MEMORIALIZING CONGRESS TO APPROVE FOR PASSAGE THE "NURSING EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT ACT" (NEED ACT)
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Introduced
By: Senators Polisena, Graziano, P Fogarty, Connors, and Goodwin |
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Date
Introduced: January 30, 2002 |
WHEREAS, In
Rhode Island, and across the country, concerns about an increasing nursing
shortage continue to grow; and
WHEREAS, A
number of factors contribute to the growing shortages in qualified personnel;
and
WHEREAS, The
way care is delivered has changed dramatically over the last decade thereby
increasing the demand for and the demands upon qualified nursing personnel; and
WHEREAS,
Changes in society and the greater availability of employment opportunities in
nursing and alternative professions have made it difficult for employers of
nurses to recruit and retain qualified nursing personnel; and
WHEREAS, The
current shortage is expected to worsen because of declines in nursing school
enrollments and the significant number of nurses expected to retire over the
next decade; and
WHEREAS,
Health care facilities serving the citizens of Rhode Island are experiencing
increasing difficulty in attracting and retaining nurses to administer to their
patients; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island hereby requests that the
108th Congress of the United States of America take measures to
reduce the adverse effects of the nursing shortage and approve for passage the
Nursing Employment and Education Development Act (NEED Act); and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State is hereby authorized and directed to transmit duly
certified copies of this resolution to the members of the Rhode Island
delegation to the Congress of the United States.