Editorial calls for maintaining NINR independence

A MedPage Today editorial by three nurse scientists contends that a proposed restructuring of the National Institute of Nursing Research would weaken the United States’ “capacity to improve the health and well-being of Americans across all stages of life.” The editorial was written in response to a House Energy and Commerce Committee proposal to fold NINR into an institute with other health sciences. The authors say the proposal would dilute NINR’s focus of prioritizing equity and prevention and responding to the needs of people across their lifespan. They emphasize that nurse-led research focuses on maternal health disparities, chronic illness management outside the hospital setting, community-engaged mental health solutions, firearm injury prevention, as well as “whole person” care rather than disease-specific interventions. (MedPage Today article, 11/22/24)