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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Plan to Invest at Least $500M to Hire Additional School Nurses

By NASN Inc posted 05-14-2021 10:18

  

For Immediate Release
May 13, 2021
Contact: Carol Walsh
National Association of School Nurses
cwalsh@nasn.org

news release printable version

BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES
PLAN TO INVEST AT LEAST $500M TO HIRE ADDITIONAL SCHOOL NURSES

(Silver Spring, MD, May 13, 2021) -- The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) applauds the Biden-Harris Administration for investing in our nation’s school nurses. The Administration today announced it will invest $7.4 billion from the American Rescue Plan to recruit and hire public health workers to respond to the pandemic and prepare for future public health challenges including dedicated funding of at least $500 million to hire school nurses to help schools safely reopen and remain open for in-person instruction. School nurses are a critical part of the public health infrastructure and offer medical expertise to support parents and teens as vaccination options for younger people expand.

“School nurses have long been a critical health hub for students, managing complex, chronic conditions, detecting early warning signs of mental health issues and intervening to ensure appropriate care, and now navigating through the Covid-19 pandemic by testing, tracking and vaccinating students and school personnel,” said NASN Executive Director Donna Mazyck, CAE, MS, RN, NCSN. The fact is that prior to the pandemic, schools were woefully understaffed with regard to school nurses. This infusion of funds, combined with American Rescue Plan funding made available earlier to public schools, will strengthen school nursing and ensure that students can access the care they need to remain healthy and ready to learn.”

In total, the plan will allocate $4.4 billion to allow states and localities to expand their over-stretched public health departments with additional staff to support COVID-19 response efforts. Funds will also support the development of the next generation of public health leaders by creating a Public Health AmeriCorps and expanding the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. The $500 million announced today is in addition to the American Rescue Plan’s $122 billion Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund that can also be used to hire school nurses.

About NASN:
The National Association of School Nurses is a non-profit specialty nursing organization, representing school nurses exclusively. NASN has more than 18,000 members and 50 affiliates, including one in the District of Columbia and one serving school nurses overseas. The mission of NASN is to optimize student health and learning by advancing the practice of school nursing. Please visit us at www.nasn.org.

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06-12-2021 15:01

My understanding is the funds have been distributed to the state's health departments.  Contact your health department and inquire about how the funds will be allocated and dispersed.
Hello! Does anyone know if there has been an update to this? We very much need one more RN position but our district has no information regarding this funding. Any info will help! Thank you!