DES MOINES, IA — Representatives Zach Nunn (IA-03), Dina Titus (NV-01), and Susie Lee (NV-03) today introduced bipartisan legislation to address the nationwide nursing shortage by expanding pathways to train more nurses and strengthen the healthcare workforce. The Train More Nurses Act directs the Departments of Health and Human Services and Labor to review existing federal grant programs and deliver recommendations to Congress on how to better support nurse training, faculty recruitment, and career advancement.
“There simply aren’t enough healthcare workers to adequately staff hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes across Iowa. We have students ready to answer the call to serve, but not enough educators to train them,” said Rep. Nunn. “As the son of a nurse, I’ve seen firsthand how critical these frontline professionals are to our healthcare system. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort to ensure we have the tools to train the next generation of nurses and meet the growing demand for care.”
In Iowa, nearly 70% of healthcare facilities report difficulty filling open nursing positions. Nursing homes across the state have been hit especially hard, experiencing a 10% workforce reduction since 2020. At the same time, nearly 100,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing programs in a single year due to faculty shortages. This challenge is compounded by an aging workforce; over half of all registered nurses are over age 50, and enrollment in training programs is not keeping pace with demand.
“As the demand for quality healthcare across the state continues to grow, Nevada faces a shortage of nearly 5,000 nurses,” said Rep. Titus. “The Train More Nurses Act is a critical step toward ensuring we can meet this demand and provide the necessary support at the federal level for our healthcare workers. By enhancing career pathways, addressing shortages in underserved areas, and facilitating the transition from LPNs to RNs, we are taking strides towards bolstering our healthcare workforce and meeting the needs of patients.“
“Nurses are the backbone of quality health care. The severe nursing shortage in our state puts the quality of health care for too many Nevadans at risk. And faculty vacancies at nursing schools make it harder for prospective nurses to get the training they need to enter the workforce,” said Rep. Lee. “I’m proud to lead bipartisan legislation to make sure federal dollars are invested in educational and workforce programs to train more nurses and ensure southern Nevadans can access the health care they need.”
“We are appreciative of the opportunity to host Congressman Nunn and discuss how we can support his effort to advocate for a solution to the healthcare nursing shortage,“ said Kevin Pettit, CEO of Clive Behavioral Health. “We are committed to being part of the solution to behavioral health issues among our community. Working with our elected officials, we can further bring a voice to patients, what they need and how we can support them.”
“We are facing an inflection point in American health care: there simply are not enough nurses and direct care workers to care for an exploding aging population,” said Brent Willett, President and CEO of the Iowa Health Care Association. “The Congressional Budget Office projects the ratio of working age Americans to those 65 and older will decline from 2.9% today to 2.2% by 2054. In 2010, the old-age dependency ratio was about 21 people 65 and older per 100 working age adults. It’s projected to rise to 41 per 100 by 2060 — cutting in half the working age pool of people to care for seniors. If that alarms you, it should. Nursing homes nationwide, including those in Iowa, are grappling with severe staffing shortages. We applaud Rep. Nunn’s Train More Nurses Act and urge members of congress to move it expeditiously. We are literally racing against time.”
The Train More Nurses Act directs federal agencies to recommend legislative changes to grant programs to:
- Increase nursing faculty levels, particularly in underserved areas
- Create new opportunities for experienced nurses to transition into teaching roles
- Strengthen the nursing pipeline by supporting licensed practical nurses (LPNs) who want to become registered nurses (RNs)
This commonsense legislation takes a critical first step in identifying where existing federal resources can be better leveraged to build a sustainable, skilled nursing workforce for the future.
Text of the bill can be found here.
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