At the beginning of August, Senate Nursing Caucus Co-Chair Jeff Merkley (D-OR), along with Representatives and registered nurses Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30), introduced the Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act (S.4396/H.R.7945). This bicameral legislation would invest $1 billion into schools of nursing to ensure nursing education pathways remain strong during current and future public health challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FAAN Act also would help provide needed investments for nursing schools, students, and faculty in all communities, including rural and underserved areas. Specifically, S.4396/H.R.7945 would support schools of nursing and academic nursing infrastructure by providing resources to:
- Enroll and retain nursing students
- Support educational programs, including creating and modernizing curriculum and establishing nurse-led intradisciplinary and interprofessional educational partnerships
- Hire and retain a diverse faculty to educate the future nursing workforce
- Modernize technological and educational infrastructure
- Support schools of nursing, in partnership with facilities that provide health care, to establish or expand clinical education
- Support nurse scientists and researchers who are essential as future health challenges arise.
Through this investment, the FAAN Act helps address immediate educational needs and ensures nursing schools’ ability to meet our nation’s need for frontline providers. By strengthening nursing education pathways, the FAAN Act will help ensure our future nursing leaders can combat the public health challenges of tomorrow.
AACN encourages you to email your members of Congress today, urging them to cosponsor the bipartisan FAAN Act and support its inclusion in the next COVID-19 relief package.
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