(NewsReady.com) – On September 1, President Joe Biden’s administration proposed new rules for nursing homes. The guidelines included minimum requirements for staff levels. The administration hopes to pour millions into nurse training programs to make it happen.
Carole Johnson, the administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the administration will commit $100 million to recruit new nurses, according to The Hill. Of that money, $35 million will go toward helping licensed practical nurses (LPNs) become registered nurses (RNs). It will also help nursing programs add more staff to better serve students.
The other $65 million will go to training programs and schools. Johnson explained that the government pays for things like “child care and other things that make it hard for people” to get the training needed to become nurses. They also pay for stipends and tuition costs in some cases.
The announcement comes just a week after the administration vowed to improve nursing home safety. The president wants to create a federal standard for the number of nurses who must be at a facility. He wants one RN to be at a facility 24/7 and he sets a minimum number of other nurse aides and RNs.
Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, the president of the American Nurses Association, said the plan to invest in nursing programs is good, but “it’s just one piece of the overall puzzle” if the POTUS wants to solve the profession’s “workforce issue.” She explained that there’s a turnover rate of 21% in America. That is creating “an unnecessary expense for the healthcare system.” She expressed concern that nurses are still facing unsafe working conditions, large workloads, and burnout.
The American Nurses Association has called on the government to address issues like nurse shortages, healthy work environments, and other issues that are hurting the industry. HRSA has said Congress will have to approve additional funding to address the other issues that are facing the industry. It’s unlikely that will happen, considering the current feelings about more government spending on Capitol Hill right now.
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