nurse Reinvestment Act this past week. The Nurse Reinvestment Act takes a big step toward addressing the growing nursing shortage in America by focusing on recruiting and retaining more nurses. Our health facilities are reporting a staggering 126,000 nurse shortage nationwide, 2,000 of which are needed in Maryland. This gap directly affects the quality of care Marylanders receive in hospitals, in community health centers, in their doctor's offices, and even in their homes. To recruit more quality nursing students, H.R. 3487 empowers the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue Public Service Announcements that advertise and promote the nursing profession. The aim is to highlight the advantages of being a nurse while encouraging individuals from low-income backgrounds to join a profession that is always in demand. The bill also establishes a sorely-needed scholarship program for nursing students. In order to receive scholarship assistance, these individuals must agree to serve at least two years at a health care facility that suffers from a nurse shortage. They must also be a full or part time student in a nursing school. In addition, HHS may work with nursing schools to operate a student loan fund to help nurses pay for their education.