[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 30, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11215-S11216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. CLINTON (for herself, Mr. Smith of Oregon, Mr. Kennedy, 
        and Mrs. Murray):
  S. 1594. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide 
programs to improve nurse retention, the nursing workplace, and the 
quality of care; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I am proud to introduce today the Nurse 
Retention and Quality Care Act of 2001 and to speak about the 
importance of nurses and the work they do. On September 11, nurses were 
among those who were on the front lines of the battle against 
terrorism. With courage, skill and determination, they were on the job, 
treating the injured, helping to save lives.
  To this day, nurses are defending America. In clinics, hospitals and 
offices around the country, they are working to detect and treat actual 
or suspected cases of anthrax. Should our Nation face other biological 
threats or terrorist attacks, nurses will be there for us.
  Today's news that a woman who works in the Manhattan Eye, Ear and 
Throat Hospital is in critical condition with possible inhalation 
anthrax is a reminder of the hazards faced by health care workers. And 
it is a reminder of how important it is that our public health system 
be fully staffed with trained health care professionals.
  Sadly, America is facing a nursing shortage at a time when the need 
for more nurses is so clear. Our nurses are facing an emergency of 
their own and they need our help. The nursing shortage imposes 
increasing hardship on hospitals and nurses alike, and threatens the 
ability of our health care system to provide basic patient care, much 
less respond to health crises and terrorism.
  Not only is the number of individuals entering the nursing profession 
falling, but hospitals are also facing difficulty retaining the nurses 
already on staff. Fifty percent of nurses say they have recently 
considered leaving their jobs for reasons other than retirement, and 
approximately half a million licensed nurses are not currently 
practicing nursing. Many of the nurses who have considered leaving the 
profession cite their low level of overall job satisfaction.
  While we must do more to improve the number of nurses in training, we 
must also take steps to enhance the workplace to retain current nurses, 
and that is what the bill that Senator Gordon Smith and I will be 
introducing today would address.
  One way to retain nurses is to follow the example of those hospitals 
that have become nursing ``magnets.'' They are successful because they 
involve nurses in decision-making, encourage collaboration among health 
professionals, give nurses the opportunity to pursue continuing 
education and advancement, and they organize care to improve patient 
outcome.
  Our bill is designed to encourage more hospitals to follow these 
leads. And I am pleased that hospitals and nurses support this bill. It 
has been endorsed by the American Nurses Association and the American 
Hospitals Association.
  It is also a good bill for patients and their quality of care as 
well. Research has shown that magnet hospitals have lower mortality 
rates, shorter lengths of stay, higher patient satisfaction and cost-
efficiency.
  As our Nation faces increasing threats of terrorist and biological 
attack, our health system must be stronger than ever before. One of the 
best ways we can do this is by taking steps to reverse the nursing 
shortage, and ensure that nurses on the front lines are well-prepared 
to respond to emergencies.
  Our bill does both. First, it creates demonstration programs to 
encourage states to adopt magnet hospital practices, which will help 
attract and retain the nursing staff our hospitals need so they can 
cope with surges in patient volume.
  And, second, our bill encourages nurses to pursue continued 
education. That is so important today, when we need more health care 
professionals who can detect the early signs of a bioterrorist attack. 
This legislation will promote the kind of training that the New York 
State Nurses Association, Bellevue Hospital and New York College 
provide for nurses in my state.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleague 
from New York, Senator Clinton, in introducing the Nurse Retention and 
Quality of Care Act of 2001. As most of my colleagues already know, our 
Nation is facing an unprecedented nursing shortage. A Northwest Health 
Foundation study released this year found that Oregon alone will have 
3,200 nursing vacancies in 2010. It is critical that we act immediately 
to address this shortage, and we must start by retaining the highly 
skilled nurses that already constitute the foundation of our health 
care system.
  Our Nation's nursing shortage is not merely the result of poor nurse 
recruitment, this shortage exists in large part because nurses are 
leaving the profession altogether. Half a million licensed nurses are 
not currently practicing. These nurses represent some of our Nation's 
most compassionate and experienced health care professionals, but they 
feel compelled to look elsewhere for work, and we must do something to 
change this disturbing trend.
  The Nurse Retention and Quality of Care Act will give hospitals 
incentives to develop and implement model practices for retaining 
nurses, such as the methods used by ``magnet hospitals''. Magnet 
hospitals have been in existence for a number of years, and share 
certain characteristics designed to make these hospitals attractive 
workplaces for nurses. These hospitals promote nurse participation in 
decision-making, collaboration and communication among health care 
professionals, opportunities for nurses to pursue education and career 
advancement, and a balanced and accommodating work environment for 
nurses.
  Nurses in magnet hospitals stay twice as long on average as those in 
non-magnet hospitals, and consistently report greater job satisfaction. 
Patients also express higher satisfaction in magnet hospitals. There is 
one such hospital in my home state of Oregon, Providence St. Vincent 
Medical Center in Portland, OR, and I am not alone in hoping this 
legislation will lead to additional magnet facilities. Our legislation 
will authorize $40 million in demonstration grants for health care 
facilities to implement the model practices

[[Page S11216]]

utilized by magnet hospitals, and I believe that this will be an 
important step toward fixing our Nation's impending nursing shortage.
  Nurses are the human face of medicine, but the demands on them are 
increasingly difficult to bear. The Nurse Retention and Quality of Care 
Act paves the way for hospitals to implement practices that will 
improve the morale of nurses and encourage them to stay in the nursing 
profession. Now, more than ever, with the current health and safety 
concerns facing our Nation, we must let nurses know that they are 
important to us and that we value their expertise and compassion. By 
passing this bill, we can do just that, and take important steps to 
ensure an adequate supply of highly qualified nurses for years to come.

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