Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao

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Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Nursing Shortage Legislation Press Conference
Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
July 24, 2002

Thank you…

I’m so pleased to see Congress taking steps to address this country’s crisis-level labor shortage in the nursing profession.

The shortage of nurses in this country has been a concern of mine since I started as Secretary of Labor.

The numbers say it all: the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that there will be about one million new job openings for registered nurses by 2010… and that’s three years before the Baby Boom generation begins to retire.

Through a partnership among the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Department of Education, the Bush administration has issued what I refer to as a “call to care.” We want to inspire young people to pursue nursing as a career and are working hard to expand enrollment in nursing programs at all levels.

For example, Secretary Thompson and I are in the process of creating a nursing career ladder pilot program that will link Job Corps to nurses aid apprenticeships, community colleges, vocational and professional nursing education programs.

And in April, Department of Labor launched CareCareers.net, an on-line job bank dedicated to nursing careers in long-term care which we created through a cooperative effort with the American Health Care Association and American Homes and Services for the Aging. You might have seen American Gold Medal Winner Jimmy Shea talking about the “call to care” and promoting CareCareers.net through Public Service Announcements.

Our Department has also created $10 million in nursing scholarships through a joint effort with the health care company HCA.

The Nurse Reinvestment Act will build upon this work that is already being done.

In closing I want to emphasize that the scholarships and loan programs created by this Act must be complemented by a follow-through in communication and leadership.

It is the responsibility of each one of us gathered here today to continue to promote nursing as a career… not only through the funding of programs, but through talking to our peers, the media, and the public about the importance of nurses to our country.

Thank you, and congratulations on passing such an important bill.

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