Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. form letter to constituent, 2001?

FIELD(letterdate) FIELD(nameline) FIELD(title) FIELD(organization 1 ) FIELD(organization2) FIELD(addressl) FIELD(address2) FIELD(address3) FIELD(address4) IFNOTBLANK(city)FIELD(city), FIELD(state) FIELD(zip9)ENDIF Dear FIELD(salutation2b): Thank you for contacting me regarding the shortage of medical personnel in the United States and its effects on our nation’s public health system. I appreciate hearing from you. There is an increasing need for qualified medical personnel in the United States. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimate that the United States needs a minimum of 60,000 more nurses in hospitals and nursing homes right now, with the shortage growing more severe in the future. Some of the more extreme estimates indicate that the United States is 120,000 nurses short of demand in all settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living centers. In addition to a nursing shortage, there is also a need for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to provide critical support with basic nursing tasks. While some regions of the country are not currently experiencing a nursing personnel shortage, the declining number of nurses in the United States indicates that a severe, nationwide shortage could occur within the next decade. Accordingly, action is needed to prevent this potential crisis in our public health system. There are a number of reasons for the shortage of nurses. A large factor is the increasing average age of hospital nurses, which is currently 45 and is estimated to rise to over 50 years of age in the coming decade. Compounding the problem are the difficulties that nursing schools face in attracting and retaining young students, who have been lured to higher paid professions by the strong economy of the past two decades. These factors, along with difficult working conditions, have drained the pool of potential nurses throughout the country. I have cosponsored four important bills which address the nursing shortage as well as other medical professional shortages. I believe these four bills represent significant steps in the right direction to address the problem, and I look forward to their passage. Importantly, the