Support Candidates who Support Nurses!

The Paul Wellstone Mental Health & Addiction Act passed in the House of Representatives last week! Many thanks to all of you who contacted your Representatives!

Now, nurses need your help… there is still time to get signatures on the “Dear Colleagues” letter being circulated by Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA) and Steven LaTourette (R-OH) to encourage Congress to increase funding in the FY 2009 budget for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development program which help to fund education costs for nurse educators. Signatures are needed by tomorrow, March 12.

As nurses we need to continue to contact of legislators to remind them that whether or not every American has health insurance, if we don’t have a nursing workforce to help care for patients, all the insurance in the world won’t be of any use!

The nursing shortage is REAL and the nurses in the workforce are aging. As the population also ages and needs more and better health care, more nurses will be needed. We cannot produce enough qualified nurse graduates if we don’t have the nurse educators to provide instruction.

The nursing shortage affects all of us and we need to become politically involved and aware. This is not just a Presidential election year. Many seats in the U.S. Senate as well as the House of Representatives are up for grabs. Learn more about the candidates, and help to educate them about the nursing crisis. Elect candidates who support nurses!

We cannot heal the health care crisis without first addressing and healing the nursing shortage. Cutting funds to nursing programs is not the way to solve this issue!