Senate passes workforce legislation - In the News - Rural and Urban Health Care Act of 2001 - Brief Article

Healthcare Financial Management, Oct, 2001

The Senate-passed Rural and Urban Health Care Act of 2001 would give healthcare organizations hope of relieving the nurse shortage by revising immigration requirements to allow more foreign registered nurses to work in hospitals on a temporary basis in areas hardest hit by the nurse shortage. The act also would direct the HHS secretary to award grants to states, local governments, and institutions of higher education for recruitment and training of domestic registered nurses and other healthcare providers.

The bill has introduced in the House of Representatives on August 1, 2001, and been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Hospitals report an estimated 168,000 open positions, of which 126,000 are RN vacancies.