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Week of May 12, 2008
*California
California to graduate
many more
RNs, report finds
The California Labor and Workforce Development Agency on
Friday released a report suggesting that the state will graduate
roughly 10,400
RNs this year, a 68 percent increase from 2004, the San
Francisco Chronicle reports. The study attributes much of the
increase to the state's California Nurse Education Initiative, which
has helped
create 23 new nursing education programs since its launch in 2005. In
addition,
funding from the five-year, $90 million initiative has helped community
colleges, which train 70 percent of nurses statewide, expand enrollment
at 74
locations, contributing to a 24.7 percent increase in nursing students
across
the state. According to the study, California
currently has 647 RNs per 100,000 people and will likely surpass the
national
average of 825 RNs per 100,000 people by 2022 if it sustains current
nursing
education expansion efforts. However, one expert contends that it is
premature
to suggest that the critical nursing shortage is ending, noting that 30
percent
of enrollments are paid for with grants and donations that are not
necessarily
renewable. (RJWF News Digest,
05/12/08; Colliver,
San Francisco
Chronicle,
5/10/08; California Labor and Workforce Development Agency release,
5/8/08)
*Colorado
Report offers solutions to Colorado's
health professions shortage
A new publication explores promising strategies to strengthen
health professions training in Colorado by:
- Creating awareness and readiness
among
students
- Supporting and expanding training
opportunities
- Promoting employer efforts and
community partnerships to
recruit and retain health
professionals
*Iowa
Iowa nurses to see pay
raise with
increase in Medicaid
The Iowa Legislature has agreed to give medium and large hospitals a 1%
increase in Medicaid money, which hospitals have promised to use to
increase
nurses' salaries. According to a 2006 federal survey, Iowa
ranks 52nd in nurses' pay among the 54 states and territories. (Chicago Tribune,
05/12/08)
*Massachusetts
Repaying student loans helps MA health centers get staff
Ordinarily, health centers serving the poor aren't in a great position
when it
comes to competing for the services of nurse practitioners and
physicians. The
centers, which serve largely lower-income patients, typically pay much
less
than other healthcare settings. However, a new program that repays
medical
student loans has turned things around for centers in Eastern
Massachusetts. The program, which offers $25,000 in loan
repayment
per year for three years, has helped community health centers in the
region
place 35 physicians and 12 nurse practitioners at 23 health centers, a
huge
success given that the centers might otherwise have spent years
recruiting to
bring in even a single physician. This group includes six current
staffers who
agreed to stay two or three years. The program is funded by a $5
million grant
from Bank of America, with additional funding coming from the state of Massachusetts
and a handful of health plans. (The Boston Globe, 05/12/08)
*New Jersey
Groups protest proposed charity care cuts in NJ
A broad coalition of groups representing health care
providers, consumers and employees rallied at the New Jersey State
House
to protest a proposed $143 million cut to the charity care program that
funds
hospital care for the uninsured. AARP State President Sy Larson said
the cuts
“could endanger local access to health care services,” while Medical
Society of
New Jersey officials said the cuts would “result in diminished care for
New Jersey’s medically
indigent patients.” Ann Twomey,
president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees, said, “Now is
not the
time to cut funding to our hospitals, but it is time to find new ways
to
provide health coverage to all of our communities.” Betsy Ryan,
president-designee for the New Jersey Hospital Association, noted that
30% of
the state’s hospitals have closed in the past 15 years and nearly half
of the
remaining 76 hospitals are losing money. (AHA
News Now, 05/12/08)
*New York
New York lawmakers to consider nurse
recruitment,
retention legislation
New York
lawmakers this week called for legislative action to address the
state's
nursing shortage, the Empire State News reports. The series of five
bills,
which were discussed Tuesday at a press conference in Albany,
call for educational and financial incentives designed to attract and
retain
nurses. For example, a bill introduced by Assemblyman Jim Bacalles
(R,C,I-Schenectady-Saratoga), would establish the New York state
nursing
recruitment incentive and retention program and offer student loan
reimbursements for practicing nurses. In addition, the bill would
require the
State University of New York and City University of New York to cover
the cost
of tuition for any student who agrees to work in New
York
state as an RN. The bill is expected to be debated in the Assembly
Higher
Education Committee this week. (RWJF News Digest,
05/14/08; Empire State News,
5/13/08; Grant, Legislative
Gazette, 5/13/08)
*Ohio
Cleveland Clinic to pay tuition for medical school students
The 32 students entering the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College
of Medicine at Case Western
Reserve University
will have their tuition covered by the Clinic. The program will be
funded by
Cleveland Clinic's endowment and hospital operations. The aim is to
free
students from the feeling that they have to choose high-paying
specialties to
pay off medical school debt, rather than going into academic and
research
oriented medicine, according to Clinic representatives. Other medical
schools
have already greatly reduced their tuition costs, freeing up students
who may
want to practice in fields that are lower-paying but greatly needed. (HealthLeaders Media Daily News,
05/15/08); Cleveland Plain Dealer,
05/15/08)
Lots of jobs but costly housing for nurses in U.S., study shows
Health-care workers may be in demand, but in many U.S. cities they aren't able to afford a median-price home, a recent report suggests. Licensed practical nurses were priced out of the average home in 187 of the 202 metropolitan areas studied, according to the report, Paycheck to Paycheck: Wages and the Cost of Housing in America, released by the Center for Housing Policy. The report looked at how workers in more than 60 different occupations handle housing costs. The situation wasn't much better for registered nurses; they couldn't afford a median-price home in 115 of the cities studied. Physical therapists in 104 of the areas were priced out. The full study is available online at http://www.nhc.org/chp/p2p/. (Ottawa Citizen, 05/14/08)
Beth A. Brooks, PhD, RN, FACHE
Senior Partner, Health Care
P: 800.775.4550
E: beth.brooks@jwt.com
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