Originally Published:20091001.
As this nation struggles to debate the issues associated with healthcare reform, hospitals continue to close, more than 50 million Americans remain uninsured, and tiiousands of qualified applicants are denied admission to nursing schools each year, owing to space limitations and faculty shortages. With its focus on health promotion and disease prevention, the discipline of nursing is clearly positioned to lead in the health reform movement. In recognition of the major role that nursing can play in the healtiicare arena, two long-time supporters of nursing, Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Representative Lois Capps (D-CA), have sponsored a bid, introduced in both the Senate (S. 1104) and the House (H.R. 2754), to support the establishment of the Nurse-Managed Health Clinic Investment Act of 2009, as an amendment to the Public Health Service Act.
The bill cites the more than 200 currently existing nursemanaged centers that offer primary care and weUness services based on the nursing model of care delivery. A substantial share, of the more than 2 miUion patient encounters logged by these centers each year, is comprised of uninsured individuals, Medicare and Medicaid recipients, and other underserved populations. If enacted, this bill will enable the Bureau of Primary Health Care to establish a grant program to fund such clinics. It is well understood that without this proposed bill to increase access to non-physician primary care providers, the need will not be met.
In order to assume a leadership role in the health reform movement, however, the nursing discipline must be prepared to increase the diversity of its faculty and student bodies, if the ethnic composition of the nursing workforce is to be truly reflective of the diverse communities it serves. Consistent with this theme, the articles published in this issue of The ABNF Journal describe recruitment, retention and mentoring strategies to increase diversity among nursing students and faculty; provide a comprehensive review of the research literature on breast cancer screening behaviors among African American women; and identify a faith-based health promotion program. The ABNF Journal International Nursing Department Editor offers an eyewitness tour of modern-day Egypt.
