APHON Submits Testimony to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
April 23rd, 2020
Testimony of the Nursing Community Coalition
Prepared for the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human
Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) &
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Submitted by Rachel Stevenson, Executive Director of the Nursing Community Coalition
During these unique times, we recognize how crucial federal investments for the nursing workforce and the nursing pipeline are to our patients and the health of our nation. Given these realities, and as we combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nursing Community Coalition respectfully requests that Congress continues robust investment in nursing workforce, education, and research in Fiscal Year 2021 by supporting at least $278 million for the Nursing Workforce Development programs (authorized under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 296 et seq.] and administered by HRSA), and at least $182 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), one of the 27 Institutes and Centers within NIH.
The Nursing Community Coalition is comprised of 63 national nursing organizations who work together to advance health care issues that impact education, research, practice, and regulation.
Collectively, the Nursing Community Coalition represents Registered Nurses (RNs), Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs, including Certified Nurse-Midwives, Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists), nurse leaders, nursing students, faculty, and researchers, as well as other nurses with advanced degrees. Together, we reiterate the request for increased funding for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs and NINR, especially as we address the current, and future, health challenges.
Providing Care to All Americans Through the Nursing Lens
Nurses make up the largest group of health professionals in the United States and are indispensable to the health and well-being of all Americans. With more than four million licensed practitioners across the country, nurses are responding to health care challenges, including COVID-19, in all communities, especially in rural and underserved areas, and consistently provide high-quality patient-centered care.1
The main source of federal funding for the nursing workforce are the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs, which bolster nursing education at all levels, strengthen the nursing workforce, and are essential to ensuring the demand for nursing care is met throughout this nation. Funding for Title VIII is essential, but especially crucial during public health emergencies as these programs connect patients with high-quality nursing care in community health centers, hospitals, long-term care facilities, local and state health departments, schools, workplaces, and patients’ homes.
A prime example of this is the Title VIII Advanced Nursing Education (ANE) programs. ANE programs support APRN students and nurses to practice on the front lines and in rural and underserved areas throughout the country. In Academic Year 2018-2019, ANE programs supported more than 9,100 students.2 Of these students, 73 percent of Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) and 62 percent of Advance Nursing Education program had clinical training sites in primary care settings, while 78 percent of Nurse Anesthetist Trainee (NAT) recipients were trained in medically-underserved areas.3
Together, Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs serve a vital need and help to ensure that we have a robust nursing workforce that is prepared to respond to public health threats and ensure the health and safety of all Americans. The Nursing Community Coalition respectfully requests at least $278 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs in FY 2021.
Improving Patient Care Through Scientific Research and Innovation:
For more than thirty years, scientific endeavors funded at the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) have been essential to advancing the health of individuals, families, and communities. Rigorous inquiry and research are indispensable when responding to the everchanging healthcare landscape and healthcare emergencies such as COVID-19. From precision genomics to palliative care and wellness research to patient self-management, NINR has been at the forefront of evidence driven research to improve care.4
It is imperative that we continue to support this necessary scientific research, which is why the Nursing Community Coalition respectfully requests at least $182 million for the NINR in FY 2021.
Now, more than ever, it is vital that we have the resources to meet today’s public health challenges, such as COVID-19. Investing in Title VIII Nursing Workforce development programs and NINR are essential to meeting that need. By funding Title VIII and NINR, Congress can continue to reinforce and strengthen the foundational care nurses provide daily in communities across the country. Thank you for your support of these crucial programs.
60 Members of the Nursing Community Coalition Submitting this Testimony
Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses
American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing
American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners
Academy of Neonatal Nursing
American Academy of Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
American Association of Neuroscience Nurses
American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
American Association of Nurse Practitioners
American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing
American College of Nurse-Midwives
American Nephrology Nurses Association
American Nurses Association
American Organization for Nursing Leadership
American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc.
American Public Health Association, Public Health Nursing Section
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
American Society for Pain Management Nursing
American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
Association for Radiologic and Imaging Nursing
Association of Community Health Nursing Educators
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses
Association of periOperative Registered Nurses
Association of Public Health Nurses
Association of Rehabilitation Nurses
Association of Veterans Affairs Nurse Anesthetists
Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Incorporated
Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service
Dermatology Nurses’ Association
Emergency Nurses Association
Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research
Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
Infusion Nurses Society
International Association of Forensic Nurses
International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses
National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists
National Association of Hispanic Nurses
National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners
National Association of Neonatal Nurses
National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Association of School Nurses
National Black Nurses Association
National Council of State Boards of Nursing
National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers
National League for Nursing
National Nurse-Led Care Consortium
National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties
Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs
Oncology Nursing Society
Organization for Associate Degree Nursing
Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society
Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
Society of Pediatric Nurses
Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society
1 National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2020). Active RN Licenses: A profile of nursing licensure in the U.S.
as of March 21, 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.ncsbn.org/6161.htm.
2 Department of Health and Human Services Fiscal Year 2021 Health Resources and Services Administration
Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees. Pages 141-145. Retrieved from:
https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/about/budget/budget-justification-fy2021.pdf
3 Department of Health and Human Services Fiscal Year 2021 Health Resources and Services Administration
Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees. Pages 142-143. Retrieved from:
https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/about/budget/budget-justification-fy2021.pdf
4 National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research. The NINR Strategic Plan: Advancing Science,
Improving Lives. Pages 4, 10 Retrieved from
https://www.ninr.nih.gov/sites/www.ninr.nih.gov/files/NINR_StratPlan2016_reduced.pdf