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2000 SESSION
004878544Patrons-- Ticer, Byrne, Couric, Edwards, Houck, Howell, Lambert, Marye, Miller, Y.B. and Puller; Delegates: Darner, Moran and Van Landingham
WHEREAS, the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) reported that a health care worker shortage started in Virginia in 1994; and
WHEREAS, the annual growth of registered nurse positions in Virginia is three percent, and the projected workforce shortage by 2006 is 30 percent; and
WHEREAS, in Virginia, registered nurses rank 13 out of the top 20 occupations with the largest number of total openings; and
WHEREAS, admissions to nursing programs in Virginia are down 25 percent since 1993, and there were eight percent fewer graduates from nursing programs in 1998 than there were in 1997; and
WHEREAS, the majority of the nurse workforce will retire over the next 15 years, and the continued growth of the elderly population will result in a higher demand for nursing services during the initial years of the twenty-first century; and
WHEREAS, hospitals and long-term care facilities, among others, are experiencing increased difficulty in recruiting qualified nurses; and
WHEREAS, a study to identify solutions to the nurse shortage problem should encompass all nurse groups including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse assistants, and other nurse groups; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Joint Commission on Health Care, in collaboration with the Virginia Organization of Nurse Executives, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, the Legislative Coalition of Virginia Nurses, the Virginia Partnership for Strategic Planning in Nursing, the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics, and other appropriate entities, conduct a study to identify specific and effective short- and long-term strategies to educate, train, recruit, and retain qualified nurses in Virginia. [ The request to conduct this study shall be contingent upon the availability of sufficient resources to the Joint Commission on Health Care to undertake this study. ]
All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Joint Commission on Health Care for this study, upon request.
The Joint Commission on Health Care shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2001 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.