A Recent Analysis Found That Nevada Is One Of The States With The Least Amount Of Nurses Per Capita In the Nation
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Mike Braun (R-IN) announced that their bipartisan Train More Nurses Act has passed the Senate. This bipartisan legislation addresses the nursing shortage that affects communities all across the nation. It directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Labor to conduct a review of all nursing grant programs to find ways to increase faculty at nursing schools, particularly in underserved areas. It also increases pathways for Licensed Practical Nurses to become Registered Nurses.
Every county in Nevada is experiencing a shortage of medical professionals, and a recent analysis found that Nevada is one of the states with the least amount of nurses per capita. According to the University of Nevada Reno’s Nevada Health Workforce Research Center, it would take an additional 4,000 registered nurses to catch up to the national average.
“Nevada families deserve access to quality health care, but the shortage of medical professionals is hurting their ability to get it,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud that our bipartisan bill to address the shortage of nurses in our state has passed the Senate. I’ll keep pushing to make sure it becomes law, which will improve health care access across our state.”
“In the midst of a growing demand for medical treatments and services, health care providers across Maine continue to face a significant shortage of nurses. One challenge in growing the nursing workforce to meet this demand is the limited supply of nursing faculty available to increase student enrollment and train the next generation of nurses,” said Senator Collins. “I am pleased that the Senate passed this bipartisan legislation that will identify strategies to close the faculty gap and other potential solutions to strengthen our nursing workforce, ultimately improving access to care, particularly in underserved communities in Maine and across the country.”
“We have a serious nursing shortage, and we need new ideas to solve this problem to help Hoosiers get better health outcomes,” said Senator Braun. “I’m glad this bipartisan legislation to get more Americans into this important profession has passed the Senate.”
Senator Rosen is working to address Nevada’s health care professional shortage and improve medical care access in the state. Last year, Senator Rosen helped introduce the bipartisan Medical Student Education Authorization Act to address the doctor shortage by expanding the Medical Student Education Program. She also introduced a package of bipartisan bills to tackle this health care professional shortage in Nevada and across the nation. Senator Rosen’s Maximizing Outcomes Through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act that she introduced with Senator Collins was signed into law in 2022, and allows community health centers to use federal funds to establish new, mobile health care units to increase access to health care services in rural and underserved communities.
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