The demand for individuals to fill healthcare jobs across the nation continues to increase for a variety of reasons. The usual include a growing and aging population and shortage of properly trained individual, but a new one has recently arisen. If new legislation is passed there will be an increase in the number of healthcare job for registered nurses in public schools.

HR 6201 was introduced by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat of New York, and is cosponsored by Rep Lois Capps, a Californian Democrat. If passed, the new bill will provide grant money to employ the larger number of nurses.

The bill, if passed, will amend the Public Health Service Act of 2008. This will provide grants through the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in order to provide new nurses for school districts that currently have fewer than one nurse per 1,000 public school students. This piece of legislation has been referred to the House committee on Energy and Commerce.

“For many children, contact with a school nurse is often the only consistent access to a healthcare professional available, especially for preventative care,” wrote McCarthy in a letter to other lawmakers.

“Currently more than 50 percent of public schools in the U.S. do not have a full-time registered nurse,” she went on to state, “despite their demonstrated role in facilitating learning as they handle students’ increasing complex health issues--from asthma to food allergies, obesity, vision deficiencies, prescription medications, and mental and behavioral problems.”

McCarthy, who has been a RN for 30 years, knows this from experience. Cosponsor Capps was a nurse and educator in health for over 20 years in Santa Barbara schools and successfully sponsored the Nurse Reinvestment Act.

Labels: Healthcare Jobs