A nurse's role goes far beyond the hospital; nurses reach into charity clinics, in-home care, churches, and school volunteer health programs. Nurses conduct research, publish, review and continue to educate their peers and the public about their ever-evolving role and positive impact on the health care community. Nursing students seek guidance from nurse mentors and work alongside professionals not only in the scholastic setting but in the community at large, participating in educational offerings, community service projects, legislative endeavors, health fairs and many other activities. 

Our Nation's nurses are a valuable part of our society and therefore deserve our continued support for their profession. Currently, this profession is facing some serious challenges. In Arkansas and all over America, we are faced with a nursing shortage. There are over 25,000 nurses registered in Arkansas, and over 1,000 of those are nurse practitioners. For a State with 2.5 million citizens, this is simply not enough. The low nurse to patient ratio is far below what it needs to be and therefore we need to do more to increase the number of nurses, while also supporting our existing ones. 

Unfortunately, nursing programs are severely underfunded in the fiscal year 2006 budget. The president's budget has requested $150 million for nursing workforce development programs, including the Nurse Reinvestment Act. That figure represents a cut of $1 million over the FY 2005 funding level. With a predicted nursing shortage of more than 275,000 registered nurses by the year 2010, this is the wrong time to be cutting back our investment in this country's future nurses. 

As a member committed to supporting our nurses, I, along with fellow colleagues, sent a request to the appropriations committee for $175 million that will go toward nurse workforce development programs, which will enable nurses to receive the proper training necessary to keep up with their ever-evolving profession. These funds would also be used to provide incentives for students and nurses to receive advanced degrees in the nursing profession and student loan programs. 

Nurses are a critical component of health care in this country, offering support and providing assistance at every step of the health care process. I commend nurses for their hard work and tireless efforts, from school nurses to emergency rooms, and charity clinics to nursing homes. As a United States Congressman, I will continue to fight to ensure nurses are adequately funded and have the resources they need to continue to properly care for our Nation's children, working families, and elderly.