Newswise — Park Ridge, Illinois—In response to the release of President Donald Trump’s proposed Fiscal Year 2019 budget, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) has grave concerns about its potential far-reaching impact on the nation’s nursing workforce.

The president’s budget proposes significantly cutting the federal healthcare workforce and research programs under Title VIII of the Nurse Workforce Development Program, from $229 million to just $83 million, a decrease of 64 percent.

“For more than 50 years, the programs supported under Title VIII have helped to build the supply and distribution of qualified nurses to meet our nation’s healthcare needs. Title VIII funding has also been critical to educating and training Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) who deliver more than 43 million anesthetics to patients each year in the United States, especially those living in rural and other medically underserved areas,” said AANA President Bruce Weiner, DNP, MSNA, CRNA.

“Nurses supported through Title VIII programs go on to provide high-quality, evidence-based healthcare to patients in a variety of settings including hospitals, surgery centers, physicians’ office, long-term care facilities, community centers, state and local health departments, schools, workplaces, patients’ homes, and more. It is imperative that these programs continue to thrive and provide support for institutions that educate and train our future nursing workforce to meet our nation’s growing demand for healthcare services,” Weiner said.

The AANA is also concerned about the addendum to the president’s budget which recommends cutting the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) by approximately $3 million, a decrease of 2 percent.

“While the AANA is pleased to see that the president’s proposed budget includes increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, we are concerned about the proposed cuts to NINR,” Weiner said. “Nursing science is critical to promote and improve the health of individuals, families, and communities. Many of the findings from nursing science can be put directly into practice, changing lives and promoting wellness.”

About the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
Founded in 1931 and located in Park Ridge, Ill., and Washington, D.C., the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) is the professional organization representing more than 52,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists across the United States. As advanced practice registered nurses and anesthesia specialists, CRNAs administer approximately 43 million anesthetics to patients in the United States each year and are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America. In some states, CRNAs are the sole anesthesia professionals in nearly 100 percent of rural hospitals. For more information, visit www.aana.com and www.future-of-anesthesia-care-today.com and follow @aanawebupdates on Twitter.