Our state faces a massive health care worker shortage, and state lawmakers hope to address it. The Legislature is looking to spend about $171 million to recruit and retain health care professionals. They’re also looking to invest in our state’s nursing education programs.”We are finally taking a step for a long-term solution. There is $171 million included for hospitals and long-term care facilities to help with recruitment retention of existing employees,” New Mexico Hospital Association CEO Troy Clark said. Clark told KOAT the state will split that money through hospitals and long-term care facilities across our state. While an allocation formula has not been finalized, larger hospitals will receive more of that money.According to a study done by the University of New Mexico last year, the state was short more than 6,200 registered nurses. But a nursing shortage isn’t new, Clark explaining that the state has been short-staffed for over two decades, but impacts by COVID-19 made it worse.The state funding could also be going to nursing education programs. “There’s $15 million in recurring funds that have been passed to allow higher education facilities to increase their number of educators and enrollment. That way, we can have of getting New Mexicans the opportunity to go to nursing school and become nurses,” Clark said. He believes the money is a big step to solving the nursing shortage by utilizing more local health care professionals as opposed to outside help. “We have hospitals that are 40 and 50% of their staff are travel nurses. We want to solve this problem with New Mexicans, not with outsiders. We want the core of the solution to be grown from our own health care staff within the state,” Clark said.Clark also tells KOAT there’s a tax grant that could be coming to New Mexicans that would offer $1,000 for nurses who worked full time in hospitals. Those pieces of legislation will head to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk for final approval.
Our state faces a massive health care worker shortage, and state lawmakers hope to address it.
The Legislature is looking to spend about $171 million to recruit and retain health care professionals. They’re also looking to invest in our state’s nursing education programs.
“We are finally taking a step for a long-term solution. There is $171 million included for hospitals and long-term care facilities to help with recruitment retention of existing employees,” New Mexico Hospital Association CEO Troy Clark said.
Clark told KOAT the state will split that money through hospitals and long-term care facilities across our state. While an allocation formula has not been finalized, larger hospitals will receive more of that money.
According to a study done by the University of New Mexico last year, the state was short more than 6,200 registered nurses. But a nursing shortage isn’t new, Clark explaining that the state has been short-staffed for over two decades, but impacts by COVID-19 made it worse.
The state funding could also be going to nursing education programs.
“There’s $15 million in recurring funds that have been passed to allow higher education facilities to increase their number of educators and enrollment. That way, we can have of getting New Mexicans the opportunity to go to nursing school and become nurses,” Clark said.
He believes the money is a big step to solving the nursing shortage by utilizing more local health care professionals as opposed to outside help.
“We have hospitals that are 40 and 50% of their staff are travel nurses. We want to solve this problem with New Mexicans, not with outsiders. We want the core of the solution to be grown from our own health care staff within the state,” Clark said.
Clark also tells KOAT there’s a tax grant that could be coming to New Mexicans that would offer $1,000 for nurses who worked full time in hospitals.
Those pieces of legislation will head to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk for final approval.