Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 19, 2005

Schumer: Research Foundation at University at Buffalo To Receive Over $401,000 For Nursing Training Program

Money will allow for further development of the nursing field and improved medical care throughout Western New York

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Research Foundation at University at Buffalo was awarded $401,426 for their nursing training program by the Department of Health and Human Services. The money was awarded through the Advanced Education Nursing Traineeships Grant Program, and will create opportunities for nurses to attend University at Buffalo, advance their medical education and ultimately, improve health care in New York.

“This is great news for Western New York,” Schumer said. “Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and it is critical that we have the training and resources our nurses need to care for each patient. There is a nursing shortage in New York State, and we need to aggressively take steps to recruit, educate and retain more nurses. The funding for the Nursing Education Program at University at Buffalo addresses this problem specifically and will make a big difference for patient care in the region.”

The Advanced Education Nursing Traineeships Grant Program provides funding to schools of nursing, academic health centers and other public or private nonprofit entities to support traineeships for registered nurses enrolled in advanced education nursing programs. The programs provide training to prepare nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, nurse administrators, nurse educators, public health nurses, and nurses in other specialties that require advanced education.

In 2003 Schumer was a chief sponsor of the Nurse Reinvestment Act (P.L. 107-205) which provides scholarships to nursing students who agree to provide at least two years of service in a health care facility with a critical nursing shortage. It creates career ladders to help nurses and other health professionals advance in their careers, provides loan cancellation for nurses with advanced agrees in exchange for teaching at a school of nursing, improved nurse retention by promoting nurse involvement in organizational decision-making and provides specialized training for nurses.

This Congress, Schumer had been leading the fight to invest adequate funding in these programs. Current funding levels fail to meet the growing need for nurses. In fiscal year 2004, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) was forced to turn away 82% of the applicants for the Nurse Education Loan Repayment Program (NELRP) and 98% of the applicants for the Nursing Scholarship program due to lack of adequate funding. He is calling for $23 million, bringing the total to $176 million for Title VIII nursing education.

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