WASHINGTON, D.C. – This National Nurses Week, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley is standing with nurses in Oregon and across America by introducing bipartisan legislation to support nurses and strengthen the nursing profession.
Merkley on Thursday introduced the National Nurse Act of 2017 and the Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017, both with bipartisan support. The National Nurse Act is co-led by Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and the Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act is co-led by Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Susan Collins (R-ME).
Merkley, whose wife works in Oregon as a registered nurse, also introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution with Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), officially honoring May 6-12 as National Nurses Week.
“As the husband of a nurse, I hear firsthand about the challenges and successes that come with working on the frontlines of our health care system,” Merkley said. “Every day, nurses take on difficult, essential, and often thankless tasks that keep our health care system running and that have a huge impact on the patient experience. Each of us has a story about the nurse who made all the difference at a frightening or difficult time for our families. I’ll keep fighting to improve federal policy to fully recognize and support the essential role of nurses in our health care system, and I invite all Oregonians to join me in recognizing the tremendous work of our Oregon nurses this National Nurses Week.”
The National Nurse Act of 2017
The bipartisan National Nurse Act of 2017 would elevate the role of nurses in America’s public health by designating a National Nurse for Public Health.
The National Nurse position would be created by transforming and elevating an existing position within the U.S. Public Health Service, the Chief Nurse Officer. Similarly to the Surgeon General, the National Nurse for Public Health would help raise awareness among the American public about disease prevention and healthy living. The position would provide leadership by a publicly visible nurse who would collaborate with other health care leaders to address health disparities and set goals for improved public health.
Nurses represent the largest single component of the health care profession with more than 3.3 million registered nurses. With a National Nurse for Public Health providing a uniting voice and national leadership, American nurses’ power to transform their patients’ lives and to improve public health outcomes would be even greater.
Chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and obesity pose the single greatest threat to the health of Americans and a serious threat to our nation’s economy. Nurses provide key services for the prevention and management of these conditions. The National Nurse for Public Health will promote prevention; help improve outcomes; and guide national, state and local efforts in addressing the nation’s health.
The Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017
The Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017 would reauthorize, update and improve programs that help to grow and support the nursing workforce in the United States.
With many nurses retiring and Baby Boomers projected to increase the demand for medical care in the coming years, the nursing workforce in the United States is at a critical juncture. To help meet these increasing needs, the Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017 would reauthorize and update the Nursing Workforce Development Programs under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, which include programs that support and advance nursing education, practice, recruitment and retention.
Los programas del Título VIII están diseñados para abordar desafíos específicos para satisfacer las demandas de la fuerza laboral de enfermería de nuestra nación. Estos programas apoyan y promueven la educación, la práctica, el reclutamiento y la retención de enfermería para que tengamos una fuerza laboral de enfermería preparada para satisfacer las necesidades de atención médica de los estadounidenses ahora y en el futuro, incluso en las comunidades rurales y médicamente desatendidas, que pueden enfrentar desafíos únicos para brindar atención oportuna y de calidad a las personas que habitan en estas comunidades.
El Título VIII incluye una amplia gama de programas que apoyan la educación en enfermería desde la preparación inicial hasta los estudios de posgrado, incluidos subsidios, préstamos y becas para apoyar a las enfermeras en formación, a los educadores de enfermería ya las instituciones educativas que capacitan a las enfermeras. Solo entre 2006 y 2013, el Título VIII apoyó a más de 520 000 enfermeras y estudiantes de enfermería, así como a numerosas instituciones académicas de enfermería y centros de atención médica.
The Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017 would reauthorize the Title VIII nursing workforce programs through Fiscal Year 2022, including programs specifically designed to support training and educating individuals to provide care for seniors. This bipartisan bill also updates the Title VIII programs to ensure that they reflect the current nursing workforce needs and opportunities by:
- Agregar clínicas de salud administradas por enfermeras como entidades elegibles para recibir fondos del Título VIII;
- Actualizar los programas del Título VIII para reflejar el papel de los especialistas en enfermería clínica y dichos programas como parte de la educación avanzada en enfermería; y
- Racionalización y modernización de las oportunidades de financiación de la educación, la práctica, la calidad y la retención de enfermeras.
The Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2017 is supported by the American Nurses Association, the American Association of the Colleges of Nursing, and 51 other national nursing organizations.
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