Budget Amendments Increase Funding for Nursing Education

LATHAM, NY (02/13/2008)(readMedia)-- Nursing education programs got a significant boost from Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s 21-day amendments to the Executive Budget.

The Governor doubled the funding for nursing schools at public colleges and universities to $2 million for the SUNY system and $2 million for CUNY. He also reinstated $1 million in funding for nursing education at private institutions.

“We salute Gov. Spitzer for his commitment to combating the nursing shortage,” said Tina Gerardi, RN, chief executive officer of the New York State Nurses Association. “It is essential to recruit and retain more nurses to meet the current and future healthcare needs of New York residents.”

The funds will be available as grants to schools that are seeking to increase their student capacity. The state’s Center for Health Workforce Studies has reported that as many as 3,000 qualified applicants are turned away from nursing schools each year.

The grant program complements the $4-million Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship Program, which offers scholarships and loan forgiveness to registered nurses who go back to school to prepare themselves to expand the ranks of much-needed nursing faculty.

With more than 36,000 members, the New York State Nurses Association is the nation’s oldest and largest state nurses’ association. NYSNA fosters high standards of nursing education, research, and practice; engages in legislative activity; and provides collective bargaining services to registered nurses. Its mission is to advance the profession of nursing and protect the public's health.

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