AHA supports nursing workforce programs

The American Hospital Association (AHA) this week voiced support for legislation (S. 1399) to revise and extend federal programs to develop the nursing workforce recently introduced by Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., and referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. "By supporting nursing education, practice, recruitment and retention, this legislation will play a critical role in ensuring that nurses continue to provide high-quality care to patients, including in rural and underserviced communities," the AHA said in a letter to the sponsors and committee leaders. "The AHA is pleased that all qualified community hospitals would be allowed to participate in the loan repayment program, regardless of tax status, by including S. 1045, Nursing Where It's Needed Act (Nursing WIN Act), originally introduced by Senators Todd Young and Doug Jones. We believe it is critical that communities that are underserved and struggling to recruit nurses have access to this loan repayment program in order to attract new nursing graduates." (AHA News story, 6/6/19)