From the Office of Senator Kerry

Wednesday, July 24, 2002

Senator Kerry: "We've Succeeded In Giving A Shot in the Arm to Efforts to Stem Nursing Shortage; More Must Be Done For the Future" Washington, DC ¨C Senator John F. Kerry today joined the co-authors of the Nursing Reinvestment Act in heralding the rapid passage by both the House and Senate this week of legislation that addresses the nursing shortage facing our nation's hospitals, nursing homes, and other health institutions. The Nursing Reinvestment Act is expected to be signed by the President in the next weeks.

Senator Kerry said, "Less than a year ago Lois Capps, Jim Jeffords and nurses from across this country joined me in putting forward this new way of addressing the nation's nursing shortage with long-term investments in the future of our healthcare system. I'm grateful that Congress has responded to the challenge and made a commitment to the nurses who hear the call to duty every day and respond effectively. The bi-partisan groundswell of support for this bill is a strong statement that we cannot ignore the shortage plaguing our nursing workforce. This bill is the first comprehensive answer from Congress to encourage more nurses to enter the workforce today and improve training, education, and retention for those who are there today - and it comes at a time when we are all acutely aware of the heroic work nurses perform in our medical system. In the arena of emergency medical care, preparedness is job number one, and Congress has taken the first important step towards guaranteeing we have the troops ready to complete any medical mission."

Attached is a summary of the Nurse Reinvestment Act.

SUMMARY OF NURSE REINVESTMENT ACT

Title I: Nurse Recruitment

Public Service Announcements

Requires the Secretary to develop and issue public service announcements that advertise and promote the nursing profession or to award grants for these purposes.

National Nurse Service Corps

Expands a program to repay educational loans taken out by nurses and creates a new scholarship program for individuals pursuing a nursing degree. To qualify for either program, nurses would have to agree to work at least 2 years at a facility with a critical shortage of nurses.

Title II: Nurse Retention

Enables the Secretary to award grants to improve nurse education, practice, and retention. The bill would allow the Secretary to award grants for:

¡ñ abInternships and residency programs in order to encourage mentoring and the development of specialties.

¡ñ abCareer ladders in order to promote career advancement for nursing personnel, including certified nurse assistants.

¡ñ abImproving retention by enhancing collaboration among nurses and other health care professionals and by promoting nurse involvement in organizational and clinical decision-making.

Geriatric Education

Creates a new program that allows the Secretary to award grants to train and educate individuals in providing geriatric care for the elderly.

Nurse Faculty Loan Program

Allows the Secretary to establish loan cancellation programs for students in advanced degree programs who agree to serve as a faculty member at a school of nursing.

GAO Reports

Requires the GAO to study the nurse shortage in different types of facilities and hiring differences between non-profit and for-profit hospitals.