AHA voices support for bill addressing nursing workforce shortages 

Jul 27, 2026 - 03:21 PM
A black nurse with a smile on her face shares a tablet with a white elderly patient lying in a hospital bed.

The AHA July 27 expressed support for the National Nursing Workforce Center Act of 2025 (S. 1482), legislation that would establish state-based nursing workforce centers to improve understanding of workforce needs and develop evidence-based solutions to address nursing shortages. “The legislation would support efforts to increase nursing faculty capacity, expand enrollment opportunities, strengthen leadership development, prepare nurses for public health emergencies and improve workforce distribution in rural and underserved communities,” the AHA wrote in a letter to the bill’s sponsors, Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Chris Coons, D-Del., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. “It would also provide policymakers, educators, employers and workforce leaders with better data to inform decisions and investments that strengthen the nursing pipeline.” 

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