Lawmakers target nursing shortage. (Updata).

The prospects for alleviating the nation's increasingly acute shortage of nurses have improved somewhat with approval of the Nurses Reinvestment Act. Versions of the bill have sailed through both chambers of Congress with broad, bipartisan support. Individuals speaking on behalf of Rep. Lois

Both the House and Senate bills expand scholarship and loan repayment programs for nurses who agree to work in underserved areas, mandate studies to generate additional solutions to the shortage, and promote the field of nursing through national awareness campaigns. The Senate bill, the more detailed of the two, also includes grants to improve working conditions, bolster recruiting programs, create new scholarship programs, provide stipends for poor students, and pay hospices and home health agencies for training. The differences in the way the bills were written could have much to do with the leadership of the two chambers, with Republicans running the House and Democrats having control of the Senate.

It is uncertain whether these differences will necessitate convening a formal conference committee or whether a final version will emerge through staff negotiations. In either instance, Congress confronted a full docket when it returned in late January from its holiday recess, so further progress may yet be weeks away. The spokespersons for Rep. Capps and Sen. Mikulski said there were no particularly problematic areas and the final version should reflect the best of both bills.

Capps, who previously worked as a registered nurse, has been a proponent of legislative action addressing the shortage. The fact that Congress would so easily approve legislation that could create more than $100 million in new spending during these tight budget times is evidence of how dire the nursing shortage has become. Lawmakers report hearing from constituents about access problems in rural areas and long waits to see nurses in urban areas, and the ongoing threat of terrorism has made shoring up the nation's healthcare infrastructure a high priority. Additionally, ratings groups see spiraling wage costs due to labor shortages as negatively affecting the bottom line of the nation's healthcare facilities, especially as demand for care increases with the aging of the population.