“As we consider how to create a healthier nation rooted in team-based care, it is imperative that the American nursing workforce is bolstered by federal support for nursing education and research programs that advance the profession,” said AACN’s Board Chair Eileen T. Breslin. “Though we applaud the Administration’s ongoing commitment to nursing education and research, academic nursing leaders must continue to impress upon policy makers the need for stronger support.” Other investments that have been outlined in the President’s budget includes one billion dollars to address the opioid epidemic. AACN commends the Administration’s commitment to increasing resources to combat this crisis. Last October, AACN pledged to partner with the White House on this initiative by educating 15,000 faculty members and students on opioid abuse prevention and treatment over the next two years. The budget also includes investments for new initiatives, including a response to address the Zika Virus and the Cancer Moonshot priority to eliminate cancer. Despite the complex fiscal climate in which Congress is tasked with making challenging decisions about federal programs, AACN believes that it is imperative that nursing education and research programs receive maximum support so that quality of health and health care is improved. In late March, AACN member deans, faculty, and students will be present in our nation’s capital to educate Congress about the need for continued investments in healthcare education and research programs. These efforts will maximize the ability of the nursing workforce to provide evidence-based care across the nation.
For more information on the President’s FY 2017 Budget, see: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Overview.
For more information on the FY 2017 HHS Budget-in-Brief, see: http://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy2017-budget-in-brief.pdf.
For more information on AACN’s Appropriations advocacy, see: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/government-affairs/appropriations.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the national voice for university and four-year college education programs in nursing. Representing more than 780 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide, AACN's educational, research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications, and other programs work to establish quality standards for bachelor's- and graduate-degree nursing education, assist deans and directors to implement those standards, influence the nursing profession to improve health care, and promote public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, research, and practice. Learn more at www.aacn.nche.edu.
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