House keeps FY07 nurse programs at current levels; nurses disappointed.

Nursing workforce development programs will not get funding increases if the House Appropriations Committee's proposals are adopted. However, if nurse advocate groups get their way, Title VIII programs would be funded at $175 million.

The committee June 13 adopted a fiscal year 2007 Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bill, which keeps funding for Title VIII nursing workforce programs level with the FY06 amount, which is $149.7 million. This is $300,000 less than the president's budget request. The proposed allocations for HHS programs are the same as those recently adopted by the panel's subcommittee.

However, this is $25 million too little, according to nurse and other health care groups.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Hospital Association, American Nephrology Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, American Organization of Nurse Executives, the Visiting Nurse Associations of America and other groups called on House appropriators in a June 2 letter to provide at least $175 million for nursing workforce programs in fiscal year 2007, up $25 million from the current fiscal year.

The letter stated that the programs, authorized under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, helped more than 50,000 students pursue nursing education last year. The groups said that workforce data points to a long-term nursing shortage, with supply falling nearly 30 percent below demand by 2020. "Given adequate resources, Title VIII programs would resolve the shortage by increasing the supply of nurse faculty, recruiting diverse student populations, assisting students in completing their nursing studies ... and promoting innovation in education and practice," the letter said.

Allison Beard, communications and public relations manager for the American College of Nurse Practitioners, told LNN, "As a member of the Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief alliance, we will continue to advocate for the $175 million in funding for FY07 that the ANSR alliance supports. We will continue to monitor this issue closely."

Under the appropriations bill, Title VII, which funds other Health Professions Education Programs, received $163.58 million. In addition, the National Institute of Nursing Research received $136.55 million, $790,000 less than in FY05. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was level funded at $318.7 million.